Comparative identification of Candida species isolated from animals using phenotypic and PCR-RFLP methods

The aim of this study was to identify 58 Candida sp. strains isolated from animals using the Chromatic Candida test, the API 20 C AUX system, and polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The Chromatic Candida test was able to identify only C. albicans and C. krusei. The API 20 C AUX system and PCR-RFLP had similar specificity for the identification of Candida strains. In case of both methods, Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species - 22 (37.93%) strains, followed by Candida krusei - 17 (29.31%) strains, Candida famata - 10 (17.24%) strains, Candida parapsilosis - five (8.62%) strains, and Candida kefyr - four (6.89%) strains. PCR-RFLP represents a reliable, quick and relatively inexpensive genotyping method, recommended for rapid identification of Candida spp.