Antifungal Resistance Profile, Biofilm Formation, and Virulence Factor Production in Candida krusei Isolates From HIV-Infected Patients in Cameroon.

Background Fungal infections mainly caused by are increasing rapidly and represent a serious public health problem in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. This study aimed to investigate the antifungal susceptibility profile and virulence factors in isolated from HIV-infected patients. Methodology Isolates were identified by biochemical and molecular methods. The antifungal resistance profile was established based on the antifungal susceptibility test performed using the Sensititre YeastOne™ (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA) microdilution technique. The production of phospholipase and proteinase was detected by standard methods. Biofilm formation was performed by the microtiter plate method. Results A total of 73 isolates of were recovered from stool, oral swabs, vaginal swabs, and urine samples. The highest number of isolates (49, 67.05%)was recovered from stool samples. A total of 32.56% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). The patients living with HIV and not receiving antiretroviral treatment displayed the highest number of isolates (29, 39.76%), whereas the patients living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy exhibited the lowest number of isolates (2, 2.72%). All isolates were categorized as strong biofilm producers. Among the production of hydrolytic enzymes, 25 (58.13%) and 24 (55.81%) of isolates were classified as strong phospholipase and proteinase producers, respectively. Conclusion The isolates obtained in this study were MDR and strongly expressed biofilm formation and both phospholipase and proteinase hydrolytic enzymes. The results show how pathogenic is in the HIV-infected population and will contribute toward the management of related infections, which may help improve the life quality of people living with HIV.