A NEW METHOD OF ANTIBIOTYPING YEASTS FOR SUBSPECIES DISCRIMINATION AND DISTRIBUTION IN HUMAN CLINICAL SPECIMENS

A study of the antibiotypes of 764 isolates of the genera Candida and Torulopsis from different clinical specimens is reported. The typing m ethod was based on the susceptibility results obtained by the standard ized and partially automated kit ATB-Fungus (API-bioMerieux), giving t o each strain a code of six figures, according to these criteria: susc eptibility to 5-fluorocytosine, amphotericin B, nystatin, miconazole, econazole, and ketoconazole. Candida albicans serotypes were determine d by the Candida Check test (Iatron, Japan). Twenty-six antibiotypes w ere found in C. albicans (482 isolates), 21 types in serotype A, and 1 5 in serotype B strains. Candida parapsilosis (115 isolates) was divid ed into 11 antibiotypes, Torulopsis glabrata (53 isolates) into five, Candida guilliermondii (36 isolates) into 10 and Candida tropicalis (3 1 isolates) into eight. Depending on the sample origin, 000000 (suscep tibility to all the antifungals tested) was the predominant C. albican s antibiotype (92.9% of blood isolates, 41.2% of vaginal isolates, 33. 3% of respiratory isolates, 31.01% or oral and digestive tract isolate s, and 25.0% of nail and skin isolates). No predominant antibiotypes w ere found in strains from respiratory tract, skin ad nails. A reproduc ibility close to 99% was found with the test. Simplicity and standardi zation could make this method useful for typing Candida and Torulopsis isolates.