Candida parapsilosis

Candida parapsilosis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Saccharomycetes
Order:	Saccharomycetales
Family:	Debaryomycetaceae
Genus:	Candida
Species:	C. parapsilosis
Binomial name
Candida parapsilosis Langeron & Talice (1932)
Synonyms
Mycocandida parapsilosis C. W. Dodge (1935) Mycotorula parapsilopsis Cif. & Redaelli (1943) Candida quercus Montrocher & Claisse (1984)

Candida parapsilosis is a fungal species of yeast that has become a cause of sepsis and of wound and tissue infections in people who have immune system defects. Unlike Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis, C. parapsilosis is not an obligate human pathogen. C. parapsilosis normally lives on humans as a commensal yeast. It is one of the fungi most frequently isolated from human hands. There are several risk factors that can contribute to C. parapsilosis infection. Those with immune system diseases have a high risk of having a C. parapsilosis infection. These include surgical patients. There is currently no agreement on the treatment of invasive candidiasis caused by C. parapsilosis. The approach includes the removal of foreign bodies such as implanted prostheses. Medication is given to treat the infection. The use of antifungal therapy includes amphotericin B and fluconazole.

History and taxonomy

Candida parapsilosis was discovered in Puerto Rico in 1928. Ashford collected it from a diarrheal stool. It was first named Monilia parapsilosis and was considered to not be the cause of infection. It was found to be a causative agent of sepsis in an intravenous drug user in 1940. It is now considered an important hospital disease caused by fungi. C. parapsilosis is the most common non-C. albicans species of Candida. It is the second most common pathogen in superficial candidiasis after C. albicans.

Biology

C. parapsilosis is white, creamy, and shiny when grown on dextrose agar. Its cell shape is oval, round, or like a cylinder. When C. parapsilosis is found more often in nature than other species Candida. This is likely because it is one of the few species of the genus not restricted to humans. Invasive infection occurs often in low-birth weight newborn babies in the United States. And it is a bloodstream infection found in North America. It is most commonly found on human skin and is most frequently encountered in Asia and Latin America. It can make chemicals that will destroy the cells of other organisms.

Disease

Endocarditis can be caused by C. parapsilosis in patients using

• prosthetic heart valves (57.4%)
• intravenous drugs (20%)
• having intravenous parenteral nutrition (6.9%)
• abdominal surgery (6.9%)
• immunosuppression (6.4%)
• treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics (5.6%)
• previous valvular disease (4.8%)

The mortality rate is 41.7% to 61%. Ocular infection caused by C. parapsilosis has been found after cataract removal and with corticosteroid eye drop use. C. parapsilosis infection of the skin and gastrointestinal tract can occur.in which the production of pseudohyphae is associated with the elicitation of an inflammatory response. Candida parapsilosis is occasionally encountered in toenail fungus.

Serious C. parapilosis infection is mostly due to the use of in-dwelling devices. It can stick to other organisms' cells. It can also adhere to tissue, especially mucosal surfaces. C. parapsilosis can be found with thin, unstructured biofilms. The existence of the fungus in a biofilm helps it resist antifungal treatment. Thus, adhesion to abiotic and biotic surfaces is often a precursor to serious infection. The risk of C. parapsilosis infection is increased in the setting of implanted medical devices, prostheses, and therapy with feeding solutions. Also, low-birth weight infants are at higher risk of sepsis from this species.

References