Frequency Of Candida Species Research Articles

Frequency of Candida Species in the Oral Cavity of Narcotics and Stimulants Smokers in Isfahan, Using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Method.

Background:Candida species are a group of coexistent microorganisms in the oral cavity that opportunistically cause disease in vulnerable people, including addicts. This study is aimed at identifying and determining the frequency of Candida species in the oral cavity of the addicts to inform the epidemiological panel and to warn to prevent the resistance of the species.Materials and Methods:In this study, sampling was done from the oral cavity of 83 addicts who referred to Addiction Treatment Centers in Isfahan, Iran, using moist sterile swab. The presence of yeast on the direct microscope slides of 58 samples was confirmed. To carry out culture and the primary identification, Sabouraud dextrose agar medium with chloramphenicol as well as HiCrome Candida agar medium was used. Isolates were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism (using specific primers ITS1-ITS4 and MSP I enzyme) and Duplex PCR test (using specific primers CDU1-CDU2/CAL1-CAL2).Results:Out of 93 Candida isolates which had been isolated from 58 culture-positive samples of the oral cavity, Candida albicans (41.93%) were the most prevalent species, followed by Candida dubliniensis (24.73%), Candida glabrata (21.50%), Candida kefyr (8.60%), Candida tropicalis (2.15%), and Candida parapsilosis (1.07%), respectively. In 33 cases (56.90%), the presence of more than one Candida species was observed.Conclusion:Compared to the studies conducted on the oral cavity of healthy controls, smoking certain drugs can have a significant effect on the presence and frequency of Candida species, particularly C. dubliniensis and C. glabrata.

ISOLATION OF CANDIDA SPECIES FROM CLINICAL SPECIMENS WITH THEIR ANTIFUNGAL SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY FROM PAKISTAN

Objectives:This study aimed to observe the prevalence of Candida infection in hospital-admitted patients and observe their antifungal susceptibility to treat these admitted patients according to their sensitivity,
 Methods:This study was conducted on 105 isolates of Candida species obtained from various clinical samples, including urine, cerebrospinal fluid, invasive catheter tips, blood, and tracheal secretions of patients admitted to a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. The patients taking antifungal and outpatient department samples were excluded from this study. Each sample was processed according to standard operating procedures in the microbiology laboratory of Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, affiliated with Post Graduate Medical Institute, Ameer ud din Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan.
 Results:The frequency of Candida species is found to be 5.71% in patients admitted to tertiary care. The most common isolated Candida spp. was Candida tropicalis, followed by Candida albicans. A 27.6% Fluconazole resistance was observed in the isolates. There was no Amphotericin resistance in the Candida isolates both by disc diffusion and on minimum inhibitory concentrations MIC method.
 Conclusion:Resistance against the antifungal azole group was observed in the current study. More studies on fungal infection should be conducted in the healthcare sector of developing countries to add more information regarding new emerging resistant fungal infections

Oropharyngeal candidiasis in HIV/AIDS patients and non-HIV subjects in the Southeast of Iran.

Background and Purpose: Candida species are the common opportunistic pathogens during the course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) is generally known as the initial sign of HIV infection. The aim of this study was to compare demographic characteristics and frequency of Candida species between HIV/AIDS patients and non-HIV subjects in Kerman, southeast of Iran.Materials and Methods:This study was conducted on 143 samples collected from the oral cavity of 81 HIV/AIDS patients and 35 non-HIV subjects. The samples were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar and CHROMagar. The identification of Candida species was accomplished using the color of colony and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.Results:According to the results, C. albicans (n=25, 69.14%) was the most prevalent species isolated from the HIV/AIDS patients, followed by C. glabrata (n=19, 23.46%). Other isolated species included C. parapsilosis (n=4, 4.94 %), C. krusei (n=1, 1.24%), and C. kefyr (n=1, 1.24%). Out of the 35 Candida species recovered from the oral samples of non-HIV subjects, 23 (65.71%) and 12 (34.29%) cases were C. krusei and C. albicans, respectively. Candida krusei was the only non-albicans species found in the non-HIV subjects that was also the predominant isolated species. Regarding the HIV/AIDS patients, the highest prevalence of OPC was observed in the age group of 41-50 years. However, in the non-HIV subjects, the age group of 31-40 years had the highest prevalence of this infection. Furthermore, no correlation was observed between the gender and number of Candida isolates.Conclusion:Consideration of the epidemiologic data showed that the two groups were significantly different in terms of the prevalence of Candida species, which could play a major role in the selection of effective drugs for the treatment of candidiasis.

