First report on echinocandin resistant Polish Candida isolates

Abstract

Purpose: Candida spp. are ranked as one of the four major causative agents of fungal infections. The number of infections caused by Candida species resistant to fluconazole, which is applied as the first line drug in candidiasis treatment, increases every year. In such cases the application of echinocandin is necessary. Echinocandin susceptibility testing has become a routine laboratory practice in many countries due to the increasing frequency of clinical failures during treatment with these drugs. Methods: We performed anidulafungin, micafungin and caspofungin susceptibility testing according to the microdilution broth method on 240 Candida isolates collected in Polish hospitals. Results: We identified 12 isolates resistant to all echinocandins within 240 examined isolates. Moreover, 6 of the examined samples were identified as rare Candida species and among them we observed very high echinocandin MIC values. Conclusion: Our research proves that in Poland there is a problem of echinocandin resistance. Moreover, we identified two species of Candida which are rare causative agents of human infections, and there was no reported incidence of such infections in Poland until now.

The first rare case of Candida palmioleophila infection reported in China and its genomic evolution in a human host environment

“…C. palmioleophila belongs to the order Saccharomycetales, the family Debaryomycetaceae , and the clade Candida glaebosa . C. palmioleophila are rare fungi that have been reported to cause an increasing number of human infections ( Mroczynska and Brillowska-Dabrowska, 2019 ; Stavrou et al, 2019 ; Casagrande Pierantoni et al, 2020 ; Lavergne et al, 2023 ). In this study, we reported a rare case of infection with C. palmioleophila.…”

“…The above findings support the inherent resistance of C. palmioleophila to fluconazole ( Datta et al, 2015 ). Another study reported that C. palmioleophila could develop resistance to echinocandin ( Mroczynska and Brillowska-Dabrowska, 2019 ). Although the C. palmioleophila isolates from our patient were sensitive to voriconazole and caspofungin in vitro , clinical treatment with these agents was unsuccessful.…”

“…In 1999, C. palmioleophila was reported as a human pathogen causing intravenous catheter-associated fungemia ( Sugita et al, 1999 ). In recent years, the incidence of C. palmioleophila infections has risen, and is often associated with drug resistance ( Datta et al, 2015 ; Mroczynska and Brillowska-Dabrowska, 2019 ; Casagrande Pierantoni et al, 2020 ; Lavergne et al, 2023 ). In 2018, C. palmioleophila was isolated for the first time in China and showed resistance to fluconazole ( Xiao et al, 2018 ).…”

The antifungal capacity of a 681-membered collection of environmental yeast isolates

“…However, resistance to all classes has been reported in different fungal pathogens, including the most prevalent Candida species. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] The azoles are not only used in the clinic but are also the preferred antifungals in agriculture 31 . While the widespread application of azole-based pesticides has historically proven highly effective in controlling fungal pest, their excessive usage, coupled with crop monoculturing, temperatures rising and intensified global trade, has facilitated the worldwide dissemination of fungal diseases and led to a sharp emergence in resistance 32 .…”

“…However, resistance to all classes has been reported in different fungal pathogens, including the most prevalent Candida species. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] The azoles are not only used in the clinic but are also the preferred antifungals in agriculture 31 .…”