Candida parapsilosis

Recently Candida parapsilosis has been recognised as four species: C. parapsilosis, C. orthopsilosis, C. metapsilosis and Lodderomyces elongisporus (Tavanti et al., 2005).

These four species are phenotypically indistinguishable and are best distinguished by ITS sequencing or MALDI-ToF MS analysis. Antifungal susceptibility data from the Australian candidemia study also shows no significant differences between the species (Chen et al., 2009; Chapman et al., 2017).

RG-2 organism.

Culture: 
Colonies (SDA) white to cream-coloured smooth, glabrous, yeast-like.

Microscopy: 
Predominantly small, globose to ovoid budding blastoconidia, 3-4 x 5-8 µm, with some larger elongated forms present.

India ink preparation: 
Negative - no capsules present.

Dalmau plate culture: 
Abundant, much-branched pseudohyphae in a delicate tree-like pattern with 2-3 blastoconidia in small clusters at intervals along the pseudohyphae.

Physiological Tests: + Positive, - Negative, v Variable, w Weak, s Slow, nd No Data
Germ Tube - L-Sorbose +,s L-Arabinose + D-Glucitol +
Fermentation   Sucrose + D-Arabinose - 𝝰-M-D-Glucoside +
Glucose + Maltose + D-Ribose v D-Gluconate -
Galactose + Cellobiose - L-Rhamnose - DL-Lactate -
Sucrose + Trehalose + D-Glucosamime v myo-Inositol -
Maltose -,s Lactose - N-A-D-glucosamine + 2-K-D-Gluconate +
Lactose - Melibiose - Glycerol + D-Glucuronate -
Trehalose -,s Raffinose - Erythritol - Nitrate -
Assimilation   Melezitose + Ribitol v Urease -
Glucose + Soluble Starch - Galactitol - 0.1% Cycloheximide -
Galactose + D-Xylose + D-Mannitol + Growth at 37C +

Key features:
Abundant, much-branched pseudohyphae in a delicate tree-like pattern with 2-3 blastoconidia in small clusters at intervals along the pseudohyphae.

Antifungal susceptibility: Candida parapsilosis (Australian national data and additional ISAV data from Pfaller et al., 2013); MIC µg/mL.
Antifungal No ≤0.016 0.03 0.06 0.125 0.25 0.5 1 2 4 8 16 32 ≥64
AMB 1083 2 8 28 133 158 315 349 87 3        
FLU 1084       21 117 307 323 183 84 29 7 8 5
ISAV 441 135 93 118 71 13 5 4       2    
VORI 1006 519 259 139 57 21 6 3 2          
POSA 914 141 225 379 139 27 3              
ITRA 1085 54 130 268 495 122 13 3            
ANID 819     3 19 21 91 284 319 58 24      
MICA 819 1   3 4 11 113 320 267 88 12      
5FC 1085 3 31 314 303 314 107 8 3         2

References

  • Chapman, B., Slavin, M., Marriott, D., et al. (2017) Changing epidemiology of candidaemia in Australia. Journal Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 72, 1103-1108. Erratum in: Journal Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, (2017) 72, 1270.
  • Chen, S.C., Marriott, D., Playford, E.G., et al. (2009) Candidaemia with uncommon Candida species: predisposing factors, outcome, antifungal susceptibility, and implications for management. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 15, 662-669.
  • Pfaller, M.A., Messer, S.A., Rhomberg, P.R., et al. (2013) In vitro activities of isavuconazole and comparator antifungal agents tested against a global collection of opportunistic yeasts and molds. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 51, 2608-2616.
  • Tavanti, A., Davidson, A.D., Gow, N.A., et al. (2005) Candida orthopsilosis and Candida metapsilosis spp. nov. to replace Candida parapsilosis groups II and III. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 43, 284-292.

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