The genotypic relationship of Candida albicans strains isolated from the oral cavity of patients with denture stomatitis.

Fifty-seven isolates of Candida albicans were obtained from different sites within the oral cavities of 18 dental patients without AIDS or any malignancies. Eleven of the patients had oral candidosis associated with the wearing of dentures. The genotypic relationships of the individual isolates were determined by hybridisation of a C. albicans-specific moderately repetitive sequence, 27A, to EcoRI-digested C. albicans chromosomal DNA. From the DNA profiles, the isolates could be divided into 22 distinct genetic groups. In the majority of patients, a single unique strain of C. albicans appeared to dominate in the oral cavity. Re-infection following antifungal therapy was generally due to the re-emergence of the original infecting strain. The C. albicans strains isolated from dental plates did not form a distinct genetic group. These results suggest that denture stomatitis is due to the outgrowth of commensal strains of C. albicans.