Mating type and genotyping of Candida albicans isolated from different samples

Abed  Karimpour; Maral  Gharaghani; Amir Kamal  Hardani; Hadis  Jafarian; Ali Zarei  Mahmoudabadi

doi:10.18502/ijm.v18i3.21669

Abed Karimpour Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Maral Gharaghani Medicinal Plants Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran
Amir Kamal Hardani Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Hadis Jafarian Professor Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Ali Zarei Mahmoudabadi Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v18i3.21669

Keywords: Candida albicans; Genotyping; Mating type; Homozygosity; Heterozygosity

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Candida albicans is a common opportunistic pathogen. Genotyping based on the 25S rDNA and mating type locus (MTL) allows for epidemiological and genetic profiling. This study aimed to characterize the geno- types and mating types of C. albicans isolates from various clinical sources in Iran.

Materials and Methods: Ninety-four isolates from clinical samples (saliva, urine, vaginal swabs, and skin scrapings) were cultured on CHROMagar Candida and identified by standard phenotypic methods. Genotyping was performed using CA- INT primers, and mating type analysis was conducted using MTLa1 and MTLα1 primers.

Results: In this study, 94 isolates of C. albicans from various sources were analyzed. Genotype A was the most frequent (65%), followed by genotypes C (24.5%), B (9.6%), and D (1.1%). Most isolates (97.9%) were heterozygous at the MTL locus, only two isolates homozygous (α/α).

Conclusion: Genotype A and MTL-heterozygous strains were predominant among C. albicans isolates, suggesting a consis- tent molecular pattern across different clinical sources and regions.