Correlation between phospholipase of Candida albicans and resistance to fluconazole

The objective of this study was to compare phospholipase production between fluconazole-resistant and fluconazole-susceptible strains of Candida albicans in order to explore the relationship between resistance to antifungal drugs and virulence of C. albicans. Fifteen each of fluconazole-resistant (MIC ≥ 64 μg ml(-1)) and fluconazole-susceptible (MIC ≤ 8 μg ml(-1)) strains of C. albicans were incubated on egg yolk agar to detect phospholipase activity. Virulence of C. albicans was assessed by the average survival time of infected mice. Expression of phospholipase B1 mRNA and protein were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot method. Significant differences between the two groups of Candida strains were observed in phospholipase activity and average survival time of infected mice. The expression of phospholipase B1 mRNA and protein (both of secreted and intracellular forms) were higher in resistant strains than in susceptible strains. The results indicate that the phospholipase activity of C. albicans may be related to its resistance to antifungal drugs.