Influence of concentrations of CaCl2 on hemolytic activity of candida strains

Abstract

Objective To investigate the influence of different concentrations of CaCl2 on the hemolytic activity of candida strains. Methods A total of 25 candida strains were selected, including 21 candida strains recovered from clinical specimens, and 4 reference strains of C. albicans (ATCC 90028) (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA), C. glabrata (ATCC 90030), C. krusei (ATCC 6258), and C. tropicalis (ATCC 13803) respectively. CaCl2 was added at concentrations of 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 2.5 g % (wt/vol). Plates were cultured at 37 ℃ in a 5% CO2 atmosphere for 24 ⁃ 72 h, and the hemolytic index (Hi) was analyzed. Results Comparsions of the hemolytic indices among the groups treated with 0.5% CaCl2 (Hi = 2.247 ± 0.079), 1% CaCl2 (Hi = 2.013 ± 0.092), 2.5% CaCl2 (Hi = 2.150 ± 0.066) and the control (Hi = 2.749 ± 0.103) reached statistical significance (P < 0.001). Conclusion CaCl2 may produce a de⁃ crease activity in the hemolysis of candida species.

Keywords

• Candida species
• Virulence factors
• Hemolytic activity
• Electrolytes
• CaCl2