Virology & Mycology
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0517
+44 1223 790975
ISSN: 2161-0517
+44 1223 790975
S M L Seddiki, Z Boucherit-Otmani and D Kunkel
University of Tlemcen, Algeria
University Center of Naama, Algeria
Dennis Kunkel Microscopy Inc, USA
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Virol Mycol
The epidemiology of fungal infections continues to be a serious public health problem in Algeria. The healthcare associated infections are the leading cause of this scourge in hospitals. Some studies performed in western Algeria have pinpointed the Candida yeasts; which symbiotically lives in the oral and vaginal mucosa and on the skin of healthy people, may become opportunistic pathogen when their immune system is deficient. Candida albicans is the most implicated species in this type of infection. In spite of that, other non-albicans species such C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. dubliniensis and C. tropicali, classified as emerging are frequently isolated from patients which makes difficult diagnoses; the lack of no specific symptoms. On the other hand, fungal infections caused by Candida sp., are significantly related to the widespread use of medical devices. Catheters constitute an ideal surface for adhesion of planktonic cells of Candida sp. which results subsequently to the formation of biofilms. These complex structures are well organized to escape both the antifungal treatment and patient�s immune defenses; they represent a virulence factor since they are difficult to eradicate and treat. Moreover, sensitive bacteria but not able to form biofilms such as Diplococci take shelter in biofilms of Candida and flight the antibiotics treatment. The importance of this study was to highlight the pathogenicity of the involved fungal strains. So given this situation the objective of our study was the isolation, identification and molecular characterization of Candida species. Furthermore the evaluation of different types of infectivities was decisive to distinguish a simple contamination of the catheter versus its infection in the direction of start an antibiotic treatment. Finally, the search for new non-toxic molecules extracted from endemic plants from Algeria and assessing their antibiofilm effect offers an approach to fight against pathogenic fungal biofilms.
Email: seddiki.med@gmail.com