The good, the bad, and the hazardous: comparative genomic analysis unveils cell wall features in the pathogen Candidozyma auris typical for both baker's yeast and Candida.

The drug-resistant pathogenic yeast Candidozyma auris (formerly named Candida auris) is considered a critical health problem of global importance. As the cell wall plays a crucial role in pathobiology, here we performed a detailed bioinformatic analysis of its biosynthesis in C. auris and related Candidozyma haemuli complex species using Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae as references.

Efficacy of the combination of amphotericin B and echinocandins against and in the host model.

Multidrug resistance is a rising problem among non- species, such as . This therapeutic problem has been very important during the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization has included in its global priority list of health-threatening fungi, to study this emerging multidrug-resistant species and to develop effective alternative therapies.

Integrated post-genomic cell wall analysis reveals floating biofilm formation associated with high expression of flocculins in the pathogen Pichia kudriavzevii.

The pathogenic yeast Pichia kudriavzevii, previously known as Candida krusei, is more distantly related to Candida albicans than clinically relevant CTG-clade Candida species. Its cell wall, a dynamic organelle that is the first point of interaction between pathogen and host, is relatively understudied, and its wall proteome remains unidentified to date. Here, we present an integrated study of the cell wall in P.

Usefulness of Chromogenic Media with Fluconazole Supplementation for Presumptive Identification of .

Introduction:Candida auris is a major threat to public health. Rapid detection is essential for early treatment and transmission control. The use of chromogenic media allows the presumptive identification of this new species.

Chromosome-level assemblies from diverse clades reveal limited structural and gene content variation in the genome of Candida glabrata.

Background: Candida glabrata is an opportunistic yeast pathogen thought to have a large genetic and phenotypic diversity and a highly plastic genome. However, the lack of chromosome-level genome assemblies representing this diversity limits our ability to accurately establish how chromosomal structure and gene content vary across strains.

Results: Here, we expanded publicly available assemblies by using long-read sequencing technologies in twelve diverse strains, obtaining a final set of twenty-one chromosome-level genomes spanning the known C.

A novel class of Candida glabrata cell wall proteins with β-helix fold mediates adhesion in clinical isolates.

Candida glabrata is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast frequently causing infections in humans. Though it lacks typical virulence factors such as hyphal development, C. glabrata contains a remarkably large and diverse set of putative wall adhesins that is crucial for its success as pathogen.

Characterization of Awp14, A Novel Cluster III Adhesin Identified in a High Biofilm-Forming Isolate.

is among the most prevalent causes of candidiasis. Unlike , it is not capable of changing morphology between yeast and hyphal forms but instead has developed other virulence factors. An important feature is its unprecedented large repertoire of predicted cell wall adhesins, which are thought to enable adherence to a variety of surfaces under different conditions.

High Biofilm Formation of Non-Smooth Correlates with Increased Incorporation of GPI-Modified Wall Adhesins.

is among the most frequent causes of candidiasis. Clinical isolates of this species show large variations in colony morphotype, ranging from round and smooth to a variety of non-smooth irregular colony shapes. A non-smooth appearance is related to increased formation of pseudohyphae, higher capacity to form biofilms on abiotic surfaces, and invading agar.

Virulence of from different clinical origins in and host models.

is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen responsible for nosocomial outbreaks of invasive candidiasis. Although several studies on the pathogenicity of this species have been reported, the knowledge on virulence is still limited. This study aims to analyze the pathogenicity of , using one aggregating isolate and eleven non-aggregating isolates from different clinical origins (blood, urine and oropharyngeal specimens) in two alternative host models of candidiasis: and .

Colony Morphotype Forecasts Biofilm Formation of Clinical Isolates.

is a frequent cause of fungal bloodstream infections, especially in critically ill neonates or immunocompromised patients. Due to the formation of biofilms, the use of indwelling catheters and other medical devices increases the risk of infection and complicates treatment, as cells embedded in biofilms display reduced drug susceptibility. Therefore, biofilm formation may be a significant clinical parameter, guiding downstream therapeutic choices.

: An Old But Unreported Pathogen.

Candidiasis caused by species of the complex ( and ) and closely related species, and are increasing. These species often show reduced susceptibility to antifungal drugs, such as azoles and amphotericin B or, less frequently, echinocandins. However, conventional phenotypic identification methods are unable to accurately differentiate these species and, therefore, their prevalence may have been underestimated.

MicroMundo Upside Down: Targeted Searching for Antibiotics-Producing Bacteria From Soil With Reverse Antibiosis Approaches.

Tiny Earth (TE) is a popular international citizen science program aimed at improving public awareness on the growing antimicrobial resistance problem of which MicroMundo Albacete is a Spanish node. With a protocol that is focused on the isolation of antibiotics-producing actinomycetes from soil, 70% of the high school students in MicroMundo Albacete 2020 isolated colonies with antagonistic activity against Gram-positive tester bacteria. However, no activity was found against Gram-negative bacteria.

Identification of Candida auris and related species by multiplex PCR based on unique GPI protein-encoding genes.

