Diploid Sequence Types (DSTs) of Candida albicans from Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: Molecular typing data for Candida albicans from Bangladesh remain limited. Materials and Methods: This single-center descriptive study characterized 46 C. albicans isolates collected at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital during three sampling periods between 2021 and 2024. Forty-four isolates were recovered from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis and two from neonatal bloodstream infections. Diploid sequence types (DSTs) were assigned using the consensus seven-locus multilocus sequence typing scheme, and their allelic and sequence relationships were explored using network and phylogenetic analyses. Results: Forty-two DSTs were identified, of which 41 had not previously been recorded in the PubMLST database. Six DSTs were related to selected established clonal complexes, while DST4161 grouped with clade 13. Using a study-specific network definition based on connections involving differences at no more than three loci, 30 of 42 DSTs, representing 34 of 46 isolates, were distributed across five connected groups. The largest group comprised 16 DSTs and 20 isolates but also included profiles related to four established clonal complexes. Conclusions: These findings document substantial, previously unrecorded allelic diversity among C. albicans isolates sampled at a single hospital in Bangladesh. Broader and systematically sampled studies are required to determine whether the observed profiles represent locally enriched lineages and to assess their clinical or epidemiological significance.