Isolation of Candida Species on Human Mucosal Surfaces



Alizadeh V¹ ; Hashemi SJ^{1, 2} ; Rafat Z³ ; Daieghazvini R¹ ; Rezaie S¹ ; Golipoor Z⁴ ; Sharafkhah M⁵ Show Affiliations
Source: New Zealand Journal of Medical Laboratory Science Published:2021

Abstract

Objectives: Fungi are part of the healthy microbiota of the human mucosal surfaces. Fungal microbiota is often altered in disease states, especially when there is an imbalance in the host. (1). Candida is one of the most commonly isolated yeasts in mucosal fungal microbiota (2). When considering the role of mucosal surfaces as a reservoir from which infection of a susceptible host can occur, determining the fungal microbiome, especially Candida, is important. Therefore, in the current study, mucosal surfaces related to three different anatomical sites of the body were tested in 223 healthy people for the presence of Candida spp. Results: Children had the highest incidence of Candida isolated in the mucosa surfaces (n=43, 46.2%) and the lowest was among the adults (n=22, 24.2%). Candida albicans (n=53, 58.2%) was the predominant fungal species isolated from mucosal surfaces, followed by C. glabrata species complex (n=18, 19.8%), C. parapsilosis species complex (n=10, 11.0%), Pichia kudriavzevi (formerly C. krusei) (n=6, 6.%) and C. tropicalis (n=4, 4.%). In this study the isolation of Candida species was similar between males (n= 37, 40.%) and females (n= 54, 59.3%). Conclusions: There was a direct association between the age of subjects and the frequency of mucosal Candida isolates. C. albicans was the predominant species isolated from all age groups. This study showed no statistically significant relationship between subjects gender and the frequency of mucosal Candida isolates. © 2021 The authors.