title: Enzymatic and hemolytic activities of Candida dubliniensis strains.
abstract: Candida dubliniensis is an opportunistic yeast that has been recovered from several body sites in many populations; it is most often recovered from the oral cavities of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. Although extensive studies on epidemiology and phylogeny of C. dubliniensis have been performed, little is known about virulence factors such as exoenzymatic and hemolytic activities. In this study we compared proteinase, hyaluronidase, chondroitin sulphatase and hemolytic activities in 18 C. dubliniensis and 30 C. albicans strains isolated from AIDS patients. C. albicans isolates produced higher amounts of proteinase than C. dubliniensis (p < 0.05). All the tested C. dubliniensis strains expressed hyaluronidase and chondroitin sulphatase activities, but none of them were significantly different from those observed with C. albicans (p > 0.05). Hemolytic activity was affected by CaCl2; when this component was absent, we did not notice any significant difference between C. albicans and C. dubliniensis hemolytic activities. On the contrary, when we added 2.5 g% CaCl2, the hemolytic activity was reduced on C. dubliniensis and stimulated on C. albicans tested strains (p < 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo Blanco
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Linares
authors.forename: Erico Silva
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: de Loreto
authors.forename: Carolina Pereira
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pozzatti
authors.forename: Liliane Alves
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Scheid
authors.forename: Janio M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Santurio
authors.forename: Sydney Hartz
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Alves
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002811:Chondroitinsulfatases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D037521:Virulence Factors