Candida Detector Q&A
KAMEMIZU CHEMICAL IND.CO., LTD.
(JAPAN)
http://kamemizu.co.jp info@kamemizu.co.jp

Q1: What is the Candida Detector ?
A: The product is a selection medium for Candida that developed as one of theevaluation methods for a clinical use. This culture medium is based on a Sabouraudculture medium with growth depressants, so the bacteria contaminated in thesample extract will not grow but only Candida species can grow to be detected
selectively.
If a colony count is only required, it can be observed at room temperature without
using an incubator.
Moreover, the product can detect and judge Candida easily both by the number ofcolony and the color change since it contains special indicator under the incubatorcondition, so that its visual appeal to a patient increases dramatically.
Q2: What is Candida ?
A: Candida is one of the indigenous bacteria, usually exist in a healthy person'smouth, intestine, vagina, etc. It is yeast-like fungi detected from a tongue surface
in the mouth, plaque or the mucous membrane of the cheek. The symptoms byCandida infection vary according to the infected parts. In the case of the superﬁcial
infection, pathological changes such as false membrane are recognized directly. In
the case of the profound infection, the characteristic symptoms can not be
observed, and other diseases are tending to appear in succession rather than as
primary infection (a microbial substitution, an opportunistic infection).
Q3: What is the Candida strain ?
A: In the mouth, Candida albicans that has the highest pathogenicity shows theabundance ratio of about 80%, and, subsequently C.glabrata and C.tropicalis aredetected. Fungi mentioned above can be detected by this culture medium but thestrain cannot be identiﬁed.
Q4: Is the detection of candida useful as an evaluation method of oral care ?
A: Even for a healthy person, there are many bacteria in their mouth as indigenousbacteria.
It is well known that it is important to maintain oral hygiene using a toothbrush andthe number of bacteria in order to prevent decay and periodontal disease etc.
Moreover, recently, candida has been said to become a cause not only a denturestomatitis but also an oral diseases such as angulus infection, and furthermore
aspiration pneumonia or hematosepsis. Controlling the number of Candida by oralcleaning leads to prevent such diseases. Evaluation of the oral care can be
performed by counting the number of candida colonies that increases if the oral
hygiene is not maintained.
Q5: What is the appearance of the Candida colony ?
A: The Candida colony grows on the medium according to the sampling area using aswab. And the color of the colony is cream (yellowish white), and the shape is circle
with a swelled center. In addition, the color of the colony sometimes is darkbrownish cream or ashes blackish cream, depending on the candida strain.
Usually one candida cell forms one colony, but if it is cultivated for a long time,
every single colony becomes large but makes no fusion.
Q6: Precaution
A: 1. It should be stored in a dark and cold place (do not freeze).
2. Please do not use it when growth of mold etc. in the vial is recognized before use.
3. Please do not open the cap of a vial, and the bag of a swab except the time of use.
4. After a sample is applied, the vial should be kept standing upright in order to makejudgment of the colony clear.
5. While culture it, please loosen the cap of the vial.
(During the culture, CO２ will be generated, so the color generation of the colony
may be aﬀected and it becomes diﬃcult to judge.)
6. To judge the color generation, please cultivate the sample in an incubator for 48
hours (±3 hours) correctly, and judge the color immediately, same as count thenumber of colony. However, it is possible to culture the vial at room temperature,
if the colony count is only required.
The standard cultivation time at room temperature;
Summer time: Three to ﬁve days,
Winter time: Five to seven days.
7. Please dispose used vial and swab as industrial wastes for medical use.
8. Please carry out an identiﬁcation test separately when determination of thecandida strain is required.
9. An expiration date for use is for two years from the date of manufacture when it
is stored in a refrigerator. (It is shown in the upper part of the bar code)

Q7: Why should be the vial kept standing upright after the sample is applied ?
A: It is because the liquid, which deposited at the time of the agar setting,seeps out

and ﬂushes away colonies formed on a slope of the culture medium.
Q8: What is the reason that the judgment of a color should be performed correctly
after 48hours of incubation at 37℃？
A: When Candida does not exist at all, the color will not change depending on time.
Even if 102 CFU/mL or less of candida exists, which the judgment basically isnegative, the medium may become acidic and the color may change to yellow if theincubation time is more than 48 hours. On the other hand, if the incubation time isless than 48 hours, the color will not change, even if the number of Candida exist
more than 103 CFU/mL, since the acid production is little to aﬀect the indicator.
Q9: About the uniqueness of the Candida Detector
A: Saprophytic bacteria including gram positive and gram negative that are oral
indigenous bacteria wont grow or react more than the limits of the number ofbacteria (less than 105 CFU/mL) in this medium.
However, clinically speaking, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens
etc are the bacteria which grow and react when the number of bacteria exceeds
more than the certain number. Pseudomonas aeruginosa may change the medium
color to purple (since pH increases), and Serratia marcescens may change it toyellow (since pH falls). Other bacterium may grow, but the appearance of a colony
is point-like small circle or an irregular form and hardly changes the color of aculture medium.
How to diﬀerentiate fungi and bacteria is that the colony of the fungi becomesround, but the bacterial colony becomes large and rough periphery.
Q10: The number of Candida cells and its clinical symptoms
A: Candida is one of oral indigenous bacteria and it is detected in saliva and mucous
membranes, it is reported that the number of bacteria and clinical symptoms
correlates.
Renner et al. (Oral Surg. 47:323-328 1979) say that if the sample from the palate
membrane contains 104-106 CFU/mL of bacteria, a certain clinical treatment isrequired.
And Epstein et al. (J. Clin.Microbiol.12:475-476 1980) has reported that if Candida
albicans in saliva exceeds 400 CFU/mL, mycotic stomatitis is likely to develop.
Clinical symptoms are reﬂected quite objectively since the Candida Detector
judges pseudo-positive with 103 CFU/mL of bacteria and judges positive with 104
CFU/mL or more.