title: Candida species biofilm and Candida albicans ALS3 polymorphisms in clinical isolates.
abstract: Over the last decades, there have been important changes in the epidemiology of Candida infections. In recent years, Candida species have emerged as important causes of invasive infections mainly among immunocompromised patients. This study analyzed Candida spp. isolates and compared the frequency and biofilm production of different species among the different sources of isolation: blood, urine, vulvovaginal secretions and peritoneal dialysis fluid. Biofilm production was quantified in 327 Candida isolates obtained from patients attended at a Brazilian tertiary public hospital (Botucatu, Sao Paulo). C. albicans ALS3 gene polymorphism was also evaluated by determining the number of repeated motifs in the central domain. Of the 198 total biofilm-positive isolates, 72 and 126 were considered as low and high biofilm producers, respectively. Biofilm production by C. albicans was significantly lower than that by non-albicans isolates and was most frequently observed in C. tropicalis. Biofilm production was more frequent among bloodstream isolates than other clinical sources, in urine, the isolates displayed a peculiar distribution by presenting two distinct peaks, one containing biofilm-negative isolates and the other containing isolates with intense biofilm production. The numbers of tandem-repeat copies per allele were not associated with biofilm production, suggesting the evolvement of other genetic determinants.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" BotucatuSP Brazil Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ariane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruder-Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" BotucatuSP Brazil Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Henrique
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" BotucatuSP Brazil Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alessandro Lia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Mondelli
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" BotucatuSP Brazil Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Fátima
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Sugizaki
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" BotucatuSP Brazil Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Terue
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sadatsune
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" BotucatuSP Brazil Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bagagli
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D001938:Brazil; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
chemical_list: C113620:ALS3 protein, Candida albicans; D005656:Fungal Proteins
keywords: ALS3 gene; Candida spp.; biofilm