The Value of the VITEK 2 System in Routine Laboratory Identification of Non-Candida albicans Yeasts.
Clinical laboratory, cilt.72, sa.9, ss.1941-1947, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 72 Sayı: 9
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.7754/clin.lab.2025.250953
- Dergi Adı: Clinical laboratory
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1941-1947
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Candida auris, fungal infections, MALDI-TOF MS, VITEK 2 YST, yeast
- İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background: As fungal infections represent a growing global health concern, particularly among vulnerable populations, and antifungal susceptibility may vary even within the same genus or species complex, accurate and rapid diagnostic tools are increasingly essential. VITEK 2 is an automated identification system based on biochemical methods and widely used in microbiology laboratories, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the performance and accuracy of the VITEK 2 system in identifying yeasts, particularly rare and emerging species such as Candida auris. Methods: Data of a total of 173 yeast isolates obtained from clinical specimens were evaluated, including 96 common non-albicans Candida species, 68 rare Candida species, and nine non-Candida yeasts. Results: Overall, 111 (64.2%) isolates were accurately identified, eight (4.6%) were misidentified, and 54 (31.2%) were not identified. Accurate identification rates for common, rare, and non-Candida species were 73.9% (71/96), 57.3% (39/68), and 11.1% (1/9), respectively. Among 44 C. auris isolates, 36 (81.8%) were accurately identified, while three (6.8%) were misidentified (two isolates as Cryptococcus laurentii and one isolate as Candida duobushaemulonii), and five (11.4%) remained unidentified. Conclusions: In conclusion, more studies evaluating the latest versions of the VITEK 2 system, with a greater number of isolates, particularly rare yeast species, are needed.