Identification and comparison of Candida spp. species obtained from urine samples of patients using classical and molecular methods

This study aims to identify and detect Candida species and to prove the efficacy of antibiotics and essential oils against Candida species. For this purpose, 106 samples were taken from Dr. A. İlhan Özdemir State Hospital in Giresun province and Doğa Laboratory in Ankara, Turkey. In this study, microscopic tests, biochemical and antifungal tests, antifungal susceptibility tests and molecular tests were performed. In the susceptibility tests, the best result was obtained with clotrimazole 10 μg for C. glabrata and C. albicans with a diameter of 26.62 and 24.18 mm, respectively, while the best result for C. parapsilosis was obtained with nystatin with a diameter of 22.5 mm. The zone of inhibition for C. albicans was 70.2 and 72 mm with Thymus oil, while for C. glabrata it was 70.2 and 74.3 mm; for C. albicans with peppermint oil it was 46.6 and 47.6 mm, while for C. glabrata it was 19.8 and 43.8 mm; for C. albicans with tea oil it was 19.6 and 21.1 mm, while for C. glabrata it was 18.1 and 17.4 mm. The MIC against C. albicans and C. glabrata was 0.016 μg/ml with Thymus oil, 0.0125 μg/ml with peppermint oil for C. albicans and C. glabrata, and 0.25 μg/ml with tea oil for C. albicans and C. glabrata. MFK was 0.031 μg/mL with Thymus oil against C. albicans and C. glabrata, followed by Peppermint oil 0.25 μg/ml for C. albicans and C. glabrata and tea oil 0.5 μg/ml for C. albicans and C. glabrata. Regarding the hemolysis test, all C. albicans samples exhibited partial hemolysis. In C. glabrata, 19 samples showed partial hemolysis, while C. parapsilosis samples did not show any blood analysis. The proteinase test was positive for 44 C. albicans, 9 C. glabrata and 1 C. parapsilosis sample. No proteinase activity was observed in the remaining samples.