Hemolytic Activities of the Candida Species in Liquid Medium

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro hemolytic activities of 107 Candida strains isolated from different clinical samples in liquid medium, and to examine the impact of glucose on this activity.

Materials and Methods. A total of 107 Candida isolates representing seven species (C. albicans, n=28; C. glabrata, n=23; C. tropicalis, n=17; C. parapsilosis, n=16; C. kefyr, n=14; C. krusei, n=5; C. guilliermondii, n=4) were included in the study. The hemolytic activities of the strains were tested on two different Sabouraud dextrose liquid media (SDB) containing 7% defibrinated human blood, one of which is supplemented with 3% glucose and the other without glucose. Cultures were evaluated at the end of a 48-hour incubation. The hemolysis in the media was detected spectrophotometrically by measuring the amount of released hemoglobin and compared with a standard hemolysate which was prepared prior to testing. The degree of hemolysis (percentage value) by an individual strain was calculated according to the following formula below: (Absorbance of supernatant media at 540 nm / Absorbance of standard hemolysate at 540 nm X 100).

Results. In the liquid medium without glucose, strains generally produced hemolysis at low levels. The degree of hemolysis produced by all species increased noticeably in the liquid medium with glucose. Strains of C. albicans and C.kefyr had demonstrated significant hemolytic activity, whereas others had lower activity. C. parapsilosis exerted very little hemolytic activity in the medium with glucose and showed no activity in the medium without glucose.

Conclusion. The hemolytic activities of most Candida species was found to be higher in the human blood-enriched SDB medium containing 3% additive glucose than in the one free from additives. This result indicates that increased blood glucose concentration may contribute to increased hemolytic activity in Candida species, and it suggests a parallel with possible pathogenesis of Candida in patients with diabetes mellitus.