Evaluation of Candida albicans Diagnosis by Conventional Methods via Employing a PCR-Based Test

Background: The current study uses a single pair of primers, SC1F and SC1R, in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based test to amplify a “670-bp segment of the KER1 gene,” of C. albicans. Objective: To evaluate the conventional methods for diagnosing C. albicans, as accurate identification of Candida species has significant prognostic and therapeutic implications. Methods: In the current in vitro study, 100 oral swab samples were collected from patients aged between 3 and 80 years who exhibited clinical presentations of oral thrush and had malignant diseases at the Hematology Center/Baghdad Teaching Hospital and the Children Welfare Teaching Hospital in the Medical City of Baghdad. The diagnosis of C. albicans was performed using traditional diagnostic techniques. Favorable outcomes were then confirmed with those of molecular approach. Results: In the present investigation, 49% of the studied swab samples were from females, while 51% were from males. The average age of patients with malignant diseases who experienced oral thrush was 37.72 years. Upon direct microscopic examination of the samples, only 85% revealed positive results. However, upon culturing these samples, 74% showed the growth of C. albicans colonies on SDA. Additionally, in the microscopic examination of these colonies, 74% revealed positive results. The germ tube test revealed positive results in 35 out of 74 isolates. In the PCR test, 30 out of 35 isolates produced positive findings. Conclusion: Conventional diagnostic methods are prone to inaccuracies due to the phenotypic similarities between C. albicans and other Candida species.