High prevalence of candiduria due to non-albicans Candida species among diabetic patients: A matter of concern?

Among the fungal pathogens, Candida species are the most common cause of urinary tract infection (UTI). Some predisposing factors such as diabetes mellitus, urinary retention, urinary stasis, renal transplantation, and hospitalization can increase the risk of candiduria. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate candiduria among type 2 diabetic patients and identification of the Candida isolates. Four hundred clean-catch midstream urine specimens were obtained from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The specimens were centrifuged and the sediments were examined by direct examination and cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar. The plates were incubated for 2-3days at 35°C. The Candida colonies were counted and purified using CHROMagar Candida. The isolates were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) system. Of the 400 urine specimens, 40 (10%) had positive cultures for Candida species with a colony count of ≥1×103 colony forming units (CFU)/mL. The frequencies of the Candida species were as follows: C.albicans (n=19, 47.5%), C.glabrata (n=15, 37.5%), C.kefyer (n=4, 10%) and C.krusei (n=2, 5%). Seventy-three (88%) of the patients with candiduria had hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels above 7%. The rate of candiduria was relatively high in type 2 diabetic patients and they were also suffering from a lack of proper blood glucose control. Although the frequency of non-albicans Candida species had not significantly higher than C.albicans, however, they obtained more from those with symptomatic candiduria.

Study of skin and nail Candida species as a normal flora based on age groups in healthy persons in Tehran-Iran

The skin is the body's largest organ that hosts heterogeneous inhabitants. Until now, the diversity of the cutaneous microbiome was mainly investigated for bacteria and there is a little information about the skin fungal flora. Also, among skin fungal flora, Candida is found as a main member whose distribution is affected by sex, age, climate. In this study, differences in Candida community structure associated with 9 different skin sites of 238 healthy people during 10 months from July to March 2016, are described. These subjects were divided by age into 4 groups: infants, children, adults and geriatrics. The collected samples were examined by culture on Sabouraud Chloramphenicol Agar and CHROM-agar Candida. For precise identification of species ITS1-5. 8S-ITS2 rDNA regions were sequenced where needed. The frequency of Candida species was significantly different between age groups. The most Candida isolations were related to the elderly age group and the fewest in the infants. C.parapsilosis virtually, was the predominant isolated species in all age groups. This study showed no statistically significant effect of the subject's sex on Candida population resident on human skin surface.

Investigation of the correlation between biofilm forming ability of urinary Candida isolates with the use of urinary catheters and change of antifungal susceptibility in the presence of biofilm

