ANALYTICAL TESTING OF METABOLITES THAT AFFECT THE VIRULENCE OF CANDIDA PARAPSILOSIS
Anita Kecskeméti (kecskemeti.anita@gmail.com)1 - Zsuzsanna Grózer (grozerb@gmail.com)1- Attila Gácser (gacsera@gmail.com)1- András Szekeres
(andras.j.szekeres@gmail.com)1- Csaba Vágvölgyi (csaba@bio.u-szeged.hu)1
1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics; University of Szeged, H-6726 Közép fasor 52, Szeged, Hungary
Candida parapsilosis is the third most frequently isolated Candida species in candidiases, however, it is important to consider, that their occurrence more frequent in special group of patients than the list leader C. albicans. A number of biochemical parameters could
influence the virulence of these fungal species, whose research is important to understand the mechanisms of whole infection process. According to the literature, the enzymes of C.
parapsilosis, involved in the fatty acid metabolism, could play an important role in the pathogenesis. Therefore, the analysis of fatty acid contents, from the cells of wild type and mutant strains showing different virulence during the immunological assays could
highlight the significance of this metabolic pathway.
In the present work, a gas chromatographic method was developed using capillary column and flame ionization detector to measure fatty acids from cultures of C. parapsilosis.
During the method the long-chain fatty acids (C10-C20) were extracted, saponified and derivatized to create volatile methyl-ester derivatives before the chromatographic separation. The profile- and the quantitative results of each detected fatty acids of both mutant and wild type strains were compared and statistically analyzed.
This research was realized in the frames of TÁMOP 4.2.4. A/2-11-1-2012-0001 „National Excellence Program – Elaborating and operating an inland student and researcher personal support system convergence program. The project was subsidized by the European Union and co-financed by the European Social Fund.
