Genotype comparisons of strains of Candida albicans from patients with cutaneous candidiasis and vaginal candidiasis.
BACKGROUND
It is uncertain whether genotypes of Candida albicans (C. albicans) are associated with colonizing body locations or variant conditions of infection. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are significant associations between strain genotypes and body sites of infection and to determine the potential pathogenesis of cutaneous candidiasis at multiple locations.


METHODS
A total of 151 strains of C. albicans were isolated from 74 infant patients with cutaneous candidiasis and 61 female patients with vaginal candidiasis. Patients were grouped according to the body sites and underlying conditions of infection. Genotypes were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the 25S rDNA and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of ALT repeats digested with EcoRI and Clal.


RESULTS
Ten genotypes were detected. There were significant differences in genotype frequencies between the two groups. However, we found no clear association between genotypes and the sites of cutaneous infection or the underlying conditions of vaginal candidiasis (VVC). In addition, strains of C. albicans from multiple cutaneous locations of the same patient had identical genotypes.


CONCLUSIONS
Populations of C. albicans from patients with cutaneous and vaginal candidiasis were genetically different. However, the lack of genetic difference between strains from different body sites with cutaneous infections or from different underlying conditions for VVC suggests no evidence of genotype selection for different skin surfaces or patients with different underlying conditions for VVC.
She
Xiao-Dong
XD
Department of Medical Mycology, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Wang
Xue-Jun
XJ
Fu
Mei-Hua
MH
Shen
Yong-Nian
YN
Liu
Wei-Da
WD
D002176:Candida albicans / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D002179:Candidiasis, Cutaneous / Q000821:virology*; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length