Emerging Pathogens of the Candida Species

Yang, Bo; Rao, Reeta P.

doi:10.5772/intechopen.80378

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The oldest documented reports indicating a clinical link between candidiasis and fungi were made in 1839. Since then, Candida albicans has been recognized as the main etiological factor of candidiasis and other diseases of the mucous membrane [ 1 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virulence Factors of Candida spp. and Host Immune Response Important in the Pathogenesis of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

Czechowicz¹,

Nowicka²,

Gościniak³

2022

IJMS

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Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is one of the most common types of vaginal infections in women around the world and is often underestimated by both patients and doctors. Research on the pathogenesis of fungal vaginal infections over the last 20 years has resulted in a closer understanding of the virulence factors involved in Candida epithelial invasion and their mechanisms of action. Recently, attention was drawn to the enormous complexity of the interaction between yeast-like fungi and host cells, as well as the level of complexity of the host’s response to infection and their impact on the course and treatment of VVC. Our work provides a broad description of already known and some new reports on Candida virulence factors (such as phenotypic switching or biofilm formation capacity) and their importance for tissue invasion in VVC. At the same time, we also focus on interactions with host cells and local innate immune mechanisms involved in the response to vaginal fungal invasion that are now considered equally important in this case. The presented review describes the most important aspects of the still unknown pathogenicity of Candida associated with vaginal infections.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virulence Factors of Candida spp. and Host Immune Response Important in the Pathogenesis of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

Czechowicz¹,

Nowicka²,

Gościniak³

2022

IJMS

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“…Impairment of immune functions permits the pathogen to penetrate the submucosal tissue of gastrointestinal tract and disseminate to the internal organs, resulting in life-threatening systemic infections (2). While the most prominent etiological agent is Candida albicans, other yeasts of the genus Candida , collectively referred to as n on- a lbicans C andida (NAC), have also been associated with nosocomial infections (3). For example, C.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, evolution of antifungal-resistant strains of C. albicans as well as non- albicans Candida has emerged as a critical issue (3, 6, 7). The global emergence of Candida auris as a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen with high mortality rates (8) has prompted national and international surveillance programs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Probiotic Yeasts Inhibit Virulence of Non -albicans Candida Species

Kunyeit

Kurrey

Anu-Appaiah

et al. 2019

mBio

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Systemic infections of Candida species pose a significant threat to public health. Toxicity associated with current therapies and emergence of resistant strains present major therapeutic challenges. Here, we report exploitation of the probiotic properties of two novel, food-derived yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain KTP) and Issatchenkia occidentalis (strain ApC), as an alternative approach to combat widespread opportunistic fungal infections. Both yeasts inhibit virulence traits such as adhesion, filamentation, and biofilm formation of several non-albicans Candida species, including Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, Candida glabrata, and Candida parapsilosis as well as the recently identified multidrug-resistant species Candida auris. They inhibit adhesion to abiotic surfaces as well as cultured colon epithelial cells. Furthermore, probiotic treatment blocks the formation of biofilms of individual non-albicans Candida strains as well as mixed-culture biofilms of each non-albicans Candida strain in combination with Candida albicans. The probiotic yeasts attenuated non-albicans Candida infections in a live animal. In vivo studies using Caenorhabditis elegans suggest that exposure to probiotic yeasts protects nematodes from infection with non-albicans Candida strains compared to worms that were not exposed to the probiotic yeasts. Furthermore, application of probiotic yeasts postinfection with non-albicans Candida alleviated pathogenic colonization of the nematode gut. The probiotic properties of these novel yeasts are better than or comparable to those of the commercially available probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, which was used as a reference strain throughout this study. These results indicate that yeasts derived from food sources could serve as an effective alternative to antifungal therapy against emerging pathogenic Candida species. IMPORTANCE Non-albicans Candida-associated infections have emerged as a major risk factor in the hospitalized and immunecompromised patients. Besides, antifungal-associated complications occur more frequently with these non-albicans Candida species than with C. albicans. Therefore, as an alternative approach to combat these widespread non-albicans Candida-associated infections, here we showed the probiotic effect of two yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain KTP) and Issatchenkia occidentalis (ApC), in preventing adhesion and biofilm formation of five non-albicans Candida strains, Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida auris. The result would influence the current trend of the conversion of conventional antimicrobial therapy into beneficial probiotic microbe-associated antimicrobial treatment.

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“…Candida krusei (C. krusei) is a yeast-like fungus of the genus Candida that causes opportunistic infections in humans. This yeast is generally regarded as a transient commensal fungus that inhabits mucous membrane of healthy individuals [4,14] C. krusei is almost completely resistant to azole antifungals (especially fluconazole and ketoconazole) and rapidly develops resistance to other antifungal drugs (e.g., anidulafungin, micafungin, 5-flucytosine, and amphotericin B) and is therefore is difficult to treat [2,5]. When resistance to not only azoles but also to other classes of antifungal drugs develops, a combination therapy is used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Cloning, Heterologous Expression, Purification, and Evaluation of Protein–Ligand Interactions of CYP51 of Candida krusei Azole-Resistant Fungal Strain

Tsybruk,

Kaluzhskiy,

Mezentsev

et al. 2023

Biomedicines

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Due to the increasing prevalence of fungal diseases caused by fungi of the genus Candida and the development of pathogen resistance to available drugs, the need to find new effective antifungal agents has increased. Azole antifungals, which are inhibitors of sterol-14α-demethylase or CYP51, have been widely used in the treatment of fungal infections over the past two decades. Of special interest is the study of C. krusei CYP51, since this fungus exhibit resistance not only to azoles, but also to other antifungal drugs and there is no available information about the ligand-binding properties of CYP51 of this pathogen. We expressed recombinant C. krusei CYP51 in E. coli cells and obtained a highly purified protein. Application of the method of spectrophotometric titration allowed us to study the interaction of C. krusei CYP51 with various ligands. In the present work, the interaction of C. krusei CYP51 with azole inhibitors, and natural and synthesized steroid derivatives was evaluated. The obtained data indicate that the resistance of C. krusei to azoles is not due to the structural features of CYP51 of this microorganism, but rather to another mechanism. Promising ligands that demonstrated sufficiently strong binding in the micromolar range to C. krusei CYP51 were identified, including compounds 99 (Kd = 1.02 ± 0.14 µM) and Ch-4 (Kd = 6.95 ± 0.80 µM). The revealed structural features of the interaction of ligands with the active site of C. krusei CYP51 can be taken into account in the further development of new selective modulators of the activity of this enzyme.

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Emerging Pathogens of the Candida Species

Cited by 9 publications

References 54 publications

Virulence Factors of Candida spp. and Host Immune Response Important in the Pathogenesis of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

Virulence Factors of Candida spp. and Host Immune Response Important in the Pathogenesis of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

Probiotic Yeasts Inhibit Virulence of Non -albicans Candida Species

Molecular Cloning, Heterologous Expression, Purification, and Evaluation of Protein–Ligand Interactions of CYP51 of Candida krusei Azole-Resistant Fungal Strain

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