How specific are the qPCR test results for detecting Candida species?

The qPCR test is designed to detect a variety of fungal targets; however, it reports the presence of these organisms collectively under the label ‘Candida’ without distinguishing between individual species. This grouping includes several Aspergillus species such as Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus, and Aspergillus versicolor, as well as various Candida species like Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida glabrata, Candida guilliermondii, Candida kefyr, Candida krusei, Candida lipolytica, Candida lusitaniae, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida tropicalis. While this approach efficiently confirms the presence of these fungal types, it does not specify which particular species are present in the sample.