Molecular study of the Candida parapsilosis complex in Sfax, Tunisia

Candida parapsilosis, which was previously considered to be a complex of three genetically distinct groups, has emerged as a significant agent of nosocomial infections. Recently, this complex was separated into three species: C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, C. orthopsilosis, and C. metapsilosis In Tunisia, data pertaining to these fungi are limited. Thus, the purpose of our study was to determine by BanI PCR-RFLP and ITS sequencing, the occurrence of Candida parapsilosis complex among 182 isolates identified as C. parapsilosis by phenotypical methods. C. parapsilosis sensu stricto represented 94.5% of all isolates, while C. metapsilosis and. C. orthopsilosis were identified in 3.3% and 2.2%, respectively. Sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer region confirmed and revealed only one genotype among the C. parapsilosis sensu stricto strains, three genotypes among six C. metapsilosis strains and two genotypes among four C. orthopsilosis strains.