Abstract
A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of a gene encoding the secretory aspartate proteinase of Candida albicans has been employed to diagnose candidiasis.
Twenty cases diagnosed as deep-seated candidiasis pathologically were examined by the PCR method. A 273-base-pair DNA fragment was amplified from each twenty paraffin-embedded tissues and subsequent Southern blotting analysis revealed the hybridization of a specific oligonucleotide probe to the amplified DNA fragments. Immunohistochemical staining revealed positivity in all cases when polyclonal anti C. albicans antibody was used. This PCR method proved to be practically useful for rapid and sensitive diagnosis of candidiasis.
