Candida Interactions with the Oral Bacterial Microbiota

Abstract

The human oral cavity is normally colonized by a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, Archaea, viruses, and protozoa. Within the different oral microenvironments these organisms are often found as part of highly organized microbial communities termed biofilms, which display consortial behavior. Formation and maintenance of these biofilms are highly dependent on the direct interactions between the different members of the microbiota, as well as on the released factors that influence the surrounding microbial populations. These complex biofilm dynamics influence oral health and disease. In the latest years there has been an increased recognition of the important role that interkingdom interactions, in particular those between fungi and bacteria, play within the oral cavity. Candida spp., and in particular C. albicans, are among the most important fungi colonizing the oral cavity of humans and have been found to participate in these complex microbial oral biofilms. C. albicans has been reported to interact with individual members of the oral bacterial microbiota, leading to either synergistic or antagonistic relationships. In this review we describe some of the better characterized interactions between Candida spp. and oral bacteria.

Oral Candidiasis: A Disease of Opportunity

“…Therefore, the interaction between C. albicans and streptococci, largely considered synergistic in nature, is the best studied of the oral fungal-bacterial interactions. Specifically, the interactions with Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus gordonii, and Streptococcus mutans were shown to avidly adhere to the hyphae of C. albicans [154,[156][157][158][159][160][161][162][163]. In addition to providing adhesion sites for C. albicans to persist within the oral cavity, streptococci were described to provide C. albicans with a carbon source for growth [145].…”

“…In addition to physical interactions, the bacterial cells were also shown to induce C. albicans filamentation via the secreted quorum sensing autoinducer 2 (AI-2), by inhibiting the effects of the C. albicans quorum sensing molecule farnesol [162]. Significantly, mixed biofilms with both species were shown to be more resistant to antimicrobial treatment compared to single-species biofilms [157,193,194]. In contrast, mixed biofilms with C. albicans mutant strains deficient in hyphae formation and production of exopolymeric matrix displayed lower S. gordonii tolerance to antibiotic treatment, suggesting that C. albicans may protect the bacteria in mixed biofilm [158,194].…”

The Role of Candida albicans Secreted Polysaccharides in Augmenting Streptococcus mutans Adherence and Mixed Biofilm Formation: In vitro and in vivo Studies

“…The interactions between C. albicans and streptococci in the oral cavity are well-established and are considered to be synergistic in nature (Jenkinson et al, 2008;Diaz et al, 2012;Xu and Dongari-Bagtzoglou, 2015;Ellepola et al, 2017;Koo et al, 2018;Montelongo-Jauregui and Lopez-Ribot, 2018;Montelongo-Jauregui et al, 2019). In addition to physical associations, metabolic interactions have also been described where by utilizing lactic acid, streptococci provide C. albicans with a carbon source for growth, which, in turn, results in lower oxygen tension to levels advantageous to facultative streptococci (Jenkinson and Lamont, 2005).…”

Actividad antifúngica in vitro del extracto crudo diluido del veneno de escorpión Hadruroides charcasus (Karsch 1879) frente a Candida albicans

“…En los últimos años hay mayor reconocimiento del importante rol que desempeñan las interacciones entre los reinos, particularmente, entre hongos y bacterias, en la cavidad oral, particularmente Candida albicans, se encuentran entre los hongos más importantes que colonizan la cavidad oral de los seres humanos, habiéndose reportado su participación en estos complejos biofilms orales microbianos. 1 Según reportes, existe una capacidad de colonización oral por C. albicans (COCA) en pacientes con prótesis, que en los que no lo usan, también se ha señalado un mayor riesgo de COCA personas de edades mayores y uso de prótesis completas. 2 Por lo tanto, los usuarios de prótesis requieren cuidado permanente en términos de higiene, adaptación, sustitución, estas actitudes promueven la salud oral y la calidad de vida de los usuarios, reduciendo la incidencia de infecciones por Candida.…”