CANDIDA BIOTYPES IN PATIENTS WITH ORAL LEUKOPLAKIA AND LICHEN-PLANUS - CANDIDA BIOTYPES IN LEUKOPLAKIA AND LICHEN-PLANUS

Prevalence of yeasts in 35 leukoplakia and 34 oral lichen planus patie nts was compared with that observed in persons without oral diseases. Serotype and morphotype were determined on Candida albicans isolates. Yeasts were isolated from the oral cavity specimens of 43.7% of the pa tients. C. albicans (serotype A) was the predominant species (76% in l eukoplakia, 88.2% in lichen planus and 60.8% in healthy persons). Sixt een morphotypes were encountered on malt extract agar, being 732, 733, 734, 753 and 754 the most frequently found. Morphotypes SP1N and SP1Y were the most common on Sabouraud-trypheniltetrazolium agar (68.4% of the isolates from leukoplakia and 73.3% from lichen planus, but only 46.6% of the isolates from healthy oral mucosa showed SP1N morphotype) . Presence of oral lesions was associated with a marked reduction in t he yeast species and C. albicans biotypes, suggesting that C. albicans and particularly some of its biotypes, show a high potential of adapt ation to the changes associated with the development of oral leukoplak ia and lichen planus.