Molecular identification and antifungal susceptibility of  Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis  isolated from cancer patients

W. A. Somalatha Wijendra; Chathma Ganguli Samarappulige; Nilanthi Dasanayaka; Gaya Kaushalya; R Ramesh; Samanmalee Gunasekara

doi:10.47743/jemb-2024-108

Authors

W.A.S Wijendra Medical Research Institute Sri Lanka
Chathma Ganguli Samarappulige Department of Botany University of Sri Jayewardenepura
N.P. Dasanayaka Department of Botany, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
A.G.G. Kaushalya Medical Research Institute, Sri Lanka
R. Ramesh Medical Research Institute, Sri Lanka
S.P. Gunasekara Microbiology Laboratory, Apeksha Hospital, Mahargama

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47743/jemb-2024-108

Keywords:

Multiplex PCR, Candida, Non albicans Candida, cancer

Abstract

Candida species cause systemic Candidiasis in immunocompromised cancer patients. Currently, a large proportion of bloodstream infections are due to non-Candida albicans Candida spp. (Candida species other than C. albicans), with Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis being the most isolated Candida species from cancer patients. In this study, 52 Candida isolates collected from cancer patient at the Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama, Sri Lanka. Molecular identification of isolated Candida samples employed a multiplex PCR technique utilizing specific primer pairs for two strains of both Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis. Furthermore, to determine the susceptibility of the identified isolates, antifungal susceptibility testing was conducted using the disk diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar medium. Six antifungal drugs, including Fluconazole, Itraconazole, Clotrimazole, Miconazole, Ketoconazole, and Amphotericin B, were utilized in the susceptibility testing. In this study 38% was identified as Candida tropicalis II while, 31% was identified as Candida parapsilosis II. According to this study Fluconazole was the most susceptible drug against both species and Amphotericin B was the least susceptible drug. Ketoconazole, Clotrimazole, Itraconazole and Miconazole showed varying degrees of susceptibility patterns. The study concludes that multiplex PCR is a better approach for the identification of both Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis for clinical and diagnostic purposes and Fluconazole is the best antifungal drug against Candida parapsilosis, while caution is advised when using Amphotericin B as a treatment option since its’ low susceptible rates.

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