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Molecular Aspect of Drug Resistance in Candida albicans Isolates of Women with Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

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Abstract

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is one of the frequent vaginal infections in women caused by Candida albicans. We evaluate the expression of ERG11, CDR1 and CDR2 genes by quantitative RT-PCR in Candida albicans strains isolated from women in north of Iran. Of 50 samples, 23 (46%) were determined to be Candida albicans strains. In phenotypic assays, 20 (~87%) of strains were resistant to doses of fluconazole (≥128–2048 μg/mL). Also, 43.47 and 26.08% of isolates were resistant to ketoconazole and clotrimazole, respectively. Overexpression or mutation of ERG11 and upregulation of CDR1 and CDR2 genes was found in some resistant isolates compared to strain ATCC10231. Multidrug resistance in in the isolates was due to the upregulation of abovementioned genes as well as decreased affinity of ERG11 to azoles. Thus, we need to new strategies and drugs to treat vulvovaginitis in Guilan’s women.

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the Vice-Chancellorship of Research and Technology, Guilan University of Medical Science and Islamic Azad University (Rasht branch).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran

    Najmeh Ranji, Hadiseh Golpour & Masumeh Anvari

  2. Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Azzahra Hospital, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

    Seyedeh Hajar Sharami

  3. Department of cellular and molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran

    Zeinab Khazaei Koohpar

  4. Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Paramedicine Faculty, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

    Iraj Nikokar

Authors
  1. Najmeh Ranji
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  2. Seyedeh Hajar Sharami
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  3. Hadiseh Golpour
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  4. Zeinab Khazaei Koohpar
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  5. Masumeh Anvari
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Correspondence to Seyedeh Hajar Sharami.

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Statement of compliance with standards of research involving humans as subjects. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants involved in the study.

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Najmeh Ranji, Sharami, S.H., Golpour, H. et al. Molecular Aspect of Drug Resistance in Candida albicans Isolates of Women with Vulvovaginal Candidiasis. Mol. Genet. Microbiol. Virol. 35, 117–122 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0891416820020081

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