Korean J Med Mycol.  2006 Mar;11(1):13-18.

Identification of Candida Species by Analysis of rRNA Spacer Regions

• Lee MK
• Kim HR
• Ro BI

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The genus Candida comprises 163 species, the most common pathogen in the genus is C. albicans, however, other Candida species are considered as emergent pathogens. Because there are species-specific differences in the susceptibility of Candida spp. to the currently used therapeutic drugs, species identification is critical for therapeutic planning and accurate epidemiological records. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of tRNA intergenic length polymorphism (tDNA-ILP) analysis for the accurate identification of Candida species.
METHODS
For the identifying the 7 type strains and 54 clinical isolates of Candida, the suitability of tDNA-ILP was evaluated. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a pair of primers or a single primer was performed. The PCR products were separated by electrophoresis in 2% agarose gels for 70 min.
RESULTS
In seven Candida type strains, tDNA-ILP using a single primer (reverse) can be easily analyzed by visual comparision. Fifty-three of 54 strains were identified as the same species with conventional identification.
CONCLUSIONS
The tDNA-ILP analysis can be useful for the simple and rapid identification of Candida species in routine laboratories.

Keyword

Candida; tRNA intergenic length polymorphism (tDNA-ILP); Species identification

MeSH Terms

Candida*
Electrophoresis
Gels
Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Transfer
Sepharose
Gels
RNA, Transfer
Sepharose