APPLICATION OF CHROMAGAR CANDIDA FOR RAPID SCREENING OF CLINICAL SPECIMENS FOR CANDIDA-ALBICANS, CANDIDA-TROPICALIS, CANDIDA-KRUSEI, AND CANDIDA (TORULOPSIS) GLABRATA
Ma. Pfaller et al., APPLICATION OF CHROMAGAR CANDIDA FOR RAPID SCREENING OF CLINICAL SPECIMENS FOR CANDIDA-ALBICANS, CANDIDA-TROPICALIS, CANDIDA-KRUSEI, AND CANDIDA (TORULOPSIS) GLABRATA, Journal of clinical microbiology, 34(1), 1996, pp. 58-61
CHROMagar Candida is a new differential culture medium that allows sel
ective isolation of yeasts and simultaneously identifies colonies of C
andida albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei. We evaluated the use of
this medium with 316 yeast isolates including 247 isolated directly o
n CHROMagar from clinical material, Over 95% of stock and clinical iso
lates of C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei were correctly iden
tified on the basis of colony morphology and pigmentation on CHROMagar
. Additionally, CHROMagar also allowed the identification of C. (Torul
opsis) glabrata at a similar level of accuracy. The overall agreement
between two observers in reading the CHROMagar plates was 95%, Growth
of Candida sp, isolates on CHROMagar had no adverse effect on antifung
al MICs or Vitek identification results. In parallel, cultures of 548
stool and rectal swab specimens set up on CHROMagar and Sabouraud gluc
ose agar (SGA) were positive in 234 instances, CHROMagar was positive
and SGA was negative for 11 specimens, and CHROMagar was negative and
SGA was positive for 18 specimens. A single yeast species was isolated
on both media from 162 specimens, and in 146 (90%) of these specimens
the same species was detected on both CHROMagar and SGA. A total of 4
3 of the 234 positive cultures contained mixtures of yeast species. Tw
enty (47%) of these mixed cultures were detected only on CHROMagar, CH
ROMagar is extremely useful in milking a rapid presumptive identificat
ion of common yeast species. This capability plus the ability to detec
t mixed cultures of Candida spp, promises to improve and streamline th
e work flow in the mycology and clinical microbiology laboratory.