Candida metapsilosis

Candida metapsilosis is recognised as part of the Candida parapsilosis species complex (Tavanti et al., 2005).

It is phenotypically indistinguishable from C. parapsilosis, C. orthopsilosis and Lodderomyces elongisporusand is best identified by ITS sequencing or MALDI-ToF MS.

RG-2 organism.

Culture: 
Colonies (SDA) white to cream-coloured smooth, glabrous, yeast-like.

Microscopy: 
Ellipsoid, subglobose to fusiform budding blastoconidia, 4 x 3-6 µm, with some larger subglobose forms present.

India ink preparation: 
Negative - no capsules present.

Dalmau plate culture: 
Abundant, much branched pseudohyphae produced.

Physiological Tests: + Positive, - Negative, v Variable, w Weak, s Slow, nd No Data
Germ Tube - L-Sorbose + L-Arabinose + D-Glucitol +
Fermentation   Sucrose + D-Arabinose - 𝝰-M-D-Glucoside +
Glucose + Maltose + D-Ribose + D-Gluconate +
Galactose + Cellobiose - L-Rhamnose - DL-Lactate -
Sucrose + Trehalose + D-Glucosamime - myo-Inositol -
Maltose - Lactose - N-A-D-glucosamine + 2-K-D-Gluconate +
Lactose - Melibiose - Glycerol + D-Glucuronate -
Trehalose - Raffinose - Erythritol - Nitrate -
Assimilation   Melezitose + Ribitol + Urease -
Glucose + Soluble Starch v Galactitol - 0.1% Cycloheximide -
Galactose + D-Xylose + D-Mannitol + Growth at 37C +

Key features:
Candida metapsilosis cannot be distinguished morphologically from C. parapsilosis and C. orthopsilosis, but can be identified by ITS sequencing (Asadzadeh et al. 2009, Borman et al. 2009, Tavanti et al. 2005) and MALDI-TOF MS analysis.

Antifungal susceptibility: Candida metapsilosis (Australian national data); MIC µg/mL.
Antifungal No ≤0.016 0.03 0.06 0.125 0.25 0.5 1 2 4 8 16 32 ≥64
AMB 58       2 9 21 22 3 1        
FLU 58         1 4 17 22 4        
ISAV 7 5 1 1                    
VORI 58 13 31 10 4                  
POSA 58 6 3 15 27 5 1   1          
ITRA 28 2 3 4 9 9 1              
ANID 39     1 11 12 12 2 1          
MICA 39       6 15 17 1            
5FC 27     16 6 4 1              

Go to Candida parapsilosis Go to Candida orthopsilosis  Back to Candida