دکتر محمد قهری
A total of 855 yeast strains isolated from different clinical specimens, mainly nail (42%)
and vulva-vagina (25%) were identifi ed by a set of polymerase chain reaction-restriction
fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP). Genomic DNA was extracted from fresh
colonies using Whatman FTA Card technology. PCR assays were performed on the complete
ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (rDNA-ITS) region for all isolates and
species identifi cation was carried out through their specifi c electrophoretic profi les after
digestion with the enzyme Msp I. Those isolates suspected as Candida parapsilosis group
were then subjected to amplifi cation of the secondary alcohol dehydrogenase ( SADH )
gene and restriction digestion with Nla III enzyme. In total, 71.1% of the strains were
obtained from females and 28.9% from males. The age group of 31 – ۴۰ years consisted of
the highest frequency of patients with candidiasis. Candida albicans was the predominant
species (58.6%) followed by C. parapsilosis (11.0%), C. glabrata (8.3%), C. tropicalis
(۷٫۰%), C. kefyr (5.8%), C. krusei (4.4%), C. orthopsilosis (2.1%), and C. guillier mondii
(۰٫۶%). A few strains of C. lusitaniae , C. rugosa , C. intermedia , C. inconspicua , C. neoformans
and S. cerevisiae were isolated. We could not identify 8 (0.9%) isolates. Candida
albicans remains the most frequently species isolated from Iranian patients; however,
the number of non- C. albicans Candida species looks to be increasing. The simple and
reliable PCR-RFLP system used in the study has the potential to identify most clinically
isolated yeasts.
