Candida and calcofluor white: Study in precancer and cancer

Abstract

Background:The interest in oral candidosis has waxed and waned from the period of Hippocrates. The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has certainly bolstered these figures on oral candidosis, with diabetes and oral cancer being no exception. A need for rapid detection of Candida is made possible by the use of Calcofluor - White (CFW) stain when examined under a fluorescence microscope. The present study was aimed at assessing the efficacy of CFW is compared to Gram stain and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) in detection of Candida in oral precancer and cancer.Materials and Methods:The study group consisted of patients with precancer (n=45), cancer (n=45), and control group (n=45). Presence of Candida was confirmed by culture inoculation along with a germ tube and carbohydrate fermentation test. The cytopathological smears were analyzed by papanicolaou - CFW and Gram staining, whereas, tissue sections were stained by PAS and CFW staining.Results:Candida albicans was the predominant species identified. A highly significant association of Candida was seen more often in cancer than in precancer. Both in cytology and histopathology Candida detection by CFW was higher. In precancer it was 48.88% in smears and 40% in tissue sections, whereas, in cancer 60% in smears and 55.55% in histopathology.Conclusion:Among the various diagnostic tools used in the present study, the use of CFW is seen to be a simple, effective, rapid, and reliable method, both in cytopathology and histopathology.

Estimating the frequency of Candida in oral squamous cell carcinoma using Calcofluor White fluorescent stain

“…Recent studies by Kumar et al . and Sharma and Saxena have also revealed the presence of Candida in OPMDs and OSCC.…”

“…Rapid detection of Candida has been made possible with the help of Calcofluor White (CFW) fluorescent stain, although Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) and Gram stains were used in the past. The CFW stain is unique in detecting Candida under a fluorescence microscope, both in smears and in tissues, without disturbing the cellular details, and has additional advantages over Gram and PAS staining, like rapid detection, higher sensitivity, and specificity …”

Cytopathology of Vitreous Humor Samples in Routine Practice

“…However, cytology is not sufficiently sensitive for the diagnosis of an intraocular mycotic infection; in our study, we failed to find the mycelia filaments in all 3 candidiasis cases. The use of special stains such as periodic acid Schiff, Grocott-Gomori or calcofluor white can improve the detection of the mycelia filament [26]. However, nonmycotic infectious agents, such as T. canis , T. gondii and P. acnes , have never been found upon cytological examination [13,15].…”

Easy Storage Strategies forSporothrixspp. Strains

“…10 At the time of storage and after each storage period, a colony fragment was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy (400X) using calcofluor white to quantify the number of conidia, in 10 different fields. 14,15 The results were analyzed using Student's t-test for paired samples; p-values lower than 0.05 indicate statistically significant differences.…”