ABSTRACT
The Candida genus comprises more than 200 recognized species, of which more than 40 are implicated in human infections. A variety of methods to detect and diagnose Candida infections have been described, most of which have been designed for clinical purpose but could also be applied for investigation of foodborne cases. However, the study of candidal infections has also involved the subsequent investigation of the yeast in animals and other laboratory model systems. Diagnosis of Candida infections has traditionally relied on a combination of phenotypic features of the pathogenic yeast and the clinical signs of the infection. Candida species frequently associated with food have emerged as important pathogens in debilitated patients, whose damaged intestinal mucosa may allow translocation of the yeast from the gastrointestinal tract to the blood system. Thus, Candida can produce round or elongated blastoconidia, pseudohyphae, true hyphae, or chlamydospores.
