As there are sparse data on the impact of growth media on the phenomenon of biofilm
development for Candida we evaluated the efficacy of three culture
media on growth, adhesion and biofilm formation of two pathogenic yeasts,
Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. The
planktonic phase yeast growth, either as monocultures or mixed cultures, in sabouraud
dextrose broth (SDB), yeast nitrogen base (YNB), and RPMI 1640 was compared, and
adhesion as well as biofilm formation were monitored using MTT and crystal violet
(CV) assays and scanning electron microscopy. Planktonic cells of C.
albicans, C. tropicalis and their 1:1 co-culture showed
maximal growth in SDB. C. albicans/C. tropicalis adhesion was
significantly facilitated in RPMI 1640 although the YNB elicited the maximum growth
for C. tropicalis. Similarly, the biofilm growth was uniformly
higher for both species in RPMI 1640, and C. tropicalis was the
slower biofilm former in all three media. Scanning electron microscopy images tended
to confirm the results of MTT and CV assay. Taken together, our data indicate that
researchers should pay heed to the choice of laboratory culture media when comparing
relative planktonic/biofilm growth of Candida. There is also a need
for standardisation of biofilm development media so as to facilitate cross
comparisons between laboratories.