Extracellular hydrolytic enzyme activities of the different Candida spp. isolated from the blood of the Intensive Care Unit-admitted patients

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Candida spp. secretes various extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. These enzymes are the important virulence factor for the pathogenesis of Candida. We assessed four different enzymatic activities of Candida isolates obtained from bloodstream infections.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We isolated 79 strains of different Candida species from the blood of the Intensive Care Unit-admitted patients. Species were identified by conventional methods including culture characteristic, germ tube, sugar assimilation, and Dalmau's culture technique. Phospholipase, proteinase, hemolysin, and esterase enzymatic activities were determined by the Plate method.

RESULTS: Non albicans candida were the most common isolates from the blood of the ICU admitted patient with a predominance of Candida tropicalis. Hemolytic activity was the most prominent enzyme activity followed by the proteinase activity. Candida albicans (89.86%) was the major proteinase producer, while 95.8% of C. tropicalis produced hemolysin. No esterase activity was shown by the Candida glabrata and Candida krusei.

CONCLUSION: No significant difference was observed between the two most common causative agents of candidemia: C. albicans and C. tropicalis.

Keywords

Candidemia - esterase - hemolysin - phospholipase - proteinase - virulence factor

• REFERENCES

• 1 Giri S, Kindo AJ. A review of Candida species causing bloodstream infection. Indian J Med Microbiol 2012;30:270-8.
• 2 Tellapragada C, Eshwara VK, Johar R, Shaw T, Malik N, Bhat PV, et al. Antifungal susceptibility patterns, in vitro production of virulence factors, and evaluation of diagnostic modalities for the speciation of pathogenic Candida from bloodstream infections and vulvovaginal candidiasis. J Pathog 2014;2014:142864.
• 3 Dagi HT, Findik D, Senkeles C, Arslan U. Identification and antifungal susceptibility of Candida species isolated from bloodstream infections in Konya, Turkey. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2016;15:36.
• 4 da Costa VG, Quesada RM, Abe AT, Furlaneto-Maia L, Furlaneto MC. Nosocomial bloodstream Candida infections in a tertiary-care hospital in South Brazil: A 4-year survey. Mycopathologia 2014;178:243-50.
• 5 Pfaller MA, Diekema DJ. Epidemiology of invasive candidiasis: A persistent public health problem. Clin Microbiol Rev 2007;20:133-63.
• 6 Canela HM, Cardoso B, Vitali LH, Coelho HC, Martinez R, Ferreira ME. Prevalence, virulence factors and antifungal susceptibility of Candida spp. isolated from bloodstream infections in a tertiary care hospital in Brazil. Mycoses 2018;61:11-21.
• 7 Mattei AS, Alves SH, Severo CB, Guazzelli Lda S, Oliveira Fde M, Severo LC, et al. Determination of germ tube, phospholipase, and proteinase production by bloodstream isolates of Candida albicans. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2013;46:340-2.
• 8 Price MF, Wilkinson ID, Gentry LO. Plate method for detection of phospholipase activity in Candida albicans. Sabouraudia: Journal of Medical and Veterinary Mycology 198;20:7-14.
• 9 Costa CR, Passos XS, e Souza LK, Lucena Pde A, Fernandes Ode F, Silva Mdo R, et al. Differences in exoenzyme production and adherence ability of Candida spp. isolates from catheter, blood and oral cavity. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2010;52:139-43.
• 10 Fatahinia M, Poormohamadi F, Zarei Mahmoudabadi A. Comparative study of esterase and hemolytic activities in clinically important Candida species, isolated from oral cavity of diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2015;8:e20893.
• 11 Sacristán B, Blanco MT, Galán-Ladero MA, Blanco J, Pérez-Giraldo C, Gómez-García AC, et al. Aspartyl proteinase, phospholipase, hemolytic activities and biofilm production of Candida albicans isolated from bronchial aspirates of ICU patients. Med Mycol 2011;49:94-7.
• 12 Chakrabarti A, Sood P, Rudramurthy SM, Chen S, Kaur H, Capoor M, et al. Incidence, characteristics and outcome of ICU-acquired candidemia in India. Intensive Care Med 2015;41:285-95.
• 13 Oberoi JK, Wattal C, Goel N, Raveendran R, Datta S, Prasad K, et al. Non-albicans Candida species in blood stream infections in a tertiary care hospital at New Delhi, India. Indian J Med Res 2012;136:997-1003.
• 14 Mutlu Sariguzel F, Berk E, Koc AN, Sav H, Demir G. Investigation of the relationship between virulence factors and genotype of Candida spp. isolated from blood cultures. J Infect Dev Ctries 2015;9:857-64.
• 15 Rossoni RD, Barbosa JO, Vilela SF, Jorge AO, Junqueira JC. Comparison of the hemolytic activity between C. albicans and non-albicans Candida species. Braz Oral Res 2013;27:484-9.
• 16 Wan L, Luo G, Lu H, Xuan D, Cao H, Zhang J, et al. Changes in the hemolytic activity of Candida species by common electrolytes. BMC Microbiol 2015;15:171.
• 17 Riceto ÉB, Menezes Rde P, Penatti MP, Pedroso Rdos S. Enzymatic and hemolytic activity in different Candida species. Rev Iberoam Micol 2015;32:79-82.
• 18 Kumar CP, Menon T, Sundararajan T, Nalini S, Thirunarayan MA, Rajasekaran S, et al. Esterase activity of Candida species isolated from immunocompromised hosts. Rev Iberoam Micol 2006;23:101-3.
• 19 Fatahinia M, Halvaeezadeh M, Rezaei-Matehkolaei A. Comparison of enzymatic activities in different Candida species isolated from women with vulvovaginitis. J Mycol Med 2017;27:188-94.
• 20 Williams D, Lewis M. Pathogenesis and treatment of oral candidosis. Journal of Oral Microbiology 2011;3:5771.