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The aim of this study was to establish oral carriage of Candida and possible factors associated to their virulence in young adults and their relation with local and general situations considered as predisposing factors. Samples were obtained from dorsum tongue in 70 students attending the Faculty of Dentistry (University of Buenos Aires) average age: 23, all in healthy oral conditions. Of these, 21.42% were Candida positive. These samples were seeded in CHROMagar. Candida identification was completed in milk agar and Fungichrom 1. The following species were identified: 11 Candida albicans (C.a), 2 Candida parapsilosis (C.p) and 1 Candida glabrata (C.g). In one case, 2 species (C.a and C.g) were isolated in the same sample. Virulence was determined as adherence capacity by biofilm or in vitro plaque formation and hydrophobicity. Different host factors were analyzed statistically to establish their importance as predisposing factors to allow Candida colonization. Adherence of C.a. was found to be similar in all C.a. strains, whereas significant differences were found between C.a. and C.p. and between C.a. and C.g. Only the antiseptic mouthrinse and the diet were significant among the considered factors.

The aim of this study is to compare Candida albicans strain genotype isolates from oral cavity of immunocompromised patients due to different immunologic impairments with apparently normal carriers. Four populations were studied: 1) HIV positive hospitalized patients, 2) HIV negative immunocompromised patients (leukemia, lymphoma, organ transplant recipients), 3) drug addicts prior to AIDS pandemia in Argentina, 4) apparently normal carriers. DNA extracted was digested with the enzyme Eco RI, electrophoresed, transferred to nitrocellulose membrane and hybridized with the 27A probe labelled with 32P. The comparison between the profiles obtained permitted the differentiation of 16 genotypes. The distribution of the strains led to the conclusion that: a) all the isolated strains from AIDS patients were closely related and distributed in only three genotypes (1, 3, 11); b) a major genetic relationship between the isolates from AIDS patients and HIV negative immunocompromised patients was observed; c) strains from carriers showed a minor genetic similarity with those obtained from AIDS patients; d) characteristic profiles belonging to any of the studied groups were not found; e) significant genomic changes have not been observed during the last twenty years.