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Updated: May 21, 2026

Isolation of Culturable Yeasts and Molds from Soils to Investigate Fungal Population Structure
Published on: May 27, 2022
Occurrence of killer yeasts in isolates of clinical origin
E Robledo-Leal1, L Villarreal-Treviño, G M González
1Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, México.
Abstract:
A total of 1 025 strains belonging to different Candida species of clinical origin were evaluated for their killer activity against sensitive strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Isolates were identified by standard morphological and biochemical analyses. For the evaluation of the killer activity, potential killer isolates were streaked on plates previously seeded with the sensitive strain. A total of 52 Candida isolates (5%) exhibited killer activity against both sensitive yeast strains. The occurrence of the killer phenomenon was proportionally higher in isolates recovered from closed cavities. Candida glabrata was the species with the most occurrences of killer strains, but a bigger proportion of killer activity was observed in Candida utilis. Secretion of killer toxins could represent at least partially, an advantage against other candida and non-Candida strains in the colonization process, especially for uncommon Candida species.
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