Identification of Cryptic Species of Four Candida Complexes in a Culture Collection

spp. are one of the most common causes of fungal infections worldwide. The taxonomy of is controversial and has undergone recent changes due to novel genetically related species. Therefore, some complexes of cryptic species have been proposed. In clinical settings, the correct identification of species is relevant since some species are associated with high resistance to antifungal drugs and increased virulence. This study aimed to identify the species of four complexes ( , , , and ) by molecular methods. This is the first report of six cryptic species in Honduras: and and it is also the first report of the allele of . It was not possible to demonstrate the existence of among the isolates of the complex. We also propose a simple method based on PCR-RFLP for the discrimination of the multi-resistant pathogen within the complex.