DESCRIPTIONS OF MEDICAL FUNGI

156
Descriptions of Medical Fungi
Pichia kudriavzevii Boidin et al.
Synonymy: Candida krusei (Castellani) Berkhout.
Issatchenkia orientalis Kudryavtesev.
Pichia kudriavzevii is regularly associated with some forms of infant diarrhoea
and occasionally with systemic disease. It has also been reported to colonise the
gastrointestinal, respiratory and urinary tracts of patients with granulocytopenia.
Environmental isolations have been made from beer, milk products, skin, faeces of
animals and birds. RG-2 organism.
Culture: Colonies (SDA) white to cream-coloured smooth, glabrous, yeast-like.
Microscopy: Predominantly small, elongated to ovoid blastoconidia, 2-5 x 4-5 µm.
India Ink Preparation: Negative - no capsules present.
Dalmau Plate Culture: Abundant long, wavy, branched pseudohyphae with elongated
to ovoid blastoconidia, budding off in verticillate branches.
Molecular Identification: ITS sequencing recommended.
MALDI-TOF MS: Able to accurately identify this species.
Physiological Tests: + Positive, - Negative, v Variable, w Weak, s Slow
Germ Tube - L-Sorbose - L-Arabinose - D-Glucitol -
Fermentation Sucrose - D-Arabinose - α-M-D-glucoside -
Glucose + Maltose - D-Ribose - D-Gluconate -
Galactose - Cellobiose - L-Rhamnose - DL-Lactate +
Sucrose - Trehalose - D-Glucosamine + myo-Inositol -
Maltose - Lactose - N-A-D-glucosamine + 2-K-D-gluconate -
Lactose - Melibiose - Glycerol + D-Glucuronate -
Trehalose - Raffinose - Erythritol - Nitrate -
Assimilation Melezitose - Ribitol - Urease -
Glucose + Soluble Starch - Galactitol - 0.1% Cycloheximide v
Galactose - D-Xylose - D-Mannitol - Growth at 40 O C +
Key Features: Germ tube negative yeast and sugar assimilation pattern. Colonies
pale pink on Candida CHROMagar.
Antifungal Susceptibility: P. kudriavzevii (Australian National data); MIC µg/mL.
CLSI clinical breakpoints are marked where available (Pfaller and Diekema 2012).
Note: P. kudriavzevii is intrinsically resistant to fluconazole (No CLSI breakpoints).
No. 64
AmB 152 1 2 25 41 61 18 4
FLU 152 1 9 45 77
VORI 135 5 16 62 40 7 3 2
POSA 115 1 8 18 49 30 6 1 2
ITRA 152 1 3 16 73 47 10 2
ANID 86 5 35 26 19 1
MICA 86 1 0 32 34 19
CAS 115 1 15 55 29 13 1 1
5FC 152 3 2 5 15 92 33 2