Difficult but Not Impossible: in Search of an Anti-Candida Vaccine

Abstract

Purpose of Review Pervasive fungal infection among the immunocompromised population, in conjunction with a lack of effective treatment options, has demanded further scrutiny. Millions of people are still dying annually from fungal infections. While existing treatment for these fungal infections exists, it is difficult to administer without adverse effects in the immunocompromised and is slowly becoming obsolete due to varying mutation rates and rising resistance in multiple species. Thus, vaccines may be a viable target for preventing and treating fungal infections and addressing the critical challenge of such infections. Recent Findings Candida albicans, along with other non-albicans Candida species, is among the more virulent class of fungal specimens considered for vaccine development. C. albicans is responsible for a large percentage of invasive fungal infections among immunocompromised and immunocompetent populations and carries a relatively high mortality rate. In the last decade, a recent increase in infective capacity among Candida species has shed light on the lack of adequate fungal vaccine choices. While roadblocks still exist in the development of antifungal vaccines, several novel targets have been examined and proposed as candidates. Summary Success in vaccine development has universal appeal; an anti-Candida vaccine formulation could be modified to work against other fungal infections and thus bolster the antifungal pipeline.

Ethnobotanical study of Hakka traditional medicine in Ganzhou, China and their antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic assessments

“…Hakka herbs showed much more often activity against G + bacteria than G − bacteria and fungi. Figure 3 b shows the number of active herbs against each microbe; few were active against E. coli (7 herbs), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12), and Candida glabrata (15), implying that it is difficult to find activities against certain fungi and G − bacteria, a pattern previously reported by others [ 51 , 52 ]. The reason could be that the cells of G − bacteria and some fungi have a multilayer outer membrane structure, preventing many antibiotics from passing through [ 53 , 54 ].…”

Importance of Candida Antigenic Factors: Structure-Driven Immunomodulation Properties of Synthetically Prepared Mannooligosaccharides in RAW264.7 Macrophages

“…The role of mannosylation in fungal biology and virulence has been studied using C. albicans mutants; the suitability of these mutants for exploring the significance of specific mannan epitopes on cell function, pathogenesis and immune recognition has been proposed (Hall and Gow, 2013; Hall et al, 2013; West et al, 2013). Several studies have attempted to design and develop an anti- Candida vaccine based on cell wall-derived structures (Ito, 2011; Richardson and Moyes, 2015; Tso et al, 2018; Piccione et al, 2019). The immunogenic polysaccharide cell wall structures applied in experimental vaccine models include 65 kDa mannoproteins (Sandini et al, 2007), β-1,3-glucan (Torosantucci et al, 2005), and β-1,2- mannosides (Han et al, 1999; Cutler, 2005).…”

Candida parapsilosis Cell Wall Proteome Characterization and Effectiveness against Hematogenously Disseminated Candidiasis in a Murine Model

“…Due to all above mentioned information, treatment of C. parapsilosis infection is difficult. However, a vaccine can be a suitable alternative solution and experts have been calling for vaccines against fungal pathogens [ 11 , 12 ]. Currently, there is still no licensed vaccine against fungal pathogens available [ 13 ].…”