Standardized molecular typing

Molecular typing methods are useful tools in molecular mycology. The result s of these biotyping procedures may help to identify pathogenic strains in order to detect sources of nosocomial infection and for the investigation o f epidemiological relationships. With respect to the facultative pathogen, Candida albicans, various methods such as pulse-field gel electrophoresis ( PFGE), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), DNA fingerprinting methods and hybridization with repetitive DNA elements have been described as useful tools in molecular epidemiology. The previously described hybridi zation method with the Candida albicans specific CARE-2 probe and subsequen t rehybridization with a molecular size marker is a standardized reproducib le typing method for comparison of results obtained in different laboratori es. In a larger epidemiological study conducted at the University Hospital of Wurzburg analysing clinical C. albicans isolates, we were able to descri be relationships between sequential patient isolates. These findings demons trate that standardized molecular typing methods are a powerful tool in mol ecular mycology studies.