On Wednesday, 30th of October, 2024, the PhD candidate (Arjan Aydin Zainal) in the Department of Microbiology successfully defended his dissertation titled:
**Detection and Identification of Candida auris and Candida kefyr from Different Clinical Samples by Conventional and Molecular Methods with Determination of Their Antifungal Responses**
**Background of the Study:**
Candidiasis is an opportunistic fungal disease that causes localized or invasive systemic infections, especially in hospitalized and immunocompromised patients. The main causative agent is *Candida albicans*, however, in recent decades, there has been an increase in infections caused by non-*albicans* Candida species (NAC).
**Objective of the Study:**
The study aimed to isolate pathogenic *Candida auris* and *Candida kefyr* from clinical samples taken from inpatients and outpatients in various hospitals or private laboratories in the city of Kirkuk. The goal was to test their sensitivity to different antifungal agents and to investigate the genetic background of their resistance patterns to the tested antifungals.
**Conclusions:**
*Candida auris* was not detected, and the infection rate of candidiasis caused by *Candida kefyr* was low. All four *Candida kefyr* isolates showed high resistance to amphotericin B, likely due to mutations in at least one of the following genes: *ERG11*, *ERG6*, *ERG3*, and *ERG2*. Voriconazole and 5-flucytosine were ineffective against one isolate, and the expression of the *FUR1* gene was responsible for resistance to the latter antifungal.
**The Defense Committee consisted of:**
- Professor Dr. Thanaa Rasheed Abdulrahman (Chair)
- Professor Dr. Farah Thamer Abdullah (Member)
- Assistant Professor Dr. Huda Dhahir Huthail (Member)
- Assistant Professor Dr. Hassan Abdulhadi Hussein (Member)
- Assistant Professor Dr. Mohammed Jasim Qasim (Member)
- Professor Dr. Azhar Abdul Fattah Ibrahim (Member and Supervisor)
- Professor Dr. Hameed Majeed Jasim (Member and Supervisor)
The dissertation was accepted successfully with distinction.
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