Effective dehydrated media with surfactants for identification ofCandida albicans

Abstract

Addition of 1% Tween 80 to commercial dehydrated corn meal or zein agar as well as to homemade corn meal agar greatly enhanced the development of chlamydospores on these media by Candida albicans. Most striking results were obtained with zein agar plus Tween 80, its effectiveness exceeding that of homemade corn meal agar plus Tween. Sodium taurocholate was substituted successfully for Tween 80 as an agent of chlamydospore production but proved inferior for the identification of other species of Candida by morphologic criteria.