Frequency of Candida species causing urinary tract infections is increasing, and this increase is outstanding in nosocomial urinary tract infections especially in intensive care units. The ability of biofilm formation that is contributed to the virulence of the yeast, plays a role in the pathogenesis of biomaterial-related infections and also constitutes a risk for treatment failure. The aims of this study were to compare biofilm forming abilities of Candida strains isolated from urine cultures of patients with and without urinary catheters, and to investigate the change of antifungal susceptibility in the presence of biofilm. A total of 50 Candida strains isolated from urine cultures of 25 patients with urinary catheters (10 C.tropicalis, 6 C.glabrata, 4 C.albicans, 4 C.parapsilosis, 1 C.krusei) and 25 without urinary catheters (8 C.tropicalis, 6 C.albicans, 4 C.krusei, 3 C.parapsilosis, 2 C.kefyr, 1 C.glabrata, 1 C.lusitaniae) were included in the study. Biofilm forming ability was tested by Congo red agar (CRA) and microplate XTT [2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide] reduction methods. Fluconazole (FLU) and amphotericin B (AMP-B) susceptibilities of the isolates were determined by reference microdilution method recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute for planktonic cells and by XTT reduction assay in case of biofilm presence. Biofilm formation was detected in 12 (24%) by CRA and 50 (100%) of the isolates by XTT reduction method. None of the C.albicans (n= 10) and C.tropicalis (n= 18) strains were detected as biofilm positive by CRA, however, these strains were strongly positive by XTT reduction method. No statistically significant correlation was detected between the presence of urinary catheter and biofilm forming ability of the isolate (p> 0.05). This might be caused by the advantage of biofilm forming strains in adhesion to bladder mucosa at the initial stages of infection. For all of the isolates in planktonic form, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were below the clinical resistance breakpoints or epidemiological cut-off values. When tested in presence of biofilms, all the isolates became resistant aganist FLU. Similarly, 100% inhibition, which is recommended in the standard method to determine AMP-B MIC, could not be obtained in any of the isolates with the highest dilution 8 µg/ml AMP-B tested. When evaluation was performed according to 80% inhibition, only 14 (28%) of the isolates had an AMP-B MIC below species-specific epidemiological cut-off values in the presence of biofilm. As a result, no correlation between urinary catheters and biofilm formation ability of Candida isolates were detected. XTT reduction method was considered as more reliable than CRA for investigating biofilm formation of Candida species. In addition, CRA failed to detect biofilm formation in frequently isolated species such as C.albicans and C.tropicalis. Fluconazole activity was lost, while AMP-B could not provide 100% inhibition in presence of biofilm for all isolates tested. Even if 80% inhibition was taken into account, AMP-B activity was still variable according to strain.

Risk of Acquiring Carpapenem-resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae from Bed Contact in a Long-term Acute Care Hospital

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Bloodstream infections due to Candida species are becoming a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. The spectrum of candidemia has changedwith the emergence of fluconazole-resistant Candida species (i.e. such as Candida glabrata and Candida krusei), especially among critically ill patients and neutropenic patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study (January 1999 to September 2011) on candidemia in Nara Medical University (a tertiary care hospital with 800 beds). Candida species isolated from blood cultures were characterized with the determination of their antifungal susceptibility to amphotericin B, itraconazole, fluconazole, voriconazole and micafungin by microbroth dilution test. The mortality of patients with candidemia and its risk factors were also analyzed. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 118 candidemia were identified. The most common Candida species was C. albicans (50.8%) followed by C. glabrata (18.6%), C. parapsilosis (18.6%), C. tropicalis (4.2%) and others. Only C. glabrata showed significantly reduced susceptibility to fluconazole. Micafungin and voricoonazole showed excellent activity to all Candida species. Overall mortality within 28 days after onset of Candidemia was 34.5%. Logistic regression alaysis revealed that male gender and immunosuprression were associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Only 50.8% of candidemia were due to C. albicans and 18.6% were C. glabrata which was highly resistant to fluconazole. Empirical therapy for candidemia should be tailored according to the frequency of Candida species and further research is necessary to improve patients outcome with candidemia.

Frequency of Candida species in Papanicolaou smears taken from Sudanese oral hormonal contraceptives users

The aim of our study was to compare the numbers of Candida detected in Pap smears from Sudanese users of oral contraceptives (OCs) with non-users of OCs. The frequency of Candida observed in Pap smears was assessed among 158 Sudanese women of whom 108 were OCs users, subsequently termed cases, and the remaining 50 who were not OCs users, subsequently termed controls. Of the 158 smears, Candida were observed in 28 (17%) of the study subjects of whom 27 (25%) were OCs users compared to 1 (2%) among non-OCs users. We concluded that OCs may increase the number of Candida present, which suggests that OCs users may be more prone to infection by cervico-vaginal Candida compared to non-OCs users. The exact role of OCs use as a risk factor for candidiasis requires further assessment using a larger sample size and more precise mycological techniques.

