Typing of Candidemia Agents of Candida albicans Isolates by Molecular Methods and Investigation of SAP4 Gene Presence

Introduction: In recent years, increasing infections due to fungi have drawn attention. Especially, Candida albicans is the most frequent infectious agent with its virulence factors. Furthermore, because C. albicans is a nosocomial infection agent, it can lead an increase in mortality and morbidity. In this study, it was aimed to genotype C. albicans strains that caused candidemia by molecular methods and to investigate one of the most important virulence factors, Secreted Aspartyl Proteinase 4 (SAP4). Materials and Methods: Our study included 50 C. albicans strains isolated from blood cultures. The isolates were identified both phenotypically and genotypically. Arbitrarily-Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR) and Pulsed Field Gel ElectrophoresisElectrophoretic Karyotype Analysis (PFGE-EK) methods were used for molecular genotyping of the strains. Furthermore, the presence of SAP4 a virulence factor for C. albicans was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The 50 C. albicans isolates included in our study were separated to 26 genotypes by AP-PCR, 41 genotypes by PFGE-EK, and SAP4 was detected in 49 of the 50 isolates. Conclusion: In conclusion, dominant genotypes among the C. albicans isolates were not detected. Results of both molecular typing methods revealed that C. albicans isolates were generally endogenous. Furthermore, SAP4 gene was detected in 98% of the isolates. A considerable presence of this gene in blood sample isolates suggests that it contributes to systemic infections. More elaborative studies on the function of SAP4 gene in endogenous infections of C. albicans may contribute to the prevention of these infections in the future.