Abstract

The biofilm of organisms is considered as a virulence factor because of its resistance towards antimicrobial agents. Early detection of biofilm production is useful for clinical decision, as it is suggestive of potential pathogenic capacity of Candida isolates. Aim: 1. To detect the prevalence of biofilm producing Candida species isolated from clinical samples in cancer patients. 2. To compare two different methods, viz. tissue culture plate (TCP) method and tube method (TM) for biofilm detection. Materials And Methods: A total of 95 isolates of Candida species were recovered from diverse clinical sources which were analysed for biofilm formation by two standard methods, that is tissue culture plate method and tube method. Results: Biofilm was detected in isolates by tissue culture plate method (27%) and tube method (13%). Chi-square test was used and a P value of < 0.05 is considered as statistically significant. The estimated p value is 0.02, which is statistically significant indicating that the tissue culture plate method serves as a reliable quantitative tool for determining biofilm formation by clinical isolates of Candida species. Conclusion: As there is an increase in the number of patients who are immunocompromised receiving aggressive cancer chemotherapy, Candidiasis has emerged as an alarming opportunistic infection. From the two methods, tissue culture plate method is reliable for determining biofilm formation by Candida species in cancer patients which help in patient treatment modalities

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