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. 2010 Feb 9:5.
doi: 10.3402/ljm.v5i0.2144.

Use of CHROMagar Candida for the presumptive identification of Candida species directly from clinical specimens in resource-limited settings

Sayyada Ghufrana Nadeem  1 , Shazia Tabassum Hakim, Shahana Urooj Kazmi
Affiliations

Use of CHROMagar Candida for the presumptive identification of Candida species directly from clinical specimens in resource-limited settings

Sayyada Ghufrana Nadeem et al. Libyan J Med. .

Abstract

Introduction: Identification of yeast isolated from clinical specimens to the species level has become increasingly important. Ever-increasing numbers of immuno-suppressed patients, a widening range of recognized pathogens, and the discovery of resistance to antifungal drugs are contributing factors to this necessity.

Material and methods: A total of 487 yeast strains were studied for the primary isolation and presumptive identification, directly from clinical specimen. Efficacy of CHROMagar Candida has been evaluated with conventional methods including morphology on Corn meal-tween 80 agar and biochemical methods by using API 20 C AUX.

Results: The result of this study shows that CHROMagar Candida can easily identify three species of Candida on the basis of colonial color and morphology, and accurately differentiate between them i.e. Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei. The specificity and sensitivity of CHROMagar Candida for C. albicans calculated as 99%, for C. tropicalis calculated as 98%, and C. krusei it is 100%.

Conclusion: The data presented supports the use of CHROMagar Candida for the rapid identification of Candida species directly from clinical specimens in resource-limited settings, which could be very helpful in developing appropriate therapeutic strategy and management of patients.

Keywords: CHROMagar Candida; presumptive identification; resource-limited settings.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) Candida tropicalis bluish purple colonies. (B) The appearance of C. tropicalis after 72 hours of incubation on CHROMagar at 37°C. (C) Apple green color colonies of Candida albicans grown for 48 hours on CHROMagar Candida at 37°C. (D) Isolated green color colonies of C. albicans grown for 48 hours on CHROMagar Candida at 37°C. (E) Direct plating of sample on CHROMagar Candida for 48 hours at 37°C. Mix colonies of different species can also seen on this plate. (F) Smooth pink colonies of Candida glabrata grown for 48 hours on CHROMagar Candida at 37°C.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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