Evaluation of the Ability of Malassezia Species in Biofilm Formation

Background: Although Malassezia genusare part of the skin normal flora, under certain conditions, they become pathogenic. Catheter-related fungemia, caused by Malassezia, which is associated with biofilm formation, is considered a nosocomial infection. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of Malassezia globosa and Malassezia restricta in biofilm formation. Methods: Biofilm formation was carried out using catheter segments in 12-well plates. Results were measured using 3-(4, 5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay in 96-well plates. The data was analyzed using univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) or Repeated Measures ANOVA. P values of ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0 software. Results: Both M. globosa and M. restricta species were able to form biofilms in vitro. Malassezia restricta was more capable than M. globosa to form biofilms, yet, significant differences were not observed (P = 0.192). Conclusions: Over time, Malassezia biofilms matured. Due to the above species ability in forming biofilm, they could play an important role in fungemia that should be considered in therapeutic procedures.