Open AccessCaenorhabditis elegans as a Model System To Assess Candida glabrata, Candida nivariensis , and Candida bracarensis Virulence and Antifungal Efficacy
Author(s) -
Ainara Hernando-Ortiz,
Estíbaliz Mateo,
Marcelo Ortega-Riveros,
Iker De-la-Pinta,
Guillermo Quindós,
Elena Eraso
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.07
H-Index - 259
eISSN - 1070-6283
pISSN - 0066-4804
DOI - 10.1128/aac.00824-20
Subject(s) - candida glabrata , candida albicans , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , virulence , mycosis , antifungal , caenorhabditis elegans , immunology , genetics , gene
Although Candida albicans remains the major etiological agent of invasive candidiasis, Candida glabrata and other emerging species of Candida are increasingly isolated. This species is the second most prevalent cause of candidiasis in many regions of the world. However, clinical isolates of Candida nivariensis and Candida bracarensis can be misidentified and are underdiagnosed due to phenotypic traits shared with C. glabrata Little is known about the two cryptic species. Therefore, pathogenesis studies are needed to understand their virulence traits and their susceptibility to antifungal drugs. The susceptibility of Caenorhabditis elegans to different Candida species makes this nematode an excellent model for assessing host-fungus interactions. We evaluated the usefulness of C. elegans as a nonconventional host model to analyze the virulence of C. glabrata , C. nivariensis , and C. bracarensis The three species caused candidiasis, and the highest virulence of C. glabrata was confirmed. Furthermore, we determined the efficacy of current antifungal drugs against the infection caused by these species in the C. elegans model. Amphotericin B and azoles showed the highest activity against C. glabrata and C. bracarensis infections, while echinocandins were more active for treating those caused by C. nivariensis C. elegans proved to be a useful model system for assessing the pathogenicity of these closely related species.