DESCRIPTIONS OF MEDICAL FUNGI

Descriptions of Medical Fungi 47
Candida parapsilosis complex
RG-1 organism.
Candida parapsilosis (Ashford) Langeron & Talice
Culture: Colonies (SDA) white to cream-coloured smooth, glabrous, yeast-like.
Microscopy: Predominantly small, globose to ovoid budding blastoconidia, 3-4 x 5-8
µm, with some larger elongated forms present.
India Ink Preparation: Negative - no capsules present.
Dalmau Plate Culture: Abundant, much-branched pseudohyphae in a delicate treelike
pattern with 2-3 blastoconidia in small clusters at intervals along the pseudohyphae.
Physiological Tests: + Positive, - Negative, v Variable, w Weak, s Slow
Germ Tube - L-Sorbose +,s L-Arabinose + D-Glucitol +
Fermentation Sucrose + D-Arabinose - M-D-glucoside +
Glucose + Maltose + D-Ribose v D-Gluconate v
Galactose + Cellobiose - L-Rhamnose - DL-Lactate -
Sucrose + Trehalose + D-Glucosamine v myo-Inositol -
Maltose -,s Lactose - N-A-D-glucosamine + 2-K-D-gluconate +
Lactose - Melibiose - Glycerol + D-Glucuronate -
Trehalose -,s Raffinose - Erythritol - Nitrate -
Assimilation Melezitose + Ribitol v Urease -
Glucose + Soluble Starch - Galactitol - 0.1% Cycloheximide -
Galactose + D-Xylose + D-Mannitol + Growth at 37 O C +
Key Features: Germ tube negative yeast and sugar assimilation pattern. C. parapsilosis
is commonly found on the skin and is a causative agent of candidaemia.
Antifungal Susceptibility: C. parapsilosis (Australian National data); MIC µg/mL.
CLSI clinical breakpoints are marked where available (Pfaller and Diekema 2012).
No 64
AmB 607 2 8 28 131 142 210 80 2
FLU 608 12 66 122 169 136 67 27 4 4 1
VORI 529 145 98 120 100 48 14 3 1
POSA 437 4 41 126 182 69 13 2
ITRA 608 1 15 80 134 279 84 12 3
ANID 342 3 6 7 45 149 107 18 7
MICA 342 1 3 2 51 164 90 26 5
CAS 459 1 1 5 38 183 177 46 4 1 3
5FC 608 2 1 31 193 176 158 38 5 2 2