Open AccessPopulation dynamics and the evolution of antifungal drug resistance in C andida albicans
Author(s) -
Huang Mian,
Kao Katy C.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2012.02587.x
Subject(s) - candida albicans , biology , population , drug resistance , antifungal drug , microbiology and biotechnology , corpus albicans , resistance (ecology) , fungal pathogen , pathogen , ecology , medicine , environmental health
C andida albicans is an important human fungal pathogen. Resistance to all major antifungal agents has been observed in clinical isolates of C andida spp. and is a major clinical challenge. The rise and expansion of drug‐resistant mutants during exposure to antifungal agents occurs through a process of adaptive evolution, with potentially complex population dynamics. Understanding the population dynamics during the emergence of drug resistance is important for determining the fundamental principles of how fungal pathogens evolve for resistance. While few detailed reports that focus on the population dynamics of C . albicans currently exist, several important features on the population structure and adaptive landscape can be elucidated from existing evolutionary studies in in vivo and in vitro systems.