Study of skin and nail Candida species as a normal florabased on age groups in healthy persons in Tehran-Iran

Background and Aim : The skin is the body’s largest organ that hosts heterogeneous inhabitants.Until now, the diversity of the cutaneous microbiome was mainly investigated for bacteria andthere is a little information about the skin fungal flora. Also, among skin fungal flora, Candida isfound as a main member whose distribution is affected by sex, age, climate.Methods : In this study, differences in Candida community structure associated with ۹ differentskin sites of ۲۳۸ healthy people during ۱۰ months from July to March ۲۰۱۶, are described. Thesesubjects were divided by age into ۴ groups: infants, children, adults and geriatrics. The collectedsamples were examined by culture on Sabouraud Chloramphenicol Agar and CHROM-agarCandida. For precise identification of species ITS۱-۵. ۸S-ITS۲ rDNA regions were sequencedwhere needed.Results : The frequency of Candida species was significantly different between age groups. Themost Candida isolations were related to the elderly age group and the fewest in the infants. C.parapsilosis virtually, was the predominant isolated species in all age groups.Conclusion : This study showed no statistically significant effect of the subject’s sex on Candidapopulation resident on human skin surface.

کلیدواژه ها:

Skin residents ، Cutaneous Candida composition ، Different age groups ، DNAsequencing ، Culture ، Microbial epidemiology ، Iran