Palabras clave: Candida lusitaniae, PCR-RFLP, candidosis profunda, infección de tracto respiratorio inferior, ITS, DNA ribosómico. Key words: Candida lusitaniae, PCR-RFLP, lower respiratory tract infection, ITS, ribosomic DNA. RESUMENCandida lusitaniae es una levadura que ha sido descrita como un patógeno nosocomial emergente de baja frecuencia en infecciones profundas. La identificación oportuna de C. lusitaniae es importante porque puede desarrollar resistencia in vivo a la amfotericina B durante la terapia. Reportamos el aislamiento de C. lusitaniae como agente etiológico de infección de tracto respiratorio inferior en un paciente masculino. Los cultivos de orina y esputo fueron negativos para bacterias y positivos para esta levadura. Los aislamientos fueron identificados por méto-dos fenotípicos de rutina y confirmados por secuenciación y polimorfismos de longitud de fragmentos de restricción y PCR de la región espaciadora interna del DNA ribosómico. ABSTRACTThe yeast Candida lusitaniae has been described as an emerging low frequency nosocomial pathogen in deep infections. Early identification of C. lusitaniae is important because it can readily develop in vivo resistance to amphotericin B during treatment. We report the isolation of C. lusitaniae as etiologic agent of a lower respiratory tract infection in a male patient. Urine and sputum cultures were negative for bacteria and positive for yeast. Isolates were identified by routine phenotypic methods and confirmed by ribosomal DNA internal spacer region restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR and sequencing.

Candida lusitaniae is a yeast that has emerged as a low frequency nosocomial pathogen in deep infections. Although it usually shows in vitro susceptibility to all antifungal agents, in vivo resistance to amphotericin B has been observed in several clinical cases. Therefore, its early identification in the course of therapy is important. We report the isolation of C. lusitaniae as an etiologic agent of a lower respiratory tract infection in a male patient. Urine and sputum cultures were negative for bacteria and positive for this yeast. Isolates were identified by routine phenotypic methods and confirmed by sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of PCR internal spacer of ribosomal DNA.