Patients in various clinical states of diabetes mellitus (according to the recommendation of the American Diabetes Association) as a primary diagnosis were examined for fungal infections by Candida species. Candida spp. were detected in urine, in the material taken from the mouth cavity, nails, skin lesions, ears and eyes, by cultivation on the Sabouraud agar, CHROMagar Candida, and by saccharide assimilation. In the group of diabetics with symptoms of oral candidiasis and denture stomatitis C. albicans was identified in 8 cases, C. tropicalis in 3, C. parapsilosis in 2; 1 strain of C. guilliermondii was also isolated. In patients with urinary tract infections the presence of C. albicans was shown in 12 cases; C. parapsilosis was detected in 6 cases and two strains of each C. tropicalis and C. krusei were also isolated. In patients with leg ulcers C. albicans (25 cases), C. parapsilosis (5), C. tropicalis (3) and one strain of each C. krusei and C. robusta were isolated. Otomycosis was associated with one strain of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis and C. guilliermondii. C. albicans was most frequently associated with onychomycosis, paronychia and endophthalmitis; C. parapsilosis was the second most rated yeast.

• MeSH
• Candida classification   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Diabetes Mellitus MeSH
• Candidiasis, Cutaneous complications   microbiology   pathology   MeSH
• Candidiasis complications   diagnosis   microbiology   pathology   MeSH
• Diabetes Complications microbiology   pathology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Candidiasis, Oral complications   microbiology   pathology   MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Production of secreted aspartate proteinases was determined in a set of 646 isolates of Candida and non-Candida yeast species collected from 465 patients of the University Hospital in Olomouc (Czechia) in the period 1995-2002, and Candida samples obtained from 64 healthy volunteers using solid media developed for this purpose. Using random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD) 79 Candida isolates from blood were analyzed to show potential relationships between clustering of the fingerprints and extracellular proteolytic activity of these strains. C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis possess always proteolytic activity while non-Candida species did not display any proteolysis. A tight relationship between fingerprints and extracellular proteolysis in the Candida isolates was not shown. A remarkable consistency between fingerprint clusters and proteolysis occurred in a subset of C. parapsilosis samples. Suboptimal pH of the growth medium was shown to facilitate the investigation of potential co-incidence of genotypic and phenotypic traits.

• MeSH
• Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases physiology   MeSH
• Candida enzymology   pathogenicity   MeSH
• Virulence Factors physiology   MeSH
• Fungal Proteins physiology   MeSH
• Hydrogen-Ion Concentration MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases MeSH
• Virulence Factors MeSH
• Fungal Proteins MeSH

A total of 43 patients, 11 males and 32 females, with paronychia of the fingernails were examined for the presence of Candida spp. The yeast species isolated were identified using standard laboratory methods, including germ-tube production, morphology on rice agar with Tween 80, and mainly fermentation and assimilation of saccharides. In the male group, two Candida species were detected: C. albicans as the dominant species in 9 patients and C. parapsilosis in 2 cases. Similarly, C. albicans was the prevalent species also in females (n = 17); other Candida species detected were C. parapsilosis (n = 7), C. tropicalis (5) and C. krusei (3). In addition to the genus Candida, the following anaerobic and aerobic microorganisms were isolated from patients of both groups: Fusobacterium spp., Bacteroides spp., Staphylococcus aureus, alpha-hemolytic streptococci, group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

• MeSH
• Candida classification   isolation & purification   pathogenicity   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Species Specificity MeSH
• Candidiasis etiology   microbiology   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Mycological Typing Techniques MeSH
• Mycology methods   MeSH
• Nails microbiology   MeSH
• Paronychia etiology   microbiology   MeSH
• Risk Factors MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The collection wild-type strain of Candida albicans was used to obtain auxotrophic and colony-morphology mutants by 'nitrosoguanidine' treatment. Intraspecific protoplast fusion induced by Ca(2+)-poly(ethyleneglycol) was carried out in various pairings between the auxotrophic strain producing smooth colonies and containing blastospores and the colony-morphology mutants containing a mixture of blastospores and pseudohyphae or only hyphae. Hybrids exhibiting full or partial complementation were obtained when mutants producing smooth colonies and colony-morphology variants of different origins were fused. The mutation responsible for the colony-morphology character (if various types of colony morphomutants were crossed) proved to be recessive or semidominant. Representative hybrids exhibited elevated DNA contents as measured by flow cytometry. To illustrate various cell types, and especially the intermediate one (never observed in natural isolates), a preparation method was further developed for scanning electron microscopic studies.

• MeSH
• Candida albicans genetics   growth & development   MeSH
• DNA, Fungal genetics   MeSH
• Crosses, Genetic MeSH
• Culture Media MeSH
• Methylnitronitrosoguanidine pharmacology   MeSH
• Microscopy, Electron, Scanning MeSH
• Mutation * MeSH
• Polyethylene Glycols pharmacology   MeSH
• Flow Cytometry MeSH
• Genetic Complementation Test MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Fungal MeSH
• Culture Media MeSH
• Methylnitronitrosoguanidine MeSH
• Polyethylene Glycols MeSH

Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the 5.8S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) was used for examination of 66 isolates belonging to 19 species. Intraspecies variability was found in the examined region of 11 species (Candida albicans, C. catenulata, C. colliculosa, C. glabrata, C. kefyr, C. melinii, C. parapsilosis, C. guillermondii, C. solanii, C. tropicalis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Region of ITS-5.8S rDNA was amplified using the primers ITS1 and ITS4. The amplicons were digested by HaeIII, HinfI and CfoI. The recognized intraspecies variability was confirmed in the second step, in which the shorter fragments of this region were amplified using primers ITS1 and ITS2 and analyzed by capillary electrophoresis. Considerable intraspecific variability renders this method unsuitable for species identification, whereas it can be useful for epidemiological tracing of isolates.

• MeSH
• Candida classification   genetics   MeSH
• DNA, Fungal analysis   MeSH
• DNA Primers * MeSH
• Species Specificity MeSH
• Electrophoresis, Capillary MeSH
• Genetic Variation * MeSH
• Genes, rRNA MeSH
• Fungi classification   genetics   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer analysis   genetics   MeSH
• Mycological Typing Techniques MeSH
• Mycoses microbiology   MeSH
• Polymerase Chain Reaction methods   MeSH
• RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S analysis   genetics   MeSH
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae classification   genetics   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Evaluation Study MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Fungal MeSH
• DNA Primers * MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer MeSH
• RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S MeSH