Ramos, L.S.; Parra-Giraldo, C.M.; Branquinha, M.H.; Santos, A.L.S. Cell Aggregation Capability of Clinical Isolates from Candida auris and Candida haemulonii Species Complex. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis.2023, 8, 382.
Ramos, L.S.; Parra-Giraldo, C.M.; Branquinha, M.H.; Santos, A.L.S. Cell Aggregation Capability of Clinical Isolates from Candida auris and Candida haemulonii Species Complex. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8, 382.
Ramos, L.S.; Parra-Giraldo, C.M.; Branquinha, M.H.; Santos, A.L.S. Cell Aggregation Capability of Clinical Isolates from Candida auris and Candida haemulonii Species Complex. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis.2023, 8, 382.
Ramos, L.S.; Parra-Giraldo, C.M.; Branquinha, M.H.; Santos, A.L.S. Cell Aggregation Capability of Clinical Isolates from Candida auris and Candida haemulonii Species Complex. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8, 382.
Abstract
The multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens belonging to the Candida haemulonii complex and the phylogenetically related species Candida auris are well-known for causing infections that are difficult to treat due to their multidrug-resistance profile. C. auris is even more worrisome due to its ability to cause outbreaks in healthcare settings. These emerging yeasts produce a wide range of virulence factors that facilitate the development of the infectious process. In recent years, the aggregative phenotype has been receiving attention, as it is mainly associated with defects in cellular division and its possible involvement in helping the fungus to escape from host immune responses. In this study, we initially investigated the aggregation ability of 18 clinical isolates belonging to the C. haemulonii species complex and C. auris. Subsequently, we evaluated the effects of physicochemical factors on the fungal aggregation competence. The results demonstrated that cell aggregation was a typically time-dependent event, in which almost all studied fungal isolates exhibited high aggregation after 2 h of incubation at 37°C. The aggregation was not impacted by pH, temperature, -mercaptoethanol (a protein-denaturing agent) and EDTA (a chelator agent). Conversely, proteinase K, trypsin and sodium dodecyl sulfate significantly diminished the aggregation. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the aggregation ability in these opportunistic yeast pathogens is time-dependent, and surface proteins and hydrophobic interactions seem to mediate cell aggregation, since the presence of proteases and anionic detergent affected the aggregation ability. However, further studies are necessary to better elucidate this phenomenon.
Biology and Life Sciences, Cell and Developmental Biology
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