CRLAMYDOSPORE PRODUCTION BY CANDIDA ALBICANS

COMPARISON OF DEHYDRATED RICE EXTRACT AGAR WITH OTHER MEDIA5

STANLEY A. ROSENTHAL, Pn.D. AND DOMENICA FURNARI, B.A.

Chiamydospore production is considered the hrs and after 1, 2, 3 and 7 days' incubation.
most important diagnostic feature in the labora- Inoculation of all 6 media with each strain was
tory identification of Candida albicans. Corn done simultaneously.
meal infusion agar (1) has been most satisfactory
Organisms used: The fungi used in this study
for this purpose but certain inconveniences in were 100 consecutive strains of yeast-like organ-
the preparation of this medium led Taschdjian isms isolated on Sabouraud-cycloheximide-chlor
(2) to develop a rice extract agar for chylamydo- amphenicol agar (6) from scrapings or swabbings
spore production. The medium is relatively simple from dcrmatologic patients. Seventy isolates
to prepare from readily available materials and were obtained from cutaneous lesions; 21 from
its value in the stimulation of chlamydospore the finger nail or nail bed; and 9 from the mucous
production has been confirmed by Sina and membranes. The media under study were inocu-
Reiss (3). lated directly from this primary isolate. In addi-
Taschdjian's rice medium has been prepared tion, several other species of Candida from our
commercially in the dehydrated form and this stock culture collection were also used.
commercial product has been made available to
us for comparison with freshly prepared rice agar, RESULTS AND DIscussIoN
and other media, for the formation of chlamydo- Our observations on the production of chlamy-
spores by C. albicans. dospores by C. aibicans indicate that 3 of the
EXPEETMENTAL media—corn meal infusion-Twcen agar, rice in-
fusion agar and rice infusion-Twccn agar—
Media used: a) Corn meal infusion agar, pre- appear to be equally satisfactory for the demon-
parcd according to Benham (1); b) rice infusion stration of chlamydospores, as seen in Table 1.
agar, as described by Taschdjian (2); c) corn After only 18 hours' incubation of these media,
meal infusion agar +1% Tween SO (w/v); ci) from 89—92% of the isolates had already formed
rice infusion agar + 1 % Tween SO. The value of chlamydospores on all 3 of these media. However
Twccn SO in stimulating chlamydospore forma- corn meal infusion- Twecn agar appeared to be
tion by C. albicans has been previously reported
slightly superior in that chlamydospores were pro-
(4). c) Bacto-ricc extract agar' and f) Bacto-Liu
Newton agar1 (5). The latter two dehydrated, TABLE 1
commercially prepared media were made by the
Chiamydospore production by 100
manufacturer according to the authors' original strains of C. albicons
formulations. Number of strains producing chlamydospores
Bacto-Liu Newton agar was inoculated and after incubation for varying periods.
incubated as suggested by Liu and Newton
(5). The other 5 media were sterilized and poured Time of Iocobatioo
Medium —
in 15—20 ml. amounts into petri dishes and inocu- 18 1 2 3 7
lated by cutting the inoculum through the agar hrs day days days days
in a streak. The plates were incubated at room Corn meal infusion- 92 95 100 100 100
temperature and all media were read after iS Twcen agar
* From the Department of Dermatology and Rice infusion agar 90 93 98 100 100
Syphilology (Dr. Marion B. Sulzberger, Chair- Rice infusion -Tween agar 89 95 97 100 100
man), New York University Post Graduate Medi-
cal School and the Skin and Cancer Unit of Corn meal infusion agar 87
Bacto-rice extract agar 89
93
90
95
93
96
93
96
93
University Hospital, New York, N. Y.
Received for publication July 3, 1958. Bacto-Liu Newton agar 0 0 0 0 0
'Kindly furnished by Difco Laboratories, (74 strains)
Detroit. Control numbers 902025 and 902026.
115
116 THE JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY

duced by all strains alter only 2 days' incubation. SUMMARY

Corn meal infusion agar and Baeto-riee extract A number of media were compared regarding
agar appeared to be only slightly less satisfactory. their ability to stimulate chlamdospore produc-
Other Candida species failed to give ehlamydo- tion by Candida albicans. Corn meal infusion agar
spores on any of these media. containing Tween 80 and rice infusion agar with
Corn meal infusion agar containing Tween 80 or without added Tween 80 were found to be the
stimulated the production of chlamydospores to a best media for this purpose. Corn meal agar and
greater extent than did the unfortified agar. a commercially prepared dehydrated rice extract
This stimulation was not seen when Tween was
added to rice infusion agar. However, unfortified
agar were only slightly less satisfactory. The
value of Liu-Newton medium for chlamydospore
rice infusion agar was one of the better media for production could not be confirmed.
chlamydospore production used in this study. The
effect of Tween 80 on Bacto-rice extract agar was REFERENCES
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94 THE JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY

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