Strain variation among and antifungal susceptibilities of isolates of Candida krusei

Abstract

Candida krusei is an emerging pathogen that is well known for its propensity to develop resistance to fluconazole and other azoles. Despite the potential clinical significance of C. krusei, little is known of its epidemiology and genetic diversity as defined by the newer DNA-based typing methods. We investigated the genotypic diversity and antifungal susceptibility of 67 clinical isolates from 44 patients and 5 health care workers from six different medical centers. Strain delineation was performed by restriction endonuclease analysis of genomic DNA (REAG) with the restriction enzyme HinfI followed by conventional electrophoresis. The susceptibility of the isolates to the antifungal agents amphotericin B, flucytosine, fluconazole, and itraconazole was determined by methods recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. The MICs at which 90% of the isolates were inhibited ranged from 1.0 microgram/ml for itraconazole to 64 micrograms/ml for fluconazole. In general, isolates from a given patient, or epidemiologically related isolates from a single institution, were identical by molecular typing methods. Epidemiologically unrelated isolates were distinctly different by the REAG typing method employed. These data document the genetic diversity and antifungal susceptibility of clinical isolates of C. krusei.