Currently, it is accepted that there are three species that were formerly grouped under
Candida parapsilosis
:
C. parapsilosis sensu stricto,
Candida orthopsilosis
, and
Candida metapsilosis
. In fact, the antifungal susceptibility profiles and
distinct virulence attributes demonstrate the differences in these nosocomial pathogens. An accurate, fast, and economical
identification of fungal species has been the main goal in mycology. In the present study, we searched sequences that
were available in the GenBank database in order to identify the complete sequence for the internal transcribed spacer
(ITS)1-5.8S-ITS2 region, which is comprised of the forward and reverse primers ITS1 and ITS4. Subsequently, an
in silico
polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was performed to differentiate the
C. parapsilosis complex species. Ninety-eight clinical isolates from patients with fungaemia were submitted for analysis,
where 59 isolates were identified as
C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, 37 were identified as
C. orthopsilosis, and two were
identified as
C. metapsilosis. PCR-RFLP quickly and accurately identified
C. parapsilosis complex species, making this
method an alternative and routine identification system for use in clinical mycology laboratories.