What is the Difference Between Candida Albicans and Candida Glabrata

The main difference between Candida albicans and Candida glabrata is that Candida albicans is a diploid, polymorphic fungus with a hyphal growth whereas Candida glabrata is a haploid fungus that only grows in the yeast form.

Generally, C. albicans and C. glabrata are two fungi in the genus Candida. Both are commensal organisms in humans and C. albicans live in the human gut flora while C. glabrata lives in the mucosal tissues of humans.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Candida Albicans
   • Definition, Characteristics, Importance
2. What is Candida Glabrata
   • Definition, Characteristics, Importance
3. Similarities Between Candida Albicans and Candida Glabrata
   • Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Candida Albicans and Candida Glabrata
   • Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Candida Albicans, Candida Glabrata

What is Candida Albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast in the Family of Saccharomycetaceae. It is a common member of human gut flora. Commonly, it is a commensal organism that becomes an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised individuals. It is one of the few species of Candida that cause candidiasis, which results in the overgrowth of the fungus. C. albicans is a dimorphic organism that grows as yeast and filamentous cells. The other morphological phenotypes of the fungus include opaque, GUT, and pseudohyphal forms. In addition, C. albicans is an obligate diploid organism that lacks a haploid phase. In the opaque form, C. albicans occurs in the tetraploid form

Figure 1: C. albicans

Furthermore, C. albicans is a model organism for fungal pathogens. The genome size of the fungus is 29 Mb. Meanwhile, 70% of the genome contains protein-coding genes.

What is Candida Glabrata

C. glabrata is another opportunistic pathogenic yeast in the Family of Saccharomycetaceae. It is a haploid yeast that is commensal in the human mucosal tissues. Both mating types of fungus occur in nature. However, in immunocompromised individuals such as individuals that undergo therapeutic immunomodulation, longer survival with various comorbidities such as diabetes, and HIV infection, C. glabrata becomes an opportunistic pathogen.

Figure 2: C. glabrata

Moreover, C. glabrata is the second or third common cause of candidiasis. The fungus causes the disease as an opportunistic pathogen. On the other hand, infections of C. glabrata can affect the urogenital tract. Moreover, importantly, this fungus can cause systemic infections when enters the bloodstream.

Similarities Between Candida Albicans and Candida Glabrata

• C. albicans and C. glabrata are two types of fungi of the Candida genus.
• Both lives as commensals in the human body.
• They become opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised individuals.
• They are the common cause of candidiasis as an opportunistic pathogen.

Difference Between Candida Albicans and Candida Glabrata

Definition

C. albicans refers to an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is a common member of the human gut flora while C. glabrata refers to a species of haploid yeast of the genus Candida, previously known as Torulopsis glabrata.

Habitat

Usually, C. albicans is a common member of the human gut flora while C. glabrata lives in the human mucosal tissues.

Morphology

C. albicans is a diploid, polymorphic fungus with a hyphal growth while C. glabrata is a haploid fungus that only grows in yeast form.

Conclusion

In brief, C. albicans and C. glabrata are two common causes of candidiasis in humans. Both are commensal yeasts in the human body. Generally, C. albicans occur in the human gut flora while C. glabrata occurs in the mucosal tissues of humans. C. albicans is a diploid organism with no haploid phase in the life cycle. But C. glabrata is a haploid fungus. In addition, C. albicans is dimorphic with two morphological stages: yeast form and filamentous form. However, C. glabrata is a yeast form of fungi. Therefore, the main difference between Candida albicans and Candida glabrata is their morphology.

References:

1. Brunke S, Hube B. Two unlike cousins: Candida albicans and C. glabrata infection strategies. Cell Microbiol. 2013 May;15(5):701-8. doi: 10.1111/cmi.12091. Epub 2013 Jan 14. PMID: 23253282; PMCID: PMC3654559.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Candida Gram stain” By Graham Beards – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Glabrata” By BCarver1 – Own Work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia