Molecular analysis of certain adhesion genes in Candida albicans isolated from chickens with thrush

Candida albicans causes inflammation in the oral cavity due to its possession of certain virulence genes that enable it to invade the epithelial cells of the mouth. The aims of this study were to molecularly identify C. albicans and to detect specific adhesion genes such as ALS1 and HWP1. Eighteen isolates of C. albicans, previously isolated from chickens with oral candidiasis in a study conducted at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Mosul, were examined in this research. Molecular diagnosis was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), targeting the 18S rRNA, ALS1, and HWP1 genes to detect C. albicans and its virulence factors. The results showed that all C. albicans isolates produced PCR amplicon products at a molecular weight of 415 bp for the 18S rRNA gene. Additionally, 66% of the isolates yielded PCR amplicon products at a molecular weight of 577 bp for the ALS1 gene. However, all isolates tested negative for the HWP1 gene. Four isolates of C. albicans have been registered in GenBank with the following accession numbers: PO328951, PQ328952, PQ328953, and PQ328954. The isolates exhibited 97-100% similarity with global C. albicans isolates from China, the USA, and India. The study concluded that the isolates under investigation possess a high percentage of the ALS1 gene, which significantly contributes to their pathogenicity in poultry.