Polyphasic identification of clinical Candida albicans in the Philippines

• Main Authors: Moron, Llewelyn S., Oyong, Glenn G., Chua, J.C C., Cabrera, Esperanza C.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2017
• Subjects: Candida albicans—Philippines; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/11542
• Institution: De La Salle University

Candida albicans is opportunistic pathogen causing invasive and noninvasive diseases. This yeast is not well-studied in the Philippines. Considering that identification to species level is necessary for empirical treatment of diseases it causes, and the difficulty in its identification using phenotypic methods, use of polyphasic assays is explored. Increasing yeast infections and drug resistance worldwide necessitate isolation and identification of C. albicans in its surveillance in the country. Study identified clinical isolates from two tertiary hospitals in Metro Manila using phenotypic and genotypic methods. Twenty-six clinical isolates were identified phenotypically using germ tube and chlamydospore production and carbon assimilation of glucose, maltose, galactose, and sucrose. Genotypic identification was done by determining internal transcribed space (ITS) sequences and construction of neighbor-joining tree using ITS sequences. Twelve isolates were phenotypically identified as C. albicans, while one isolate was identified as C. parapsilosis. These identities were confirmed at the ITS level. Yeast isolates that could not be identified phenotypically were identified as C. albicans following genotypic analysis. Genotypic identification is the gold standard for identification of C. albicans. A polyphasic approach in fungal identification provides a plethora of phenotypic and genotypic properties, which creates robust and accurate results.