Single primer pair for PCR identification of Candida parapsilosis group I isolates.

A DNA fragment, isolated from a genomic DNA mini-library of Candida parapsilosis group I reference strain ATCC 22019, was sequenced and characterised. The fragment was first probed by Southern blotting against a pool of DNA from several yeasts. The hybridisation tests revealed that the probe was specific for strain ATCC 22019 and 49 (90.74%) of 54 C. parapsilosis clinical and soil isolates that were attributed to C. parapsilosis group I by the electrophoretic images of their restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) and electrophoretic karyotype (EK). The remaining five negative isolates, according to the same criteria, were attributed to group II (one isolate) and III (four isolates). Two primers were selected from the probe DNA sequence and a PCR-based test was developed for specifically detecting C. parapsilosis group I isolates, which represent the majority of the common clinical isolates. The PCR assay confirmed the Southern hybridisation results. This PCR assay could be a simple and reproducible tool for the rapid, sensitive and species-specific identification of C. parapsilosis major group I isolates.