<i>Candida parapsilosis</i>, an Emerging Fungal Pathogen

Trofa, David P.; Gácser, Attila; Nosanchuk, Joshua D.

doi:10.1128/cmr.00013-08

Cited by 752 publications

(762 citation statements)

References 297 publications

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“…In fact, C. glabrata strains have frequently been isolated from patients with candiduria (Harris et al, 1999;Manzano-Gayosso et al, 2008) and are recognized as potentially pathogenic in hospitalized and catheterized patients (Fidel et al, 1999). As previously reported (Trofa et al, 2008), C. parapsilosis is not a frequent aetiological agent of UTIs. This was also evident in a recent epidemiological study of 100 candiduria cases (between 1999 and 2004) in a paediatric hospital in Brazil.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Silicone colonization by non-Candida albicans Candida species in the presence of urine

Silva

Negri

Henriques

et al. 2010

Journal of Medical Microbiology

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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common nosocomial infections and 80 % are related to the use of urinary catheters. Furthermore, Candida species are responsible for around 15 % of UTIs and an increasing involvement of non-Candida albicans Candida (NCAC) species (e.g. Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis) has been recognized. Given the fact that silicone is frequently used in the manufacture of urinary catheters, the aim of this work was to compare both the adhesion and biofilm formation on silicone of different urinary clinical isolates of NCAC species (i.e. C. glabrata, C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis) in the presence of urine. Several clinical isolates of NCAC species recovered from patients with UTIs, together with reference strains of each species, were examined. Adhesion and biofilm formation were performed in artificial urine and the biofilm biomass was assessed by crystal violet staining. Hydrophobicity and surface charge of cells was determined by measuring contact angles and zeta potential, respectively. The number of viable cells in biofilms was determined by enumeration of c.f.u. after appropriate culture. The biofilm structure was also examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The results showed that all isolates adhered to silicone in a species-and strain-dependent manner with C. parapsilosis showing the lowest and C. glabrata the highest levels of adhesion. However, these differences in adhesion abilities cannot be correlated with surface properties since all strains examined were hydrophilic and exhibited a similar zeta potential. Despite a higher number of cultivable cells being recovered after 72 h of incubation, stronger biofilm formation was not observed and CLSM showed an absence of extracellular polymeric material for all isolates examined. In summary, this work demonstrated that all tested NCAC species were able to adhere to and survive on silicone in the presence of urine. Furthermore, C. glabrata strains presented higher colonization abilities than C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis strains, a fact that might explain the larger role of C. glabrata colonization and disseminated infections in hospitalized and catheterized patients. INTRODUCTIONNosocomial infections constitute a serious public health problem, as they are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and cause an increased time of hospitalization with associated enhanced healthcare costs (Tamura et al., 2003). Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common types of nosocomial infections (Schaberg et al., 1991;Tamura et al., 2003) and more than 80 % of nosocomial UTIs are related to the use of medical devices such as urinary catheters (Febré et al., 1999;Harris et al., 1999;Douglas, 2002;Chow et al., 2008). Furthermore, Candida species are responsible for around 80 % of fungal infections in the hospital environment and 10-15 % of UTIs are caused by these micro-organisms (Amer et al., 2004). Although the majority of infections are caused by Candida albicans (Richards et a...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Silicone colonization by non-Candida albicans Candida species in the presence of urine

Silva

Negri

Henriques

et al. 2010

Journal of Medical Microbiology

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“…After C. albicans , it is the second or third leading cause of invasive candidiasis [14]. In particular, low birth weight infants are at increased risk for C. parapsilosis infection [15,16]. Previously, we demonstrated that C. parapsilosis is also able to produce immunomodulatory prostaglandins from exogenous arachidonic acid.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eicosanoid biosynthesis influences the virulence of Candida parapsilosis

et al. 2018

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Lipid mediators, derived from arachidonic acid metabolism, play an important role in immune regulation. The functions of bioactive eicosanoids range from modulating cytokine signaling and inflammasome formation to anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving activities. Human pathogenic fungi such as Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus have been shown to produce such lipid mediators, associated with their virulence. To date, investigations into the molecular mechanisms of fungal eicosanoid biosynthesis in different species have revealed that several genes are associated with prostaglandin production. However, these routes remain uncharacterized in C. parapsilosis with early results suggesting it uses pathways distinct from those found in C. albicans. Therefore, we aimed to identify and characterize C. parapsilosis genes involved in eicosanoid biosynthesis. Following arachidonic acid treatment of C. parapsilosis cells, we identified several genes interfering with prostaglandin production. Out of the identified genes, homologues of a multi copper oxidase (FET3), an Acyl-CoA thiolase (POT1) and an Acyl-CoA oxidase (POX1-3) were found to play a significant role in prostaglandin synthesis. Furthermore, all three genes were confirmed to enhance C. parapsilosis pathogenicity, as the corresponding deletion mutants were cleared more efficiently by human macrophages and induced higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, the mutants were less virulent than the wild-type strain in a mouse model of systemic infection. Taken together, we identified three genes that regulate eicosanoid biosynthesis in C. parapsilosis and impact the fungus’ virulence.

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“…Candida parapsilosis is a well-known cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections, particularly among neonates and immunocompromised patients, and it is associated with candidaemia caused by intravascular and parenteral nutrition devices (Sarvikivi et al, 2005;Almirante et al, 2006;Pfaller & Diekema, 2002;Trofa et al, 2008). C. parapsilosis groups I, II and III were recently established as distinct species, which were classified by genotyping and designated C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, C. orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis, respectively (Tavanti et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%