Candida biotypes isolated from clinical specimens in Malaysia

Area of Science:

• Medical Mycology
• Clinical Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Candida species are significant opportunistic fungal pathogens.
• Understanding the distribution of Candida species is crucial for effective clinical management.
• Non-albicans Candida species are increasingly recognized for their clinical relevance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the distribution and relative frequency of Candida species in clinical specimens.
• To identify Candida species isolated from various human body sites.
• To compare the prevalence of Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida species across different specimen types.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and identification of 1114 yeast strains from clinical samples.
• Utilized germ tube test, hyphal/pseudohyphae and chlamydoconidia production for preliminary identification.
• Carbohydrate assimilation tests with ten different sugars for definitive species identification.

Main Results:

• Identified nine Candida species, with Candida albicans being the most frequent (44.2%).
• Candida parapsilosis (26.0%) and Candida tropicalis (17.7%) were the next most common species.
• Non-albicans Candida species predominated in blood, respiratory, urine, and skin samples, whereas Candida albicans was most prevalent in vaginal swabs.

Conclusions:

• Candida albicans remains the most frequently isolated species overall.
• Non-albicans Candida species exhibit distinct distribution patterns, being more common in non-vaginal sites.
• Specific Candida species like Candida glabrata and Candida krusei show a strong association with vaginal infections.