Study of Different Species of Candida Using CHROM Agar in Various Clinical Samples

Background: Candidiasis has emerged as a major opportunistic fungal infection associated with significantmorbidity and mortality, particularly among hospitalized and immunocompromised patients. In recent years, therehas been a notable shift from Candida albicans to non-albicans Candida species, many of which exhibit reducedsusceptibility to commonly used antifungal agents. Rapid and accurate species-level identification is thereforeessential for timely initiation of appropriate antifungal therapy. Chromogenic media such as CHROM agar offera simple and rapid alternative to conventional identification methods.Objectives: To determine the species distribution of Candida isolates obtained from various clinical samples andto evaluate the diagnostic utility of CHROM agar for rapid speciation in comparison with conventional methods.Materials and Methods: This hospital-based observational analytical study was conducted in the Department ofMicrobiology, RNT Medical College, Udaipur, over a period of six months (August 2023 to January 2024). Atotal of 150 non-repetitive Candida isolates obtained from 7,800 clinical samples were included. Samples wereprocessed using standard mycological techniques including direct microscopy, culture on Sabouraud dextroseagar, germ tube test, corn meal agar morphology, and CHROM agar. Species identification was based on colonymorphology and characteristic color reactions. Corn meal agar was considered the reference standard. Data wereanalyzed using descriptive statistics, and the sensitivity and specificity of CHROM agar were calculated.Results: The overall isolation rate of Candida species was 1.9%. The highest number of infections occurred inthe 0–20-year age group, with a male predominance. Candida albicans was the most common species (57.3%),while non-albicans Candida species accounted for 42.7% of isolates. Urine (42%) and blood (36.7%) were themost frequent clinical specimens. CHROM agar demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for the identificationof major Candida species, particularly C. albicans and C. tropicalis, with results available within 24–48 hours.Conclusion: CHROM agar is a reliable, rapid, and cost-effective method for presumptive identification ofclinically important Candida species and is well suited for routine use in clinical microbiology laboratories.