Uncommon yeastlike zoopathogens and commercial systems for their identification
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Published on: December 15, 2012
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Methodist Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75208.
Abstract:
Opportunistic infections caused by yeasts or yeastlike fungi have increased in incidence in recent years as a result of clinical and therapeutic factors. Several formerly uncommon yeastlike zoopathogens--Candida lusitaniae, Candida paratropicalis (sucrose-negative variant of Candida tropicalis), Trichosporon beigelii, Blastoschizomyces capitatus, and Rhodotorula species--have been isolated from patients with invasive infections. The increased isolation of such opportunistic pathogens from a variety of clinical specimens has created a demand for simple, rapid, reliable, and accurate commercial systems to assist laboratorians in identification. Here we summarize the manual and automated systems currently available and present detailed descriptions of three representative commercial products, i.e., API 20C, Abbott Quantum II, and API Yeast-Ident.
Insights
Opportunistic yeast infections are rising, necessitating rapid identification methods. This study reviews commercial systems like API 20C and Abbott Quantum II for accurate yeast identification in clinical labs.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Clinical Microbiology
- Diagnostic Systems
Background:
- Increasing incidence of opportunistic yeast infections due to clinical and therapeutic factors.
- Isolation of uncommon yeast pathogens (e.g., Candida lusitaniae, Rhodotorula species) from invasive infections.
- Growing demand for efficient yeast identification methods in clinical laboratories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize available manual and automated commercial systems for yeast identification.
- To provide detailed descriptions of three representative commercial products: API 20C, Abbott Quantum II, and API Yeast-Ident.
- To address the need for simple, rapid, reliable, and accurate yeast identification.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing manual and automated commercial yeast identification systems.
- Detailed evaluation of three specific commercial systems: API 20C, Abbott Quantum II, and API Yeast-Ident.
- Focus on systems aiding laboratorians in identifying opportunistic yeast pathogens.
Main Results:
- Identification of several yeast species (Candida lusitaniae, Candida paratropicalis, Trichosporon beigelii, Blastoschizomyces capitatus, Rhodotorula species) as opportunistic pathogens.
- Assessment of the utility of commercial systems in identifying these emerging pathogens.
- Comparison of the features and performance of API 20C, Abbott Quantum II, and API Yeast-Ident.
Conclusions:
- Commercial systems are crucial for the timely and accurate identification of opportunistic yeasts.
- The reviewed systems (API 20C, Abbott Quantum II, API Yeast-Ident) offer solutions for clinical laboratories facing increased yeast pathogen isolation.
- Continued development and validation of rapid diagnostic tools are essential for managing opportunistic yeast infections.
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