DNA fingerprinting patterns of Candida species using HinfI endonuclease

Strain delineation was performed by means of restriction endonuclease analy sis (REA) of genomic DNA with the restriction enzyme HinfI followed by conv entional electrophoresis, A total of 337 yeast isolates representing 21 Can dida species and five non-Candida yeast species was evaluated. A survey of isolates showed that Candida albicans and non-albicans species could be div ided into mutually exclusive groups, and that subgroups could be created. I ndividual REA patterns for 111 C, albicans isolates, four Candida krusei is olates and 35 Candida glabrata isolates varied greatly, whereas 11 Candida dubliniensis isolates, 48 Candida tropicalis isolates and 41 Candida guilli ermondii isolates could be divided into two, nine and nine groups, respecti vely. REA of the 49 Candida parapsilosis isolates with HinfI, however, show ed that 47 (95%) of them belonged to one group. REA patterns of the other y east isolates, representing 19 species, were also quite different at the sp ecies level. These results showed that REA with HinfI may be useful for the identification and strain delineation of common and emerging Candida speci es.