Medical Mycology: Open Access

Molecular Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility of Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto, Candida orthopsilosis, and Candida metapsilosis in Sousse Region, Tunisia

Candida parapsilosis was recently reclassified into three distinct species, C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, C. orthopsilosis, and C. metapsilosis. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and the antifungal susceptibility of these species among clinical isolates previously identified by phenotypical methods as C. parapsilosis in the laboratory of parasitology of Farhat Hached Hospital (Sousse, Tunisia). Ninety-six clinical isolates were identified by using a multiplex PCR targeting the gene encoding the ribosomal protein SO 40 (RPSO) and a PCR targeting the ITS region. Ninety one (94.8%) isolates were identified as C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, 3 (3.1%) as C. metapsilosis, and 2 (2.1%) as C. orthopsilosis based on PCRITS. These results were concordant with those achieved by Multiplex PCR-RPSO but the prevalence of C. orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis seems to be very low in the region. Seventeen of the Candida isolates, C. parapsilosis sensu stricto (12), C. metapsilosis (3) and C. orthopsilosis (2) were assayed by ATB Fungus 3® to assess their susceptibility to Flucytosine, Amphotericin B, Fluconazole, Itraconazole and Voriconazole and by E-test® to assess their susceptibility to Caspofungin. All the isolates were susceptible to the antifungals tested.

Author(s):

Ben Hadj HassineAhmed,Ben AbdeljelilJihene,Ben Said Moncef,Boukadida Jalel and Saghrouni Fatma

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