Abstract:
OBJECTIVES : The objectives were to determine the prevalence of
Candida albicans in lesions of necrotising periodontal disease (NPD)
and on the tongue of patients and to compare the fingerprinting
patterns of C. albicans isolates from the two oral sites.
METHODS : Microbiological specimens were taken from NPD lesions
and the tongue of 87 patients and cultured on Sabouraud Dextrose
and CHROMagar, followed by treating patients according to a
standard protocol. DNA fingerprinting, using restriction fragment
length polymorphism (RFLP) with a 32P-labelled Ca3 probe, was
performed on paired isolates of C. albicans simultaneously isolated
from NPD lesions and the tongue.
RESULTS : C. albicans was isolated from 47 (54%) patients in total,
from only the tongue in 39 (44.8%), simultaneously from the tongue
and diseased sites in 7 (8.0%) and only from diseased site in 1
patient (1.1%). The DNA fingerprinting patterns of the isolates were
similar within each pair but differed between the 7 pairs, without any
evidence of a predominant genetic subtype among the isolates. The
clade affiliation resembled that of previously fingerprinted isolates
obtained from the region. No statistically significant correlation
was demonstrated between the extent (p = 0.4621) or severity
(p = 0.3365) of NPD lesions and the presence of yeasts (Fisher’s
Exact Test). NPD in all patients presenting for a follow-up visit had
resolved with conventional treatment and without the addition of
antifungal agents.
CONCLUSION : No association between C. albicans and NPD could
be demonstrated and evidence is presented that it is unlikely that
the C. albicans isolated from NPD represent a pathogenic subgroup
and are more likely to be contaminants from elsewhere in
the mouth.
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