Misidentification of Candida dubliniensis isolates with the VITEK MS

J Mycol Med. 2021 Mar;31(1):101107. doi: 10.1016/j.mycmed.2020.101107. Epub 2021 Jan 1.

Abstract

The phylogenetic relatedness of Candida dubliniensis and C. albicans may lead to misidentification of C. dubliniensis and underestimation of its clinical significance. We evaluated the performance of VITEK-MS in identifying C. dubliniensis isolates following growth on different culture media. Correct identification was documented in 98% of the isolates grown on blood agar media whereas only 44% were correctly identified from SDA or CHROMagar. The use of non-manufacturer validated media for identifying C. dubliniensis with VITEK-MS, may result in misidentification of these isolates as C. albicans. This finding calls for reassessing the accuracy of fungal isolates identification in local workflows using non-validated culture media.

Keywords: CHROMagar; Candida albicans; Candida dubliniensis; MALDI-TOF MS; VITEK MS.

MeSH terms

  • Agar / chemistry*
  • Blood
  • Candida / genetics
  • Candida / growth & development
  • Candida / isolation & purification*
  • Candida albicans / genetics
  • Candida albicans / growth & development
  • Culture Media / standards*
  • DNA, Fungal / genetics
  • Humans
  • Mycological Typing Techniques / standards*
  • Phylogeny

Substances

  • Culture Media
  • DNA, Fungal
  • Agar

Supplementary concepts

  • Candida dubliniensis