Candida albicans and non-albicans species as etiological agent of vaginitis in pregnant and non-pregnant women.

Pregnancy represents a risk factor in the occurrence of vaginal candidosis. The objectives of our study were: to make determination of the microscopic findings of vaginal swab, frequency of Candida species in the culture of pregnant women and patients who are not pregnant, determine the Candida species in all cultures, and to determine the frequency and differences in the frequency of C. albicans and other non-albicans species. In one year study performed during 2006 year, we tested patients of Gynaecology and Obstetrics clinic of the Clinical Centre in Sarajevo and Gynaecology department of the General hospital in Sarajevo. 447 woman included in the study were separated in two groups: 203 pregnant (in the last trimester of pregnancy), and 244 non-pregnant woman in period of fertility. Each vaginal swab was examined microscopically. The yeast, number of colonies, and the species of Candida were determined on Sabouraud dextrose agar with presence of antibiotics. For determination of Candida species, we used germ tube test for detection of C. albicans, and cultivation on the selective medium and assimilation tests for detection of non-albicans species. The results indicated positive microscopic findings in the test group (40,9%), as well as greater number of positive cultures (46,8%). The most commonly detected species for both groups was C. albicans ( test group 40.9% and control group 23,0%). The most commonly detected non-albicans species for the test group were C. glabrata (4,2 %) and C. krusei (3,2%), and for the control group were C. glabrata (3,2%) and C. parapsilosis (3,2%). The microscopic findings correlated with the number of colonies in positive cultures. In the test group, we found an increased number of yeasts (64,3%), and the pseudopyphae and blastopores by microscopic examination as an indication of infection. In the control group, we found a small number of yeasts (64,6%) , in the form of blastopores, as an indication of the candida colonisation. Our results indicate that gravidity, as the risc factor for incidence of infection, has the significant role in the incidence of vaginal candidosis.

Frequency, species and molecular characterization of oral Candida in hosts of different age in China

Research indicates that host age is a determining factor in yeast carriage. From the neonatal period, humans go through several dentition periods, and the emergence and substitution of teeth and changes in living habits greatly change the environment of the oral cavity, and therefore influence colonization by oral commensal organisms, certainly including Candida spp. No previous study of Candida carriage by different age groups divided by dentition has been reported. This study supplies data on the geographical specificity of C. albicans genotypic subgroup distribution. All test individuals came from a single geographical locale over a short period. Following mucosal swab sampling, CHROMagar Candida-yeast differential media were used to determine the frequency of carriage and species. All C. albicans strains were confirmed by PCR and PCR using primers reported to span a transposable intron region in the 25S rRNA gene was used to determine genotypic subgroups. The results demonstrate that for the tested population, the frequency of Candida species and the distribution of C. albicans genotypic subgroups varied with age group. With increasing age, the frequency of C. albicans decreases, non-C. albicans yeasts increases; Genotypic subgroup A is the dominating strain in the oral cavities of healthy young individuals. The influence of dentition substitution on oral yeast carriage was minor.

The frequency of Candida species in onychomycosis.

Mycological investigation of 108 nail specimens taken from a total of 41 patients examined over three years included direct microscopy and repeated cultures. A higher incidence of onychomycosis of the fingernails (75%) was observed in women while afflictions of the toenails (71%) prevailed in men. The highest prevalence of onychomycosis was found in patients between 50 and 70 years of age. Candida albicans was the dominant organism causing onychomycosis (prevalence rate 60.9%), followed by C. parapsilosis (19.6%), C. tropicalis (9.8), C. krusei (4.9), C. guilliermondii and C. zeylanoides (2.4% each).