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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 09 1995, 2366-2371, Vol 33, No. 9
F Robert, F Lebreton, ME Bougnoux, A Paugam, D Wassermann, M Schlotterer, C Tourte-Schaefer and J Dupouy-Camet
Burn patients are particularly exposed to deep-seated nosocomial infections
caused by Candida species. Superficial carriage of C. albicans is a
potential source of infection and dissemination, and typing methods could
be useful to trace the different isolates. We report the use of random
amplified polymorphic DNA to type isolates of C. albicans in the Hopital
Cochin burn unit. This molecular typing method, which is based on PCR with
arbitrary short primers, was evaluated on a panel of 32 C. albicans strains
isolated from various anatomical sites of unrelated patients, and the
strains showed 22 different patterns. Random amplified polymorphic DNA was
then used in the epidemiological surveillance of the patients in the burn
unit over a 9-month period. Seven patterns were identified among 84
isolates from 18 patients. One pattern (pattern A) corresponding to
isolates from 7 of the 18 patients (68% of isolates) predominated
throughout the 9- month study, while some strains with other profiles were
isolated only once. Some profiles appeared to show a particular geographic
pattern within the unit, suggesting transmission from room to room. These
results underline the importance of fungal surveillance in such patients
and the need to inform nursing staff of measures to prevent the spread of
Candida spp. from patient to patient.
Copyright © 1995 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Use of random amplified polymorphic DNA as a typing method for Candida albicans in epidemiological surveillance of a burn unit
Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Hopital Cochin, Paris, France.
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