Extracellular Enzymes and Susceptibility to Fluconazole in Candida Strains Isolated From Patients With Vaginitis and Healthy Individuals

BACKGROUND: Extracellular phospholipase, proteinase, and coagulase are accounted as the major virulence factors in Candida albicans. Several reports showed that the incidence of resistance to fluconazole has risen during last two decades. OBJECTIVES: The present study has investigated the extracellular enzymes of C. albicans and non-albicans species isolated from both patients with vaginitis and healthy women. In addition, susceptibility of the isolates was evaluated against fluconazole. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Vaginal samples were collected using sterile cotton swabs and inoculated on CHROMagar Candida. Routine morphological tests and ID 32C and API 20C AUX Kits were used to identify species. Phospholipase, proteinase, and coagulase activity were determined by standard methods. Susceptibility to fluconazole was also evaluated using ATB Fungus 3 Kits. RESULTS: The phospholipase activity was detected in 66.7% of the tested isolates recovered from patients with vaginitis. In the present study, phospholipase activity with higher Pz values (< 0.70) was more common in patients with vaginitis (28 of 66 isolates) whereas this rate in the normal individual was 13 of 42. Proteinase activity was detected in 74.2% and 61.9% of tested isolates recovered from patients and normal individuals, respectively. All tested isolates were negative for coagulase activity. In the present study, resistance to fluconazole was found in 34.8% of isolates. C. dubliniensis was the most common isolate (6 out of 11 isolates) that showed resistance to fluconazole. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that C. albicans was the most frequently isolated from both patients with vaginitis and normal individual. In the present study, we could not find any correlation between extracellular activities and sources of isolates (patients and normal flora) and sensitivity or resistance to fluconazole.