title: Biofilm production in oral Candida isolates from HIV-positive individuals from Pune, India.
abstract: Biofilm formation is implicated as a potential virulence factor in Candida species and carries important clinical repercussions because of their increased resistance to antifungal treatment, ability to withstand host defences and to serve as a reservoir for continuing infections. The present study was undertaken to determine the biofilm production among oral Candida isolates from HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals from Pune, India. Biofilm formation was determined using the spectrophotometric or microtitre plate method in 182 Candida isolates, of which 154 were from HIV-positive and 28 were from HIV-negative individuals. A total of 63.2% of the Candida isolates were biofilm producers. Significantly increased biofilm forming abilities both qualitatively as well as quantitatively were observed in Candida isolates from HIV-positive individuals (66.2%) compared to isolates from HIV-negative ones (46.4%), (P- 0.041). Eighty-one (59.6%) C. albicans isolates and 34 (73.9%) non -C. albicans Candida (NCAC) showed biofilm positivity. The NCAC showed significantly greater intensity of biofilm formation compared to the C. albicans, P- 0.032. Our results thus show the enhanced biofilm forming abilities of oral Candida isolates from HIV-infected individuals compared to HIV-uninfected ones and highlight the important role played by biofilm formation in the pathogenesis of NCAC isolates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Clinical Pathology, National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra, India. amane@nariindia.org
authors.forename: Arati
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mane
authors.forename: Ajinkya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Risbud
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D018441:Biofilms; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology*; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India