Virulence factors of Candida species.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human pathogen, which colonizes at several anatomically distinct sites including skin, oral, gastrointestinal tract, and vagina. How harmless commensal C. albicans become a human pathogen when opportunity comes is not clear. This review will focus on the molecular dissection of virulence factors of C. albicans, including adhesion, proteinases secretion, hyphal formation, and phenotypic switching. This review will also describe briefly the virulence factors in non-albicans Candida spp.