EVALUATION OF HICROME DIFFERENTIAL AGAR FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION OF CANDIDA ISOLATES FROM VARIOUS SPECIMENS

Dr. Sheetal Sharma*, Dr. Vipin Kathuria, Dr. Shiv Kumar and Dr. Sanjay Datta

ABSTRACT

Candida species especially Non Albicans Candida (NAC) are increasingly being isolated from clinical specimens. The conventional methods of identification are time consuming and difficult to perform. The study was done to evaluate the performance of conventional identification method (phenotypic and biochemical) and commercially available chromogenic Candida speciation media (CHROM agar) for the identification of medically important yeast and yeast-like organisms in a routine clinical microbiology laboratory. A total of 50 yeast strains were included during the six months study period. The conventional methods used for speciation of yeast isolates were Germ tube test, chlamydospore formation test on corn meal agar, sugar fermentation test and sugar assimilation test and were compared against chromogenic agar medium (HiCrome agar). Candida albicans was the major species accounting for 26 (52.0%) of the total isolates. Non albicans Candida constituted 15 (30.0%) of C. tropicalis, 7 (14.0%) of C. krusei and 2 (4.0%) of C. parasilosis. HiCrome agar is a convenient and rapid method of identification of Candida species even in resource of poor settings.

Keywords: Candida species, HiCrome agar.