Colonization and Putative Virulence Factors of Candida Isolated from the Oral Cavity of Cigarette/ Narghile Smokers and Non-smokers

Aims: This study aimed to investigate colonization, molecular detection, and virulence characteristics of Candida species isolated from young adults who smoke cigarettes and Narghile.

Methodology: A total of 238 young males and females which were recruited from the Jordan university students over the period 2013-2014. The participants were divided into 3 groups; non-smokers, cigarette smokers and Narghile smokers. Oral swabs were sampled from tong dorsum and jugal mucosa using sterile cotton swabs pre-moistened with 0.9% saline. Samples were cultured for Candida species and their growth and virulence factors were identified using microbiological culture methods, polymerase chain reaction, and random amplified polymorphic DNA.

Results: A total of 30 (12.8%) of Candida species isolates were recovered. C. albicans was the most commonly isolated species. There was no significant difference in the production of proteinase, phospholipase and hemolysin between 17 C. albicans and 7 C. dubliniensis isolates from the 3 participating groups. Three major genotypes profiles among C. albicans were found, and 10/17 (58.8%) of C. albicans isolates belong to the major genotype group A, which showed 4 specific bands with different sizes (2,861, 1,504, 1,284, 815 bp).

Conclusion: This study shows that colonization rate of Candida species in the oral cavity was higher but not statistically significant in smokers than non-smokers. Most C. albicans isolates from smokers and non-smokers produced similar virulence factors and belonged to three major genotypes.