Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis in Periodontitis in Adolescents and Young Adults

Aim. This study aims to evaluate the association of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis with periodontitis in adolescents and young adults in a Moroccan population. Methods. 426 subjects aged between 12 and 25 years were recruited for the study. A pool of plaque sample was taken. Samples were cultured on Sabouraud Chloramphenicol medium at 37°C for 24–48 hours and then identified by the Vitek 2 YST system. Clinical data and presence of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis were analyzed using Jamovi (Version 1.8). Results. Candida albicans was observed in 25 subjects among 68 diseased patients (37%) and in 60 subjects among 358 healthy patients (17%). It can be reported that under normal yeast conditions, there is a statistically significant difference between these two groups ( P < 0.001 ). Candida dubliniensis was more prevalent in periodontitis than in healthy subjects ( P = 0.026 ). Regarding clinical variables, subgroups of periodontitis subjects showed significant statistical differences for periodontal probing depth, clinical attachment loss, and number of decayed teeth in advanced periodontitis in comparison with initial or mild periodontitis. The results also indicate that the presence of the two species of Candida is not related to gender or age ( P > 0.05 ) nor related to the severity of the periodontal disease in this population. Conclusion. Within the limits of our study, Candida albicans is more frequently associated with periodontitis. The potential role of C. albicans in periodontitis pathogenesis is very complex. More studies on biofilm associated with different forms of periodontitis are necessary. It is also important to assess the coexistence of periodontitis and caries and the associated biofilms.

AVALIAÇÃO DA ATIVIDADE ANTIFÚNGICA DOS EXTRATOS DE MORINDA CITRIFOLIA E UNCARIA TORMENTOSA SOBRE AS CEPAS DE CANDIDA

Sabe-se que a fitoterapia sempre foi utilizada tanto para a prevenção quanto para tratamento das mais diversas enfermidades humanas. No entanto, muitos desses substratos são ainda aplicados sem embasamento cientifico correto. Ao aplicar o conceito da fitoterapia em odontologia, são ainda mais vagos os estudos. Neste trabalho, foram avaliados a atividade antifúngica de dois substratos feitos através das plantas Morinda Citrifolia e Uncaria Tormentosa, sobre cepas de Candida, sendo elas Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida dubliniensis, Candida tropicalis e Candida glabrata. O estudo in vitro foi conduzido mostrando a eficácia desses dois substratos sobre duas das espécies de cândida estudadas. Tais extratos medicinais se mostram ainda mais vantajosos haja vista que são utilizados de forma tópica, diminuindo sua toxidade e, diferentemente dos outros fármacos usados para controle positivo neste estudo (Clorexidina 0,12% e Nistatina) não geram efeitos colaterais tóxicos ou indesejáveis. Palavras chave: Atividade antifúngica, extratos medicinais, Morinda Citrifolia e Uncaria Tormentosa.

Study of some risk factors for fungal contamination of dental unit waterlines in Alexandria, Egypt

Introduction: Monitoring the microbial quality of water in dental unit waterlines is an important part of infection control measures carried out in dental clinics. Fungal contamination of such waterlines has not been extensively studied, compared with bacterial contamination. This study aimed at assessing the magnitude and risk factors for fungal contamination of dental unit waterlines. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 82 dental units, randomly collected from 3 private clinics and 8 governmental hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt. A total of 204 water samples from dental unit waterlines output were membrane-filtered and cultured for fungal enumeration and species identification. The biofilm forming-ability was assessed for the most prevalent fungal species. The acceptability of samples was determined according to the Swedish drinking water guidelines. Results: The acceptability of samples was 89.7%. The most common mould was Aspergillus flavus, while Candida spp. was the most common yeast (10 isolates), with unusual predominance of Candida dubliniensis (9 isolates). All isolates of Aspergillus flavus and Candida dubliniensis were biofilm-formers. The risk factors for fungal contamination of dental unit waterlines included: dental specialty (p = 0.042), time of sample collection (p < 0.001), older age of dental unit (p < 0.001) and use of 5-15% of sodium hypochlorite. Conclusions: The presence of biofilm-forming fungi in dental unit waterlines is a potential hazard, even when samples have acceptable levels of fungal counts. Risk factors for contamination are numerous and should be addressed.

Atividade antifúngica de Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf frente à leveduras do gênero Candida sp.

Candida sp. é um gênero de levedura que faz parte da microbiota do corpo humano e de animais. É considerado o principal grupo de fungos patógenos oportunistas. O uso de plantas medicinais é empregado cada vez mais nas diversas áreas. A planta Cymbopogon citratus (DC). Stapf é popularmente conhecida no Brasil por Capim-cheiroso, Capim-cidreira, Capim-santo, Capim-limão, Capim-cidró, Capim-cidrão. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a atividade antifúngica do óleo essencial de Cymbopogon citratus frente a leveduras do gênero Candida sp.. O óleo essencial foi obtido por hidrodestilação das folhas pelo método do arraste a vapor. A atividade antifúngica foi verificada pelas técnicas de disco-difusão, concentração inibitória mínima e concentração letal mínima. Foram utilizadas as cepas padrão ATCC de Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, Candida Krusei, Candida parapsilosis e Candida utilis. O óleo essencial apresentou atividade antifúngica frente a todas as espécies. A faixa de inibição varia de 0,281 µg/mL a 1,125 µg/mL e concentração letal varia de 0,562 µg/mL a 1,125 µg/mL. Esses achados contribuem para um futuro emprego da planta C. citratus como fitoterápico em tratamento preventivo ou alternativo contra infecções fúngicas.

Comparative Genome-Wide Characterization of Microsatellites in Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis Leading to the Development of Species-Specific Marker

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSR) are related to genomic structure, function, and certain diseases of taxonomically different organisms. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> To characterize microsatellites in two closely related <i>Candida</i> species by searching and comparing 1–6 bp nucleotide motifs and utilizing them to develop species-specific markers. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Whole-genome sequence was downloaded from the public domain, microsatellites were mined and analyzed, and primers were synthesized. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 15,821 and 7,868 microsatellites, with mono-nucleotides (8,679) and trinucleotides (3,156) as most frequent microsatellites, were mined in <i>Candida dubliniensis</i> and <i>Candida albicans</i>, respectively. Chromosome size was found positively correlated with microsatellite number in both the species, whereas it was negatively correlated with the relative abundance and density of microsatellites. A number of unique motifs were also found in both the species. Overall, microsatellite frequencies of each chromosome in <i>C. dubliniensis</i> were higher than in <i>C. albicans</i>. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The features of microsatellite distribution in the two species’ genomes revealed that it is probably not conserved in the genus <i>Candida</i>. Data generated in this article could be used for comparative genome mapping and understanding the distribution of microsatellites and genome structure between these closely related and phenotypically misidentified species and may provide a foundation for the development of a new set of species-specific microsatellite markers. Here, we also report a novel microsatellite-based marker for <i>C. dubliniensis</i>-specific identification.