Open AccessTracing the Evolutionary History and Global Expansion of Candida auris Using Population Genomic Analyses
Author(s) -
Nancy A. Chow,
José F. Muñoz,
Lalitha Gade,
Elizabeth L. Berkow,
Li Xiao,
Rory M. Welsh,
Kaitlin Forsberg,
Shawn R. Lockhart,
Rodney D. Adam,
Alexandre Alanio,
Ana AlastrueyIzquierdo,
Sahar Althawadi,
Ana Belén Araúz,
Ronen BenAmi,
Amrita Bharat,
Belinda Calvo,
Marie DesnosOllivier,
Patricia Escandón,
Dianne Gardam,
Gunturu Revathi,
Christopher H. Heath,
Oliver Kurzai,
Ronny Martin,
Anastasia P. Litvintseva,
Christina A. Cuomo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
mbio
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.562
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 2161-2129
pISSN - 2150-7511
DOI - 10.1128/mbio.03364-19
Subject(s) - clade , candida auris , biology , phylogeography , population , phylogenetic tree , context (archaeology) , evolutionary biology , zoology , phylogenetics , genetics , demography , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , antifungal , paleontology , sociology
In less than a decade,C. auris has emerged in health care settings worldwide; this species is capable of colonizing skin and causing outbreaks of invasive candidiasis. In contrast to otherCandida species,C. auris is unique in its ability to spread via nosocomial transmission and its high rates of drug resistance. As part of the public health response, whole-genome sequencing has played a major role in characterizing transmission dynamics and detecting newC. auris introductions. Through a global collaboration, we assessed genome evolution of isolates ofC. auris from 19 countries. Here, we described estimated timing of the expansion of eachC. auris clade and of fluconazole resistance, characterized discrete phylogeographic population structure of each clade, and compared genome data to sensitivity measurements to describe how antifungal resistance mechanisms vary across the population. These efforts are critical for a sustained, robust public health response that effectively utilizes molecular epidemiology.