Molecular Epidemiological Surveillance of Candida Species Isolated from Patients Hospitalized in General Surgery Ward

• Main Authors: Mine YÜCESOY, Serhat MAROL, Cem ERGON
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bilimsel Tip Yayinevi 2004-03-01
• Series: Flora Infeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi
• Subjects: Candida; Molecular epidemiology; RAPD-PCR
• Online Access: http://www.floradergisi.org/getFileContent.aspx?op=REDPDF&file_name=2004-9-1-047-053.pdf

In this study, epidemiological surveillance of 27 Candida species isolated from hospitalized patients in Dokuz Eylül University hospital general surgery ward between 05 April 2002-13 January 2003 was carried out by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polimerase chain reaction. Candida species isolated from various clinical specimens of 16 patients were identified by germ tube test, morphology on corn meal tween 80 agar and API 20 C AUX system. The susceptibility of the strains against amphotericin B, fluconazole and ketoconazole were investigated by microdilution method in accordance with National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) M27-A2 standards. Twenty one of the isolates were determined to be Candida albicans, where as 3 and 3 were identified as Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata, respectively. The minimal inhibitory concentration values of the strains for amphotericin B were not relatively high. None of the isolates were resistant to fluconazole; however one was dose dependent susceptible. RAPD analyses of the strains were performed by using two primers (OPE-03 and RP4-2). Twelve and three different band patterns were observed with both primers for C. albicans and C. tropicalis strains while two band patterns were detected with one primer and three with the other primer for C. glabrata isolates. As a result; it can be concluded that the origin of the most of the Candida isolates recovered from various clinical specimens were possibly endogenous but a few of them might have been disseminated via exogenous route because of the isolation of identical and related strains from different patients during the same period.