European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Infections produced by yeast of the genus Candida are the most frequent fungal
infections, with Candida albicans being the most prevalent isolated species. The quick
identification of this yeast is mostly based on the formation of germ tubes in human or
animal serum. This study details the utilisation of seven different liquid media for germ
tube development at 2, 2.5, 3, and 4 hours. We looked at 193 yeasts for germ tube
formation, including 157 (81.3 percent) C. albicans. At 2 hours, C. albicans germ tube
development was most prevalent in human serum (98%), followed by brain heart
infusion broth (84%), and tryptic soy broth (65.6%).Sensitivity, specificity, positive
predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for human serum germ
tube formation at 2 h were 98 percent, 100 percent, 100 percent, and 92.3 percent,
respectively. An incubation period of more than 2 hours improves sensitivity but
decreases specificity, as well as the PPV and NPV of the germ tube test in all tested sera
(GTT). In conclusion, with a 2-hour incubation period, human serum was shown to be
the most acceptable medium for GTT.