Cellular metabolites as a criteria for differentiation between candida species

The thin layer paper chromatography was used for detection of amino acid groups in fifty-one strains of Candida, representing seven species, showed that C. Albicans contain five groups, C. Kreusi four groups, each of C. stellatoidea and C. tropicalis three groups, each of C. pseudotropicalis and C. parapsilosis two groups and C. guillermondii one group. Cellular fatty acids were extracted from yeast cells by saponification and analyzed as methyl esters by the use of gas liquid chromatography. Very few or no differences were observed among the chromatographs of different species grown on media containing glucose, maltose or sucrose. When species were grown on lactose medium only, each produced certain fatty acids characterized by the presence or absence of peaks on the chromatogram. With this method, it was possible to identify Candida species within a short time [about three hours] after they were cultured for 24-48 hours on lactose medium