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Hilla University College Journal For Medical Science

Corresponding Author

Amran M. AL-Erjan

Authors ORCID

Amran M. AL-Erjan: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6205-3011

Document Type

Original Study

Keywords

Candida species, ITS region, PCR, Nasal cavity, Phylogenetic analysis

Abstract

Background: Nasal infections are commonly associated with opportunistic microorganisms, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and Candida species.

Objectives: This study aimed to molecularly characterize Candida species isolated from the nasal cavity of patients with nasal infections and to determine their phylogenetic relationships using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region.

Methods: A total of 88 nasal swab samples were collected from patients aged 1–80 years in Thi-Qar Province, Iraq, between December 2023 and March 2024. Samples were cultured on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and Mannitol Salt Agar. Yeast isolates were identified phenotypically using CHROMagar Candida and germ tube tests. Molecular identification and genotyping were performed using conventional PCR with ITS1 and ITS4 primers, followed by sequence analysis using NCBI BLAST tools.

Results: Out of 88 samples, 20 (22.73%) showed positive yeast growth. Molecular analysis demonstrated that Candida parapsilosis and Candida zeylanoides were the predominant species, each representing 25% of isolates, followed by Candida orthopsilosis (20%) and Candida albicans (10%). Candida glabrata, Clavispora lusitaniae, Debaryomyces hansenii, and Filobasidium oeirense were detected at lower frequencies (5% each). Sequence analysis revealed several nucleotide mutations among different genotypes, particularly within C. zeylanoides isolates. Phylogenetic analysis using the UPGMA method clustered the isolates into distinct species-specific clades according to ITS sequence variations.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that ITS region sequencing is a reliable molecular approach for accurate identification and genotyping of Candida species isolated from the nasal cavity and provides important information regarding their genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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