[Significance of the ability of Candida Berhout to assimilate D-glucuronic acid, D-glucono-delta-lactone and 5-keto-D-gluconate for systematics].

117 Candida strains representing 76 species and varieties were studied. Most of them readily assimilated glucono-delta-lactone with an exception of species which were imperfect analogues of Pichia spp. with round ascospores, Saccharomyces spp. and Kluyveromyces spp. The test for assimilation of 5-keto-D-gluconate can be used to differentiate varieties of C. guilliermondii, C. pelliculosa, and species C. zeylanoides and C. vinaria. The group of glucuronate-positive species belonging to the genus Candida comprises both ascomycetous and basidiomycetous organisms. The former lack the urease activity. Among the latter, C. curvata, C. humicola, C. marina and C. podzolica produce extracellular polysaccharides identical in the monosaccharide composition to polysaccharides of cryptococci. These four species should be included into the genus Cryptococcus.