Candida parapsilosis
On Sabouraud's dextrose agar colonies are white to cream colored, smooth, glabrous and yeast-like in appearance. Microscopic morphology shows predominantly small, globose to ovoid budding yeast-like cells or blastoconidia, 2.0-3.5 x 3.0-4.5 um in size, with some larger elongated forms present.
India Ink Preparation: Negative - no capsules present.
Dalmau Plate Culture on Cornmeal and Tween 80 Agar: Abundant, much-branched pseudohyphae in a delicate tree-like pattern with 2-3 blastoconidia in small clusters at intervals along the pseudohyphae.
Physiological Tests:
Germ Tube test is Negative
Hydrolysis of Urea is Negative
Growth on Cycloheximide medium is Negative
Growth at 37C is Positive
Fermentation Reactions: Where fermentation means the production of gas and is independent of pH changes.
Positive: Glucose.
Variable: Galactose.
Negative: Lactose; Sucrose (some positive); Maltose (some positive); Trehalose (some positive).
Assimilation Tests:
Positive: Glucose; Galactose; Maltose; Trehalose; D-Xylose; Glycerol; L-Arabinose; Ribitol (delayed); D-Mannitol; Sucrose; D-Glucitol.
Variable: D-Ribose; L-Sorbose; Succinic acid; Citric acid; DL-Lactic acid.
Negative: Potassium nitrate; Cellobiose; Lactose; Raffinose; Melibiose; Galactitol; Erythritol; Inositol; Soluble Starch; L-Rhamnose; Salicin; Melezitose; D-Arabinose.
MIC data is limited. Antifungal susceptibility testing of individual strains is recommended.
| Antifungal | MIC ug/mL | Antifungal | MIC ug/mL |
||
Range |
MIC90 |
Range |
MIC90 |
||
| Fluconazole | 0.125->64 |
8 |
Amphotericin B | 0.016-2 |
0.5 |
| Itraconazole | 0.015-2 |
0.25 |
Flucytosine | 0.03->64 |
0.25 |
| Posaconazole | 0.008-0.5 |
0.03 |
Caspofungin | 0.03->8 |
1 |
| Voriconazole | 0.008-2 |
0.25 |
Anidulafungin | 0.008->8 |
nd |
Clinical significance:
Candida parapsilosis is an opportunistic human pathogen which may cause both superficial cutaneous infections, especially of the nail and systemic disease, especially endocarditis. Other clinical manifestations include endophthalmitis and fungemia. Environmental isolations have been made from intertidal and oceanic waters, pickle brine, cured meats, olives and normal skin, and faeces.
Mycosis: Candidiasis
Further reading:
Kreger-Van Rij, N.J.W. (ed) 1984. The Yeasts: a taxonomic study. 3rd Edition. Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Rippon, J.W. 1988. Medical Mycology. 3rd Edition. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, USA.
