Oral Candida carriage of patients attending a dental clinic in Braga, Portugal

• Autor(a) principal: Martins, Margarida Isabel Barros Coelho
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Outros Autores: Henriques, Mariana, Ribeiro, A. P., Fernandes, R. M., Gonçalves, Vânia, Seabra, A., Azeredo, Joana, Oliveira, Rosário
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/16821
• topic: Candida; Polymicrobial cultures; Oral carriage; Braga-Portugal; Colonización oral; Colonización mixta; Science & Technology

The ability of the Candida species to colonize surfaces can be considered as a risk factor for oral infection. Aims The aim of this work was to establish oral Candida carriage in patients attending a dental clinic in Braga, Portugal. Methods A total of 97 patients were analysed. Swab samples were collected, and directly cultured onto CHROMagar Candida. Representative yeasts were identified by polymerase chain reaction. Results From the samples analysed 54.6% (n=53) were Candida positive, and Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species, accounting for 79% of all the species identified. Non-C. albicans Candida (NCAC) species recovered included Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, and Candida guilliermondii. There was a lack of association between the presence of C. albicans and NCAC species, and age, gender, or prostheses wearing in this population. In 17% of the cases (n=9), polymicrobial cultures, with two different Candida species, were identified. Conclusions This study shows a high Candida carriage rate among this population, thus pointing to the relevance of an accurate diagnostic approach in Candida species identification.