Glucose influence on germ tube production in Candida albicans

The influence of different glucose concentrations was tested in minimal synthetic medium on Candida albicans strain. After 18 hours of starvation, germ-tube (GT) production, amount of consumed glucose, oxygen and the pH of the medium were checked every hour from the beginning through the end of the experiment. Optimal GT production was obtained with 1 g/l of glucose. At this concentration the greatest glucose and oxygen consumption were also noted. No pH variations in the medium were observed in all of the glucose concentrations used. At 3 and 5 g/l glucose concentrations a lower GT production were obtained. The Crab-tree effect might interfere with GT production when glucose concentration is higher than 1 g/l. This data may support the hypothesis that GT production is strictly glucose dependent.