PCR fingerprinting with a single non-specific primer (T3B) was used to type yeast clinical isolates obtained from two Medical Institutions in north Portugal. Of the 177 strains isolated, 112 were obtained from vaginal swabs, 24 from urine, 23 from the upper respiratory system, seven from the anal mucosa and 11 were isolated from various sources including blood, pus, catheter and peritoneal fluid. All the isolates belonged to the genus Candida being the profiles obtained highly similar within a species and clearly distinct among species. Seven different species were identified: C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. guilliermondii, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei and C.lusitaniae. This methodology also allowed the distinction of C. dubliniensis which is very closely related to C. albicans. Cluster analysis of the global fingerprints obtained originated, in general, groups corresponding to each species analysed except for five strains which were submitted to 26S and ITS rDNA sequencing to confirm their identity. We demonstrate that although C. albicans is the predominant species found, other Candida species were present accounting for over 20% of the strains isolated. The most common non albicans species were C. tropicalis, C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis. Due to its predominance over the other species C. albicans was present in all types of clinical material except in blood samples. C. tropicalis was mainly recovered from the urine and respiratory tract. This study represents the first large-scale approach to the knowledge of Candida species present in hospital settings in Portugal.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)
Ciências do Ambiente da Universidade do Minho (CCA
