Umbelliferyl-labeled galactosaminide as an aid in identification of Candida albicans

The initial evaluation of a fluorescence, nonmicroscopic method of rapid identification of Candida albicans is described. A total of 524 yeast isolates were evaluated in parallel by the umbelliferyl-conjugated N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosaminide (UAG) test and the germ tube (GT) test in comparison with the API 20C Yeast Identification System. The UAG test correctly identified 333 of the 334 isolates of C. albicans (99.7%), and the GT test identified 328 (98%). There were three false-positive GT reactions and five false-positive UAG reactions with 69 isolates of C. tropicalis. The sensitivity and specificity were 99 and 97%, respectively, for the UAG test and were both 98% for the GT test. The UAG test requires less than 2 h for test completion compared with 2 to 4 h for the GT test, is similar in cost, has a nonmicroscopic visual endpoint, and eliminates the health hazards of handling pooled human sera.