Candida albicans strain types from the genitalia of patients with and without Candida infection.

The strain phenotypes of 266 C. albicans isolates from patients attending a genitourinary clinic were determined on the basis of 9 biochemical tests. Analysis of the strain patterns of isolates from the genitalia showed that there were no statistically significant differences between types associated with clinically overt Candida infection and types isolated in the absence of symptoms of candidosis. This finding accords with the traditional view of C. albicans as an opportunistic pathogen, rather than a species containing some strains of high virulence. In cases where isolations were made from the same patient at different times, or from different anatomical sites in the same patient, it was found that usually, but not always, a patient carried the same phenotype at different sites and different times. Similarly, the same strain type was isolated from the genitalis of both partners in a majority of instances where strains were isolated from consorts; however, this was not the case for a substantial minority of couples, particularly in those where high promiscuity appeared to promote considerable mixture and interchange of the C. albicans genital microflora.