Genetic differentiation of Candida albicans strains by mixed-linker polymerase chain reaction.

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of C. albicans were visualized using a mixed-linker polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a C. albicans-specific primer (C. albicans 1059-bp species-specific repeat sequence). The method produced 10-14 bands of between 200 and 1400 bp on agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining. It gave comparable results to Southern blot hybridization with good reproducibility and the time required for the production of typing profiles was reduced to less than 2 days.