Detection of Virulence Factors from Candida spp. Isolated from Oral and Vaginal Candidiasis in Iraqi Patients.

Yeast-like fungi (YLF) of the genus Candida are unicellular microorganisms of relatively large size and rounded shape, aerobes, and belong to conditionally pathogenic microorganisms. The genus Candida includes approximately 150 species, which are classified as Deuteromycetes due to the absence of a sexual stage of development. This study aimed to identify virulence factors from Candida spp. isolated from oral and vaginal candidiasis. Fifty-eight oral and vaginal swab specimens were collected from patients, including (28) oral swabs from children and (30) vaginal swabs from different infected women. All isolates were subjected to direct examination, Morphological tests, Germ tube formation, growth at 45ºC, CHROM agar Candida culture, and VITEK 2 Compact system to ensure this diagnosis. (31) isolates were identified as Candida spp., including (21) (C. albicans (14), C. glabrata (1), C. guilliermondii (2), C. dubliniensis (3), C. parapsilosis (1)) were isolated from oral swabs and (10) isolates includedC. parapsilosis (4), C. albicans (6) were isolated from vaginal swabs. Moreover, these isolates had been detected to have some virulence factors, including phospholipase, esterase, proteinase, coagulase, hemolysin, and biofilm formation. Different species of Candida were isolated and identified from oral and vaginal. Phospholipase (Pz), Esterase (Ez), and Proteinase (Prz) were produced by 19 (61.29%), 16 (51.61%), and 26(83.87%), respectively, out of 31 isolates, whereas. All isolates produce coagulase enzyme except C. dubliniensis, which did not produce coagulase enzyme. All Candida spp. isolates produce hemolysin and biofilm formation in different percentages.

Effect of IL-23 Receptor Gene Polymorphism (Rs1884444) on the Prevalence of Oral Fungal Infection in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Case-Control Study in Iraqi Patients.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex metabolic disorder linked to several genetic disorders. Over the last decade, advancements in genetic association studies have resulted in the identification of at least 75 distinct genetic loci associated with T2DM, allowing for a better understanding of the genetic architecture of this disease. Recently, there has been a positive association between the prevalence of oral fungal infection and T2DM. The current study aimed to assess the effect of single nucleotide polymorphism in IL23R (rs1884444) on oral fungal infection and the distribution of alleles in T2DM patients compared to healthy controls. A total of 150 specimens, including oral swabs and whole blood samples, were collected from the Endocrinology and Diabetes Center in Baghdad. Oral swabs were collected via AIMS transport media. Routine tests and the Vitek 2 system carried out fungal identification; moreover, the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) was used for molecular detection. The findings revealed that the O blood group was positively associated with T2DM and oral fungal infection. Moreover, the TT genotype for IL23R SNP (rs1884444G/T) increased significantly in patients, as compared to that in healthy control. Furthermore, the T allele was increased in patients suffering from T2DM (P<0.001). The GT and TT were more frequent in oral fungal infection in patients with T2DM. The TT and T alleles were positively associated with the risk of developing T2DM. Moreover, GT and TT were associated with oral fungal infection and T2DM.