Molecular characterization by PCR-fingerprinting of Candida dubliniensis strains isolated from two HIV-positive patients in Spain

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 1999 Oct;35(2):113-9. doi: 10.1016/s0732-8893(99)00072-3.

Abstract

Six Candida dubliniensis isolates were recovered from two HIV-infected individuals in the course of a prospective study of recurrent oral candidosis among HIV-positive patients in Spain. Candida albicans strains as well as non-albicans strains were also obtained from these two patients. C. dubliniensis strains were germ-tube-positive and produced abundant chlamydospores. Fingerprinting the genomic DNAs of these six C. dubliniensis with the C. albicans-specific probe 27A as well as karyotyping was performed to confirm the identification of these isolates. Further analysis of their genomic DNAs was performed by PCR-fingerprinting with the core sequence of phage M13, and they exhibited species-specific multilocus band patterns, clearly distinct from those of C. albicans isolates analyzed in this study and in a previous one (Diaz-Guerra 1997). Intraspecies variation was also seen among PCR patterns yielded by C. dubliniensis isolates from different patients. Although few strains have been analyzed, the use of this PCR-fingerprinting procedure is a promising tool for further epidemiologic studies with C. dubliniensis. The isolation of C. dubliniensis from Spanish HIV-infected patients contributes to the idea of widespread geographic distribution of this species.

MeSH terms

  • Candida / drug effects
  • Candida / genetics*
  • Candida / isolation & purification
  • DNA Fingerprinting*
  • HIV Seropositivity / microbiology*
  • Humans
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction*
  • Prospective Studies