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Molecular Identification of Candida Species among Iranian Patients: Pursuing Candida auris

Summary

Researchers in Iran studied 136 hospital patients to identify different types of Candida fungal infections using a molecular laboratory technique called PCR-RFLP. They found that while Candida albicans remained the most common species, other Candida species were increasingly prevalent in hospitalized patients. The study developed a cost-effective diagnostic method that could help developing countries identify these fungal infections faster and more accurately, though the dangerous multidrug-resistant Candida auris was not found in their samples.

Background

Candida species are opportunistic fungal pathogens causing infections ranging from mucocutaneous to invasive candidiasis in hospitalized patients. Candida albicans has traditionally been the most common causative agent, but there is an increasing shift to non-albicans Candida species and emerging multidrug-resistant pathogens like Candida auris. The prevalence of C. auris infections may be underestimated in countries like Iran due to limited availability of reliable molecular identification techniques.

Objective

The study aimed to rapidly and precisely identify Candida species, particularly Candida auris, from patients hospitalized in high-risk units using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. The research pursued developing a cost-effective and reliable molecular method suitable for developing countries to identify rare yeasts including C. auris.

Results

Candida albicans was the most prevalent isolate (48.8%), followed by non-albicans Candida species including C. glabrata (17.6%), C. tropicalis (16.1%), C. parapsilosis (6.6%), C. krusei (5.8%), C. famata (4.4%), C. kefyr (2.9%), and C. guilliermondii (1.4%). No C. auris isolates were identified among the 136 patients studied. The PCR-RFLP method showed 100% concordance with sequencing results and successfully identified eight distinct Candida species.

Conclusion

The PCR-RFLP assay demonstrated potential as a simple and reliable method for identifying rare yeasts such as C. auris along with other clinically important Candida species. The technique can reduce turnaround times and costs if applied in developing countries, though further studies are needed to determine the prevalence of C. auris in Iran. The study highlights the emergence of non-albicans Candida species as significant ICU pathogens.
  • Published in:Advanced Biomedical Research,
  • Study Type:Cross-sectional observational study,
  • Source: PMID: 41132217; DOI: 10.4103/abr.abr_678_24
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