Journal
MEDICAL MYCOLOGY
Volume 50, Issue 5, Pages 458-466Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.3109/13693786.2011.630683
Keywords
ITS sequencing; clinical mycology; yeast identification
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Rapid and accurate identification of clinically important yeasts is essential given their inherent differences in antifungal susceptibility. We implemented nucleic acid sequencing for those species that could not be identified by phenotypic methods. Internal Transcribed Spacer region 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) sequences were investigated using SmartGene IDNS software, an rDNA sequence database and analysis program for microbial identification (ID). Over a 2.5-year period, 2,938 specimens were evaluated. Most (94%) isolates were fully identified by conventional methods, with Candida species accounting for the majority of them. Of the 169 organisms that required molecular analysis, 79% were identified to species level, 19% to genus and 2% remained unresolved. Sequenced isolates encompassed 33 unique species of which approximately half (52%) were common pathogens with atypical biochemical profiles and the remainder were rarer yeast species. A significant proportion (33%) of sequenced organisms displayed elevated MICs to fluconazole. Our experience supports the use of molecular techniques as an adjunct to conventional methods for the identification of medically important yeasts. Susceptibility testing alone may provide valuable treatment information in situations where phenotypic assessments are inconclusive and molecular or proteomic testing is not readily available.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available