Chromogenic Tube Test for Presumptive Identification or Confirmation of Isolates as Candida albicans

This report describes a new, modified, simple, and cost-effective method for the use of CHROMagar Candida (CHROMagar Company, Paris, France) for the presumptive identification of isolates as Candida albicans after preliminary growth. Sixty randomly selected clinical isolates were evaluated, including 38 of C. albicans. With incubation at 37°C for 24 h, the sensitivity and specificity appeared to be excellent and the test performed better than the traditional germ tube test. However, at earlier times, C. tropicalis isolates gave false-positive results.