Panel Overview
Candida Panel
A real-time PCR panel that detects and tells apart three Candida species: Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Candida krusei. For Candida together with Gardnerella, see the Candida / Gardnerella panel.
The Three Species
What the Panel Detects
- Candida albicans
- Candida glabrata
- Candida krusei
Candida albicans
C. albicans is a diploid fungus that grows both as yeast and as filamentous cells, and is a causal agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans. Systemic fungal infections (fungemias), including those caused by C. albicans, have emerged as important causes of illness and death in immunocompromised patients, for example in AIDS, cancer chemotherapy, and organ or bone-marrow transplantation. Hospital-acquired C. albicans infections are also a major health concern.
Candida glabrata
C. glabrata is a haploid yeast, previously known as Torulopsis glabrata. Until recently it was thought to be a mainly non-pathogenic organism, but with the growing population of immunocompromised people it has become a highly opportunistic pathogen of the urogenital tract and the bloodstream (candidemia). It is especially prevalent in people who are HIV positive.
Candida krusei
C. krusei is a budding yeast and an emerging fungal hospital-acquired pathogen, found mainly in immunocompromised patients and those with hematological malignancies. It is naturally resistant to fluconazole, a standard antifungal agent, and is most often found in patients who have had prior fluconazole exposure. Mortality from C. krusei fungemia is much higher than from the more common C. albicans.
Sample & Price
Sample types: cervical or urethral swabs collected in a Copan culture swab device (insert the head of the swab into the transport media), or urine (a minimum of 10 ml in a sterile specimen cup).
Price: US$37.50.