GENETIC SPECIATION OF CANDIDA ISOLATES BY ARBITRARILY PRIMED POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

Candida species are opportunistic human pathogens capable of causing a variety of clinical diseases. Rapid and precise identification of Can dida to species level is essential for effective treatment and managem ent strategies. Conventional diagnosis of candidiasis is sometimes slo w and variable. By using a random primer 5'-ACGGGCCAGT-3' in arbitrari ly primed polymerase chain reaction, seven common Candida species (i.e ., C. albicans, C. guilliermondii, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei, C. lipo lytica, C. tropicalis and C. (Torulopsis) glabrata) produced character istic DNA band patterns, which enabled rapid determination to species level among them. Further analysis of the nucleotide sequences of Cand ida specific fragments should improve our understanding of the molecul ar structures and possible functions of the gene regions involved.