DIRECT IDENTIFICATION AND RECOGNITION OF YEAST SPECIES FROM CLINICAL MATERIAL BY USING ALBICANS ID AND CHROMAGAR CANDIDA PLATES

Two chromogenic media, Albicans ID and CHROMagar Candida agar plates, were compared with a reference medium, Sabouraud-chloramphenicol agar, and standard methods for the identification of yeast species. This st udy involved 951 clinical specimens. The detection rates for the two c hromogenic media for polymicrobial specimens were 20% higher than that for the Sabouraud-chloramphenicol agar plates. The rates of identific ation of Candida albicans for Albicans ID and CHROMagar Candida agar p lates were, respectively, 37.0 and 6.0% after 24 h of incubation and 9 3.6 and 92.2% after 72 h of incubation, with specificities of 99.8 and 100%. Furthermore, CHROMagar Candida plates identified 13 of 14 Candi da tropicalis and 9 of 12 Candida krusei strains after 48 h of incubat ion.