Abstract
Candida albicans is a commensal and opportunistic agent that causes infection in immunocompromised individuals. Several attributes contribute to the virulence and pathogenicity of this yeast, including the production of germ tubes (GTs) and extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, particularly phospholipase and proteinase. This study aimed to investigate GT production and phospholipase and proteinase activities in bloodstream isolates of C. albicans. One hundred fifty-three C. albicans isolates were obtained from blood samples and analyzed for GT, phospholipase, and proteinase production. The assays were performed in duplicate in egg yolk medium containing bovine serum albumin and human serum. Detectable amounts of proteinase were produced by 97% of the isolates, and 78% of the isolates produced phospholipase. GTs were produced by 95% of the isolates. A majority of the isolates exhibited low levels of phospholipase production and high levels of proteinase production. Bloodstream isolates of C. albicans produce virulence factors such as GT and hydrolytic enzymes that enable them to cause infection under favorable conditions.
Highlights
Candida albicans is a commensal and opportunistic agent that causes infection in immunocompromised individuals
One hundred fifty-three human isolates of C. albicans were obtained from blood samples between 1999 and 2009, and the yeast was identified using the ID 32C assay (BioMérieux, MarcyI’Etoile, France); isolates were stored at -20°C in a freezer at a mycology laboratory (Santa Casa de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)
Phospholipase activity was detected for 78% (120/153) of C. albicans isolates, and proteinase activity was detected for 97% (148/153) of isolates
Summary
Candida albicans is a commensal and opportunistic agent that causes infection in immunocompromised individuals. Several attributes contribute to the virulence and pathogenicity of this yeast, including the production of germ tubes (GTs) and extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, phospholipase and proteinase. This study aimed to investigate GT production and phospholipase and proteinase activities in bloodstream isolates of C. albicans. Conclusions: Bloodstream isolates of C. albicans produce virulence factors such as GT and hydrolytic enzymes that enable them to cause infection under favorable conditions. Several virulence factors of C. albicans have been discovered or proposed, including adhesion factors, hyphal formation, germ tubes (GTs), phenotypic diversity, and the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes such as phospholipases and proteinases[2,3,4,5,6]. Proteinase production increases the ability of certain organisms to colonize and penetrate host tissue, deceive the host immune
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
