Metabolic Adaptations During Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans Co-Infection

Abstract

Successful pathogens require metabolic flexibility to adapt to diverse host niches. The presence of co-infecting or commensal microorganisms at a given infection site can further influence the metabolic processes required for a pathogen to cause disease. The Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and the polymorphic fungus Candida albicans are microorganisms that asymptomatically colonize healthy individuals but can also cause superficial infections or severe invasive disease. Due to many shared host niches, S. aureus and C. albicans are frequently co-isolated from mixed fungal-bacterial infections. S. aureus and C. albicans co-infection alters microbial metabolism relative to infection with either organism alone. Metabolic changes during co-infection regulate virulence, such as enhancing toxin production in S. aureus or contributing to morphogenesis and cell wall remodeling in C. albicans. C. albicans and S. aureus also form polymicrobial biofilms, which have greater biomass and reduced susceptibility to antimicrobials relative to mono-microbial biofilms. The S. aureus and C. albicans metabolic programs induced during co-infection impact interactions with host immune cells, resulting in greater microbial survival and immune evasion. Conversely, innate immune cell sensing of S. aureus and C. albicans triggers metabolic changes in the host cells that result in an altered immune response to secondary infections. In this review article, we discuss the metabolic programs that govern host-pathogen interactions during S. aureus and C. albicans co-infection. Understanding C. albicans-S. aureus interactions may highlight more general principles of how polymicrobial interactions, particularly fungal-bacterial interactions, shape the outcome of infectious disease. We focus on how co-infection alters microbial metabolism to enhance virulence and how infection-induced changes to host cell metabolism can impact a secondary infection.

Prevalence of Bacterial Coinfections with Vibrio harveyi in the Industrialized Flow-through Aquaculture Systems in Hainan Province: A Neglected High-Risk Lethal Causative Agent to Hybrid Grouper

“…Coinfections are defined as the infection of a host with two or more different pathogens [ 1 , 32 ]. However, this topic has received little attention in industrialized reared hybrid groupers, even though such infections are very common in nature.…”

“…Bacterial coinfections are very common in nature and occur when two or more pathogens invade one host by simultaneous or secondary infections [ 1 , 2 ]. However, due to the complexity of interactions between different pathogens and between pathogens and their hosts [ 3 , 4 , 5 ], our understanding on the prevalence of bacterial coinfections in aquatic animals such as fish and the mechanisms of infection are still limited [ 6 ].…”

Similarities and Differences among Species Closely Related to Candida albicans: C. tropicalis, C. dubliniensis, and C. auris

“…Fungal Cell Metabolism. Adapting to the novel environment related to the initiation or further dissemination of infection requires Candida fungi to respond immediately and effectively to the stress associated with the colonization of a new infectious niche, consisting of fluctuations in the availability of nutrients, limits in access to essential microelements, physicochemical changes in the surroundings, the influence of other microorganisms, and activity of host defense cells [148,149]. One of the most important factors that influences Candida cell metabolism during infection is the availability and type of carbon source, where glucose is preferred.…”

Preparation, Antimicrobial Properties under Different Light Sources, Mechanisms and Applications of TiO2: A Review

“…Microbial pollution has become an important factor that threatens human health and can produce various toxins [ 1 ]. Pathogenic microorganisms can cause human diseases [ 2 , 3 ], and some microorganisms can cause food spoilage [ 4 ], molds in clothes [ 5 ], degraded water quality [ 6 ], and even biological corrosion of buildings [ 7 ], causing certain losses to human society.…”