A. Vanbelkum et al., PCR-MEDIATED GENOTYPING OF CANDIDA-ALBICANS STRAINS FROM BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANT PATIENTS, Bone marrow transplantation, 13(6), 1994, pp. 811-815
DNA amplification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers aiming
at eukaryotic or prokaryotic repetitive DNA motifs enables discrimina
tion between individual Candida albicans isolates. This PCR-mediated D
NA fingerprinting procedure was used to monitor yeast colonisation in
immune-compromised leukaemia patients (n = 11) who were undergoing bon
e marrow transplantation (BMT). The leukaemia patients remained coloni
sed by the same strain throughout a 5 month study period, irrespective
of intermediate treatment with fungostatics or application of BMT-rel
ated therapies. All 11 strains could be identified separately by PCR f
ingerprinting. This implies that spreading of C. albicans from patient
to patient does not seem to occur in this study group, despite the fa
ct that medical employees frequently travel between wards which are in
close proximity to other departments harbouring neutropenic patients.
Several of the patients (n = 35) were also monitored for C. albicans
colonisation and strain typing corroborated the lack of extensive cros
s-contamination during the study period. The application of PCR-mediat
ed genotyping of fungi in epidemiological analyses and evaluation of h
ospital hygiene is discussed.