Inadvertent Selection of a Pathogenic Fungus Highlights Areas of Concern in Human Clinical Practices.

In studying the development of tolerance to common hospital cleaners (Oxivir and CaviCide™) in clinical isolate stocks of the emerging, multidrug-resistant yeast pathogen , we selected for a cleaner-tolerant subpopulation of a more common nosocomial pathogen, . Through the purification of each species and subsequent competition and other analyses, we determined that is capable of readily dominating mixed populations of and when exposed to hospital cleaners. This result suggests that exposure to antimicrobial compounds can preferentially select for low-level, stress-tolerant fungal pathogens. These findings indicate that clinical disinfection practices could contribute to the selection of tolerant, pathogenic microbes that persist within healthcare settings.