Background: The virulence potential of Candida albicans strains enrolled in denture-related candidosis still remains uncertain. Candida albicans cells with higher cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) rates, so-called hydrophobic, present higher adhesion success in different host tissues than cells with lower rates, or even hydrophilic.
Objective: The proposition of this study was to evaluate the differences in the CSH of strains isolated from denture users with and without denture-related candidosis.
Material and methods: The strains were obtained from two paired groups of patients living a same retirement house. Fungal cells were submitted to CSH evaluation by the hydrocarbon partition test using xylene.
Results: The measures revealed that the yeasts from patients with candidosis had CSH values ranging from 4.52% to 12.24%, with an average of 8.22 +/- 2.92%. In the countergroup, the CSH ranged from 3.86% to 14.36%, with an average of 8.38 +/- 3.76%. The difference between the groups were considered not relevant (p = 0.997).
Conclusion: The results let to the inference that natural populations of C. albicans from patients with and without clinical manifestation denture-related candidosis do not differ one from the other regarding to CSH.