Abstract: Objective: To study the correlation of phospholipase activity and the virulence of candida albicans between fluconazole-resistant and susceptible strains. Methods: NCCLS M27-A protocol was used to assess fluconazole-resistant and susceptible strains. Based on the MIC value, fifteen fluconazole-resistant strains (MIC＞64μg/ml) and fifteen susceptible strains(MIC＜8μg/ml) were obtained from the clinical isolates. These strains were produced by yolk agar. Phospholipase activity of the two groups was compared by the ratio of colony diameter to the total diameter of the colony plus the precipitation zone (PZ). Healthy mice were intravenously injected with the strains with a low or high phospholipase activity. Virulence of Candida albicans between the two groups was assayed by the average survival time of the mice. Results: Twelve of the fluconazole-resistant strains and seven of the fluconazole-susceptible strains produced a distinct precipitation zone implicating phospholipase activity. The value of PZ was 0.786±0.055 and 0.913±0.078, respectively. The average survival times were (10.22±2.44)days and (12.83±1.51)days, respectively. The phospholipase activity and the average survival times between the two groups were significantly different（P＜0.01 and P＜0.05, respectively）. Conclusion: Phospholipase activity and virulence of the fluconazole resistant strains are more active than those of the susceptible strains. Phospholipase activity and virulence of Candida albicans are related to resistance.

Key words: Candida Albicans, Resistance, Phospholipase, Mice