Candida species isolated from clinical samples in a tertiary hospital in Honduras: Where is Candida auris?

• Published in: Current medical mycology Vol. 8; no. 3; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Ortiz, Bryan, Aguilar, Kateryn, Galindo, Celeste, Molina, Lizzy, Fontecha, Gustavo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran, Sari Iranian Society of Medical Mycology 01-09-2022; Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
• Subjects: candida albicans complex; cryptic species; gpi gene; hwp1 gene; Original
• ISSN: 2423-3439; 2423-3420
• DOI: 10.18502/cmm.8.3.11212

Background and Purpose: Infections by emerging and multiresistant Candida species are becoming more frequent throughout the world. This study aimed to describe Candida species in different wards of a tertiary hospital in Honduras.
Materials and Methods: The prevalence of species within the C. albicans complex was estimated using a molecular approach, and C. auris was investigated using a yeast poolbased DNA extraction method. In total, 328 yeast isolates were identified using phenotypic approaches. For the identification of species within the albicans complex, a molecular approach based on the size polymorphisms of the hpw1 gene was used. In addition, a technique was optimized based on DNA extraction in pools for the rapid identification of C. auris.
Results: A total of 11 species of Candida were identified in the hospital wards. C. albicans showed the highest number of isolates (52.4%). Within the C. albicans complex, C. albicans sensu stricto was the most common, followed by C. dubliniensis. However, C. auris was not found.
Conclusion: Reports on the distribution of Candida species in Honduras are limited; accordingly, the data from this study are of importance for a better understanding of their epidemiology. Moreover, a simple method was offered for the detection of C. auris that could help in its detection in low-resource settings.