RESUMO
An increasing incidence of systemic candidiasis has been reported in neonates and low birth weight infants requiring intensive care. The rapid detection and identification of Candida species in clinical laboratories are extremely important for the management of patients with hematogenous candidiasis. The presently available culture and biochemical methods for detection and species identification of Candida are time consuming and lack the required sensitivity and specificity. In this study, we have applied nested PCR [nPCR] using universal and species-specific primers for detection of Candida species in clinical specimens. Primers to conserved sequences in the V3 region of large subunit ribosomal DNA [rDNA] were used to amplify DNA from Candida species, including, C. albicans, C. krusei, C. glabrata, and C. parapsilosis. Candida isolates showed 99% concordant results with CHROMagar Candida identification system. Evaluation by nPCR for detection of Candida species in, suspected [n ' 16] patients and healthy subjects [n ' 14] showed that nPCR results were consistently negative in healthy subjects. In the category of proven candidemia with negative blood cultures for Candida, seven patients [43.75%] were positive by nPCR; two of them had dual infection with C. albicans and either C. parapsilosis or C. glabrata. In conclusion, the nPCR developed in this study is specific and more sensitive than culture for the detection of Candida species in clinical specimens