A Two-Way Road: Antagonistic Interaction Between Dual-Species Biofilms Formed by Candida albicans/Candida parapsilosis and Trichophyton rubrum

Abstract

Dermatomycoses include superficial fungal infections of the skin and its appendages. Trichophyton rubrum, Candida albicans, and Candida parapsilosis are some of the most prevalent species that cause dermatomycoses. Several studies show a variable predominance of Candida spp. in relation to dermatophytes, especially in onychomycosis and the possibility of isolating both from the same site. The ability of dermatophytes to form biofilms recently been explored and there is currently no evidence on the involvement of these filamentous fungi in multi-species biofilms. Thus, this study aims to investigate the probable dual-species interaction between T. rubrum and C. albicans and T. rubrum and C. parapsilosis biofilms, considering variable formation conditions, as well as the susceptibility of these dual-species biofilms against terbinafine and efinaconazole. Three conditions of formation of dual-species biofilms were tested: (a) the suspensions of T. rubrum and Candida albicans or C. parapsilosis placed together; (b) suspensions of C. albicans and C. parapsilosis added the preadhesion of T. rubrum biofilms; (c) after the maturation of T. rubrum sessile cells. In the first and second conditions, the quantification of metabolic activities, biomass, and polysaccharide materials of mixed biofilms tended to resemble Candida monospecies biofilms. In the third condition, the profiles were modified after the addition of Candida, suggesting that T. rubrum biofilms served as substrate for the development of Candida biofilms. Scanning electron microscopy showed Candida predominance, however, numerous blastoconidia were noted, most evident in the conditions under which Candida was added after the pre-adhesion and maturation of T. rubrum biofilms. Despite the predominance of Candida, the presence of T. rubrum appears to inhibit C. albicans filamentation and C. parapsilosis development, confirming an antagonistic interaction. Fungal burden assays performed when the biofilms were formed together confirmed Candida predominance, as well as susceptibility to antifungals. Further studies will be needed to identify the components of the Candida and T. rubrum biofilm supernatants responsible for inhibiting dermatophyte growth and C. albicans filamentation.

StuA-Regulated Processes in the Dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum: Transcription Profile, Cell-Cell Adhesion, and Immunomodulation

“…The data revealed that Δ stuA mutant had a different kinetic of mature biofilm formation and marked differences in hyphal development compared to wild-type T. rubrum ( Figures 4A, B ). In the wild-type strain, a significant increase in metabolic activity was observed at 72 h, with a slight increase at 96 h, followed by an activity decay at 120 h ( Figure 4C ), consistent with previous data ( Garcia et al., 2020 ). In contrast, in the Δ stuA strain, an increase in metabolic activity was only detected at 120 h ( Figure 4D ).…”

2-Hydroxychalcone as a Potent Compound and Photosensitizer Against Dermatophyte Biofilms

“…All strains were obtained from the Clinical Mycology Laboratory of the Department of Clinical Analysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences-UNESP, Brazil. Microorganisms were grown on malt extract agar [malt extract (Kasvi): 2%, peptone from animal tissue ( Sigma-Aldrich ): 2%, glucose ( Synth ): 2% and agar (Kasvi): 2%], pH 5.7, incubated at 28°C for 7 days or until sporulation ( Garcia et al., 2020 ).…”

Nitric Oxide-Releasing Nanoparticles Are Similar to Efinaconazole in Their Capacity to Eradicate Trichophyton rubrum Biofilms

“…Previous studies demonstrated that biofilms by dermatophytes in vitro mature after 72 h, although variations between different strains have also been reported (Costa-Orlandi et al, 2014;Brilhante et al, 2017;Chen et al, 2019;Costa-Orlandi et al, 2020;Garcia et al, 2020). The ability of NO-np to inhibit biofilm formation when coincubated with planktonic cells and to damage established biofilms was evaluated and compared to FCZ, TRB and EFCZ.…”

“…While typically involving the stratum corneum in healthy individuals, follicular and dermal invasion can occur in various clinical scenarios, such as immunosuppression, and can be a portal for polymicrobial infections (de Sousa Mda et al, 2015;Gupta et al, 2017;Pereira, 2021). The ability of these fungi to form biofilms has been widely studied in recent years (Costa-Orlandi et al, 2014;Brilhante et al, 2017;Costa-Orlandi et al, 2017;Danielli et al, 2017;Chen et al, 2019;Costa-Orlandi et al, 2020;Garcia et al, 2020;Bila et al, 2021). Biofilm formation by dermatophytes, especially in the setting of onychomycosis (Burkhart et al, 2002;Gupta et al, 2016;Lipner and Scher, 2019;Gupta and Foley, 2019), further complicates and limits current treatment strategies, as they are highly resistant to antimicrobials (Ramage et al, 2012).…”

“…Given that biofilms formed by dermatophytes are resistant to conventional antifungals (Brilhante et al, 2018;Costa-Orlandi et al, 2020;Garcia et al, 2020) and the established difficulty in and cost of treating onychomycosis, new approaches to overcome these impediments are urgently needed. Nitric oxide (NO) is an endogenous, diatomic, and simple molecule that has important physiological functions, including important roles in the body's defenses to infections (Friedman et al, 2008;Schairer et al, 2012b).…”