Protease and phospholipase activities of Candida spp. isolated from cutaneous candidiasis.
BACKGROUND
Cases of superficial and invasive mycoses caused by emerging species of Candida have been increasingly reported over the last thirty years. The production of hydrolytic enzymes plays a central role in the fungal infective process. In Candida infections the secretion of both proteases and phospholipases are well-known virulence attributes.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the protease and phospholipase production from 58 human clinical isolates of Candida obtained from individuals with cutaneous candidiasis seen in the Human and Veterinary Diagnostic Mycology Sector from Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Brazil, from November 2008 to August 2009.


METHODS
Fungal identification was performed using biochemical tests. Proteolytic activity was detected on agar plates containing bovine serum albumin, and phospholipase production was determined on egg-yolk plates.


RESULTS
The Candida species isolated were Candida parapsilosis (27.59%), Candida famata (18.96%), Candida albicans (15.52%), Candida haemulonii (12.06%), Candida ciferri (8.62%), Candida guilliermondii (6.90%), Candida tropicalis (5.17%) and Candida lipolytica (5.17%). All isolates of C. albicans produced both protease and phospholipase. As regards the isolates of non-C. albicans Candida species, 53.06% and 4.08% were able to produce protease and phospholipase, respectively. For example, the majority of isolates of C. parapsilosis (15/16) produced protease, while 40% of C. ciferri isolates (2/5) were phospholipase producers. This study shows, for the first time, that C. ciferri and C. haemulonii strains were able to produce protease.


CONCLUSIONS
Collectively, our results showed that different species of Candida isolated from cutaneous lesions were able to produce proteases and/or phospholipases, which are multifunctional molecules directly involved in the infectious process of these fungi.
Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes and Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica - Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Lívia de Souza
Lde S
Ramos
Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Leonardo Silva
LS
Barbedo
Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes and Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica - Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Lys Adriana
LA
Braga-Silva
Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes and Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica - Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
André Luis Souza
AL
dos Santos
Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Marcia Ribeiro
MR
Pinto
Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: dbridon@id.uff.br.
Diana Bridon da Graça
DB
Sgarbi
D001938:Brazil; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002179:Candidiasis, Cutaneous / Q000382:microbiology*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000032:analysis*; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000032:analysis*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence
D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010740:Phospholipases; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases
Aislamientos clínicos; Candida spp.; Candidiasis cutánea; Clinical isolates; Cutaneous candidiasis; Factores de virulencia; Fosfolipasa; Phospholipase; Proteasa; Protease; Virulence factors