Investigation of the Efficacy and Antifungal Drug Resistance of Non-Albicans Candida Species in Mycotic Mastitis

Abstract

This research aimed to use a conventional and molecular approach to determine Candida species isolated from cattle clinical mastitis and examine their antifungal susceptibility. In this research, 100 milk samples with mastitis were collected from dairy farms in five different Izmir districts. On chromogenic agar, 23 Candida isolates were isolated from milk samples with mastitis, and 20 (87.0%) isolates were identified as C. krusei, two (8.6%) isolates as C. albicans, and one (4.3%) isolate as C. tropicalis. PCR analysis verified that all Candida isolates were C. krusei, C. albicans, and C. tropicalis. According to sequence analysis, it was determined that 11 of the C. krusei isolates had >97% similarity to “Pichia kudriavzeii ZKI117 5.8S ribosomal gene”; six of the C. krusei isolates to “Pichia kudriavzeii isolate L-012 small subunit ribosomal RNA gene”; two C. krusei isolates to “Pichia kudriavzeii isolate 3 internal transcribed spacer 1”; and one C. krusei isolates to “Pichia kudriavzeii LL11_078 18S ribosomal gene”; two C. albicans isolates to “Candida albicans isolate B02 5.8S ribosomal gene”; one C. tropicalis isolate to “Candida tropicalis isolate CTR1201 18S ribosomal gene”. In the antifungal susceptibility test results, all Candida isolates (%100) were resistant to metronidazole and flucytosine. Consequently, it was determined that identifying Candida agents and determining antifungal susceptibility in farms with mycotic mastitis will ensure the application of correct treatment protocols and reduce economic losses due to fungal mastitis.