Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis to characterize Candida clinical isolates

The evolutionary rates of C. albicans and C. parapsilosis (1.93 × 10− 2 and 1.17 × 10−2 substitutions/site/year, respectively) were in agreement with a higher rate of mutation of these species, even in a narrow period, than what was observed in C. glabrata and C. tropicalis strains (6.99 × 10−4 and 7.52 × 10− 3 substitutions/site/year, respectively). C. albicans resulted as the species with the highest between and within clades genetic distance values in agreement with the temporal-related clustering found by MALDI-TOF and the high evolutionary rate 1.93 × 10− 2 substitutions/site/year.