Modifikasi metode pemeriksaan β-D-glucan Candida albicans secara in vitro

Abstract

Dharmawan R, Darukutni, Haryati S, Murkati. 2013. Modified method of examination β-D-glucan of Candida albicans in vitro. Bioteknologi 10: 1-5. Visualization of invasive fungi in blood or other body tissues histopathologically or by examination of cultures is still the main method for fungal infection diagnosis. However, it is very difficult to find and detect the specimen and need several days of confirmation. Improvement has been done and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but the method is rarely used in Indonesia and the cost is hardly affordable. Modification of the method using enzymatic reaction is hoped to provide simple and affordable measurement. β-D-glucans as heterogenous molecules that constitute the major carbohydrates fractions of cell wall and readily detected in supernatans of Candida albicans cultures are hydrolyzed by β glucanase to form D-glucose. This additional glucose is measured using a glucose analyzer, e.g. GlucoDr®. The study used pretest and posttest control design. C. albicans were identified and cultured from a patient of Dr. Moewardi General Hospital, Surakarta in July, 2010. Results show that β-D-glucans from C. albicans is measureable to the amount of 10 μg/1 mL serum using this modification principle. The examination fee is estimated at 1: 300 cheaper. The glucanase can be used to parse β-D-glucan as a component of the wall fungus C. albicans to glucose in amounts enough to have the potential to examine β-D-glucan present in patient serum of candidiasis albicans.