Determinación de factores de patogenicidad en cepas clínicas de Rhodotorula / Determination of pathogenicity factors in clinical strains of Rhodotorula

RESUMEN

Rhodotorula ha sido implicada como agente etiológico dediversas infecciones, sobre todo en pacientes inmunocomprometidos,ya que esta levadura solamente llega a ser patógenaen determinadas circunstancias. En este estudio se determinanlos factores de patogenicidad implicados en las infecciones poresta levadura. Ensayamos un total de 50 muestras clínicas deRhodotorula, investigando las enzimas hidrolíticas esterasa,fosfatasa ácida, proteinasa y fosfolipasa. Todas las cepas mostraronpositividad para fosfatasa ácida; sin embargo la actividadpara las otras enzimas fue negativa. La ausencia de actividadde las enzimas proteinasa y fosfolipasa confirma la escasapatogenicidad del género Rhodotorula

ABSTRACT

Rhodotorula has been implicated as the ethiologic agent ofhuman infections mainly in immunocompromised patients,because this yeast only became pathogen in special circumstances.This study has been carried to determinate the virulencefactors implicated in the infections by this yeast. A total of50 strains of Rhodotorula isolated from clinical samples werestudied. Hidrolytic enzymes esterase, acid phosphatase, proteinaseand phospholipase were performed. All strains showedpositivity to acid phosphatase. However the activity to otherenzymes was negative. The absence of enzymatic activity toproteinase and phospholipase confirm the limited pathogenicityof the Rhodotorula genus