Single-strand conformation polymorphism of microsatellite for rapid strain typing of Candida albicans

Single-strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP) of Candida albicans' microsatellite CAI were characterized. Among the 76 clinical isolates recovered from different patients (independent strains), 60 distinct CAI SSCP patterns were recognized, resulting in a discriminatory power of 0.993. The multiple isolates recovered sequentially from the same or different body locations of the same patient showed exactly the same CAI SSCP pattern. The reliability of the SSCP analysis was confirmed by GeneScan and sequence analyses. From the same set of independent strains, 59 distinct CAI genotypes were identified by GeneScan analysis. Sequence comparison showed the advantage of SSCP over GeneSan analysis in the detection of point mutations in the microsatellite. The results indicated that PCR SSCP analysis of CAI microsatellite is a powerful and economical approach for rapid strain typing of C. albicans in clinical laboratories, especially in the detection of microevolutionary changes in microsatellites and in large-scale epidemiological investigation.