Attached
As there are sparse data on the impact of growth media on the phenomenon of biofilm development for Candida
we evaluated the efficacy of three culture media on growth, adhesion and biofilm formation of two pathogenic
yeasts, Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. The planktonic phase yeast growth, either as monocultures or
mixed cultures, in sabouraud dextrose broth (SDB), yeast nitrogen base (YNB), and RPMI 1640 was compared,
and adhesion as well as biofilm formation were monitored using MTT and crystal violet (CV) assays and scanning
electron microscopy. Planktonic cells of C. albicans, C. tropicalis and their 1:1 co-culture showed maximal growth
in SDB. C. albicans/C. tropicalis adhesion was significantly facilitated in RPMI 1640 although the YNB elicited the
maximum growth for C. tropicalis. Similarly, the biofilm growth was uniformly higher for both species in RPMI 1640,
and C. tropicalis was the slower biofilm former in all three media. Scanning electron microscopy images tended to
confirm the results of MTT and CV assay. Taken together, our data indicate that researchers should pay heed to the
choice of laboratory culture media when comparing relative planktonic/biofilm growth of Candida. There is also a
need for standardisation of biofilm development media so as to facilitate cross comparisons between laboratories.
