Epidemiological typing of Candida albicans from bloodstream infections by restriction enzyme analysis.

ABSTRACT

Candida albicans blood culture isolates (n = 142) from 130 patients treated in 7 acute care hospitals in Southern Finland between 1986 and 1995 were typed by restriction enzyme analysis (REA) with EcoRI and MspI. REA revealed 118 distinct DNA types 13 were detected in > 1 patient and 105 DNA types were unique. Patients with identical DNA types were not temporally or geographically clustered. Among 11 patients with more than 1 C. albicans isolate during 1 episode of fungemia the DNA type remained the same, except in 1 patient. These results indicate that REA is a powerful tool for the epidemiological typing of C. albicans infections.