Background: The pathogen Candida auris is rapidly gaining clinical importance because of its resistance to antifungal treatments and its persistence in hospital environments. Early and accurate diagnosis of C. auris infections is crucial, and however, the fungus has often been misidentified by commercial systems.

Optimizing Small World Initiative service learning by focusing on antibiotics-producing actinomycetes from soil.

Small World Initiative and Tiny Earth are popular citizen science programs that are implemented worldwide in response to the global antibiotic resistance crisis. When starting up the program in Albacete (Spain), we noted that rates of isolated antibiotic-producing bacteria are generally low. To make the activity more stimulating for participating students, we modified the protocol to obtain more positive results by focusing on isolation of actinomycetes, the main producers of most clinically used antibiotics.

Deletion of GLX3 in Candida albicans affects temperature tolerance, biofilm formation and virulence.

Candida albicans is a predominant cause of fungal infections in mucosal tissues as well as life-threatening bloodstream infections in immunocompromised patients. Within the human body, C. albicans is mostly embedded in biofilms, which provides increased resistance to antifungal drugs.

Molecular identification of Candida auris by PCR amplification of species-specific GPI protein-encoding genes.

The emerging multidrug-resistant pathogenic yeast Candida auris causes life-threatening invasive infections and shows a capacity for hospital transmission that is uncommon in other Candida species. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of C. auris infections is crucial; however, the fungus is frequently misidentified.

Proteomic analysis of hyperadhesive Candida glabrata clinical isolates reveals a core wall proteome and differential incorporation of adhesins.

Attachment to human host tissues or abiotic medical devices is a key step in the development of infections by Candida glabrata. The genome of this pathogenic yeast codes for a large number of adhesins, but proteomic work using reference strains has shown incorporation of only few adhesins in the cell wall. By making inventories of the wall proteomes of hyperadhesive clinical isolates and reference strain CBS138 using mass spectrometry, we describe the cell wall proteome of C.

Identification of Secreted Candida Proteins Using Mass Spectrometry.

Analysis of fungal secretomes using mass spectrometry is a useful technique in cell biology. Knowledge of the secretome of a human fungal pathogen may yield important information of host-pathogen interactions and may be useful for identifying vaccines candidates or diagnostic markers for antifungal strategies. In this chapter, with a main focus on sample preparation aspects, we describe the methodology that we apply for gel-independent batch identification and quantification of proteins that are secreted during growth in liquid cultures.

On the clinical evidence leading to tetrazepam withdrawal.

Introduction: In July 2013, the European Medicines Agency suspended the marketing authorizations of tetrazepam across the European Union. Herein, we examine the various kinds of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported to be associated with tetrazepam.

Areas Covered: We undertook a two-sided systematic approach.

Rasagiline meta-analysis: a spotlight on clinical safety and adverse events when treating Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Rasagiline (Azilect, AGN 1135) is a selective irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B). MAO-B regulates the brain concentrations of important neurotransmitters that are related to movement, emotion, and cognition. Oral rasagiline, as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy to levodopa, was effective in the symptomatic treatment of adult patients with Parkinson's disease participating in double-blind, placebo-controlled, international studies.

Adhesins in human fungal pathogens: glue with plenty of stick.

Understanding the pathogenesis of an infectious disease is critical for developing new methods to prevent infection and diagnose or cure disease. Adherence of microorganisms to host tissue is a prerequisite for tissue invasion and infection. Fungal cell wall adhesins involved in adherence to host tissue or abiotic medical devices are critical for colonization leading to invasion and damage of host tissue.

Genomic insights into the atopic eczema-associated skin commensal yeast Malassezia sympodialis.

Unlabelled: Malassezia commensal yeasts are associated with a number of skin disorders, such as atopic eczema/dermatitis and dandruff, and they also can cause systemic infections. Here we describe the 7.67-Mbp genome of Malassezia sympodialis, a species associated with atopic eczema, and contrast its genome repertoire with that of Malassezia globosa, associated with dandruff, as well as those of other closely related fungi.

Gross karyotypic and phenotypic alterations among different progenies of the Candida glabrata CBS138/ATCC2001 reference strain.

Genomic plasticity is a mechanism for adaptation to environmental cues such as host responses and antifungal drug pressure in many fungi including the human pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata. In this study we evaluated the phenotypic and genotypic stability of the world-wide used C. glabrata reference strain CBS138/ATCC2001 under laboratory conditions.

Glycosylation of Candida albicans cell wall proteins is critical for induction of innate immune responses and apoptosis of epithelial cells.

C. albicans is one of the most common fungal pathogen of humans, causing local and superficial mucosal infections in immunocompromised individuals. Given that the key structure mediating host-C.

Minocycline mediated mitochondrial cytoprotection: premises for therapy of cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

In the last decades, emerging molecular targets for ischemic neuroprotection and regeneration have been postulated. This fact allowed that classical drugs with well established therapeutic applications might be used in cerebrovascular diseases as well as neurodegenerative diseases. Minocycline is a commonly used antibiotic of the tetracycline family (7-dimethylamino-6-dimethyl-6-deoxytetracycline) which reveals cytoprotective capability and potential use in treatment of different diseases.