UTILIZATION OF THE BICHROLATEX-ALBICANS(R ) FUMOUZE FOR RAPID IDENTIFICATION OF CANDIDA-ALBICANS IN BLOOD CULTURE BOTTLES

Rapid identification of Candida albicans in the occurrence of a fungem ia is very important to instigate the right treatment. The test Bichro latex albicans(R), which is composed of latex particule coated witch a monoclonal antibody that specifically reacts with C. albicans antigen , is a quick method to identify C. albicans colonies. But like all yea st identification test, it must be performed on colonies isolated on a gar media. We have therefore established a protocol to perform this te st directly on blood cultures without the need of a subculture on agar media. The results show that it is possible, in less than 30 mn, to d iagnose a C. albicans fongemia using the rest Bichrolatex albicans(R) according to this protocol.