Phenotypes characterization and ABC genotypes distribution of clinical Candida albicans isolates.

BACKGROUND: Candidemia and vaginitis are the most common types of candidiasis mostly caused by Candida albicans species. C. albicans has several genotypes and the potential ability to form different phenotype colonies on specific media. This study aimed to evaluate the genotype distribution of blood and vaginal C. albicans isolates and phenotype characteristics on Spider and yeast peptone dextrose agar medium.

METHODS: A total of 40 clinical Candida albicans isolates comprising vagina (20) and blood (20) were used. ABC typing using CA-INT-R and CA-INT-L primers was performed to span the transposable group I intron of the 25S rDNA gene. For colony phenotypic characteristics, the Spider and YPDA media were used.

RESULTS: Among the blood and vaginal isolates, genotype A (12/60%) and genotype C (10/50%) were the most common types, respectively. The highest phenotype shape frequency of the colonies in blood and vaginal samples was the ring and the lowest was the hat/ring. The dominant color phenotype in blood and vaginal samples was gray. There was a significant relationship between genotype and phenotype forms in the blood sample on YPDA medium (p = 0.02). In the Spider medium, there were no significant differences between genotypes and phenotypes.

CONCLUSION: In this study, genotype A and genotype C were predominant in blood and vaginal samples, respectively. In both groups, YPD agar medium demonstrated the most variety of phenotypes that was related to genotypes A and C. The variety of phenotypes in both groups was the same in genotypes A and C on the Spider medium.