Comparative Pathogenicity of United Kingdom Isolates of the Emerging Pathogen Candida auris and Other Key Pathogenic Candida Species

Abstract

The incidence of invasive candidiasis, which includes candidemia and deep tissue infections, continues to rise and is associated with considerable mortality rates. Candida albicans remains the most common cause of invasive candidiasis, although the prevalence of non-albicans species has increased over recent years. Since its first description in 2009, Candida auris has emerged as a serious nosocomial health risk, with widespread outbreaks in numerous hospitals worldwide. However, despite receiving considerable attention, little is known concerning the pathogenicity of this emerging fungal pathogen. Here, using the Galleria mellonella insect systemic infection model, we show strain-specific differences in the virulence of C. auris, with the most virulent isolates exhibiting pathogenicity comparable to that of C. albicans, which is currently accepted as the most pathogenic member of the genus.

The Emerging Pathogen Candida auris: Growth Phenotype, Virulence Factors, Activity of Antifungals, and Effect of SCY-078, a Novel Glucan Synthesis Inhibitor, on Growth Morphology and Biofilm Formation

“…These findings are in agreement with those of recent studies from other investigators, who also reported that C. auris isolates were generally resistant or less susceptible to azoles but susceptible to echinocandins (2–6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16). Our finding that amphotericin B demonstrated less activity against C.…”

“…albicans, suggesting that this emerging species is not as virulent as the latter species. Borman et al (8) attempted to address the virulence of C. auris by using a Galleria mellonella larva model.…”

Candida auris: A rapidly emerging cause of hospital-acquired multidrug-resistant fungal infections globally

“…auris accounted for >5% of candidemia in a national ICUs survey and up to 30% of candidemia at individual hospitals in India [4, 19]. In the subsequent 2 years, several reports of hospital-associated infections emerged from South Africa, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Colombia, United States, Pakistan, Israel, Kenya, and Spain [7, 11–18, 24]. Table 1 lists several countries reporting C .…”

Diagnosis, management and prevention of Candida auris in hospitals: position statement of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases

“…However, another study using the Bruker RUO system revealed direct on‐plate extractions resulted in low score matches for 50% of strains and the remaining 50% were unidentified . Partial extraction methods are reported by others to give reliable identification . Local experience indicates that at least partial extractions are required to consistently achieve log scores of ≥2.00 (authors: personal communication).…”