[Evaluation of the Tween 80 opacity test for detection of the lipolytic activity of various Candida species and its utility in differentiation of C. albicans and C. dubliniensis].

In this study a total of 253 strains belonging to 10 different species of Candida were examined for their lipolytic activity by using the Tween-80 opacity test. Hundred and seventy-four of 182 C. albicans, all of 21 C. tropicalis, 1 C. rugosa and 2 of 5 C. famata strains produced halo on Tween 80 medium and around the inoculum after 10 days of incubation pointing out the positive lipolytic (esterase) activity. Seven of 8 negative C. albicans strains were isolated from hemocultures of patients with different malignancies. Remaining strains of Candida species; C. glabrata (12), C. dubliniensis (6), C. kefyr (8), C. guillermondii (5) and C. spherica (3) did not produce the halo. Tween 80 medium may be useful for the presumptive identification of some Candida species but regarding our results further large scale studies are necessary to establish the role of the medium in differentiating particularly the two similar species, C. albicans and C. dubliniensis.