EPIDEMIOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OF VAGINAL SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE ISOLATES BY A GENOTYPIC METHOD

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a ubiquitous, ascomycetous yeast, and vagi nitis caused by this organism has been reported only very rarely, The aim of the present investigation was to assess the epidemiological rel atedness of a group of vaginal and commercial S. cerevisiae isolates b y a previously reported genetic typing method, which divided the isola tes into two broad groups with numerous subtypes. Nineteen S. cerevisi ae isolates obtained from patients suffering from vaginitis and four i solates from commercial products in the same city were analyzed, The c ellular DNA from each isolate was digested with the restriction endonu clease EcoRI, and restriction fragment length polymorphisms were gener ated by horizontal gel electrophoresis. The results showed that althou gh vaginal isolates did not cluster in any particular genetic subtype, multiple patients were infected with indistinguishable strains (there were nine distinct strains among 23 isolates). For two of three patie nts, all three with two episodes of S. cerevisiae vaginitis, different strains were isolated during the recurrence of this disease. Three ot her patients with indistinguishable isolates were epidemiologically re lated in that two were practitioners in the same clinic and the third was a patient at this clinic We also found that one commercial strain was indistinguishable from the strain isolated from three different wo men at the time that they were suffering from vaginitis. The findings of the present study suggest that some S. cerevisiae strains may posse ss properties permitting persistence in the human host. Furthermore, p erson-to-person contact and the proliferation of the use of S. cerevis iae as a health-food product, in home baking, and in home brewing may be a contributing factor in human colonization and infection with this organism.