High‐Resolution Melting Assay to Detect the Mutations That Cause the Y132F and G458S Substitutions at the ERG11 Gene Involved in Azole Resistance in Candida parapsilosis

Abstract

BackgroundCandida parapsilosis is a pathogenic yeast that has reduced susceptibility to echinocandins and ranks as the second or third leading cause of candidaemia, depending on the geographical region. This yeast often causes nosocomial infections, which are frequently detected as outbreaks. In recent years, resistance to azoles in C. parapsilosis has increased globally, primarily due to the accumulation of mutations in the ERG11 gene.ObjectivesIn this study, we have developed an assay based on real‐time PCR and high‐resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis to detect two of the most prevalent mutations at ERG11 that confer resistance to fluconazole (Y132F and G458S).MethodsWe designed allele‐specific oligonucleotides that selectively bind to either the wild type or mutated sequences and optimised the conditions to ensure amplification of the specific allele, followed by detection via high‐resolution melting (HRM) analysis.ResultsThe designed oligonucleotides to detect the Erg11Y132F and Erg11G458S mutations produced specific amplification of either WT or mutated alleles. We conducted a duplex real‐time PCR combining oligonucleotides for the wild‐type sequences in one mix, and oligonucleotides for the mutated alleles in another. Following this, we performed an analysis of the HRM curve to identify the amplified allele in each case. This technique was blindly evaluated on a set of 114 C. parapsilosis isolates, all of which were unequivocally identified using our approach.ConclusionThis technique offers a new method for the early detection of azole resistance mechanism in C. parapsilosis.