Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the phospholipase B1, B2, C1 and D1 activities in C.albicans strains isolated from blood cultures and oral cavity specimens.

Method: Phospholipase activity of the strains was examined by plate method and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PZT).

Results: Twenty-six (86.7%) strains isolated from blood and 24 (80.0%) from oral cavities revealed phospholipase activity by plate method. No statistically significant difference (χ2=0.48; p=0.49) was observed between the groups. However statistical difference was determined between the mean Pz values (0.6138±0.9823; 0.6988±0.9910) (p=0.007). PLB1 expression was detected in all (100%), PLB2 in 29 (96.7%) and 30 (100.0%), PLC1 in 27 (90%) and 22 (73.3%), PLD1 in 27 (90.0%) and 21 (70.0%) of blood and oral strains, respectively. While no significant difference was detected between PLB1 expression values of the groups (t=-0.307; p=0.760), PLB2 and PLC1 expressions were found to be significantly higher in blood (p=0.043) and oral cavity isolates (p<0.001), respectively. No difference was observed between PLD1 expressions (p=0.732). PLB1, PLB2, PLC1 and PLD1 expressions were 100%, 81.7%, 71.6% and 76.7% in agreement with the plate method. The agreement was 83.3% when all the phospholipase genes were considered. No correlation was detected between the Pz values and phospholipase expressions (p=0.602; p=0.555; p=0.241; p=0,096, respectively).

Conclusion: The high rates of phospholipase activity of the C.albicans isolates in our study, support the important roles of these enzymes in virulence. Our results may indicate that phospholipase enzymes encoded by PLB2 and PLC1 genes play more important roles for invasive and oral cavity infections, respectively; however large scale studies are needed on this issue.