Objective: Candida species comprise one of the four most common agents in hospital-acquired bloodstream infections with high mortality and morbidity. Although C. parapsilosis is accepted as less virulent than C. albicans, it has been the Candida species with the highest increase in incidence within the last two decades. In our study, a comparison is made between the secretory acid proteinase (Sap), phospholipase enzyme activity and the slime production of C. parapsilosis strains isolated from blood with those isolated from other clinical samples.

Material and Methods: Sap activity was determined by the milk powder agarose method, phospholipase activity by the egg-yolk agar method and slime production by the tube adhesion method using a liquid Sabouraud medium with glucose and tryptic soy broth with glucose of 28 C. parapsilosis strains isolated from blood cultures and other clinical samples during a period of eighteen months.

Results: Sap activity was detected in all the study isolates; however, there was no statistically significant difference in Sap activity between the blood and non-blood clinical isolates. Phospholipase activity was not detected in any of the isolates. In 23 of the isolates, slime production was observed in both media, while only one isolate was slime negative in both culture media. In the remaining four isolates slime production results were different for the two different media. There was no statistically significant difference in slime production between the blood and other clinical isolates.

Conclusion: Sap activity and slime production are important virulence factors in the C. parapsilosis isolates. It is considered that methods other than egg-yolk agar may be useful in determining phospholipase activity in C. parapsilosis isolates.