Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System To Assess Candida glabrata, Candida nivariensis, and Candida bracarensis Virulence and Antifungal Efficacy
View/ Open
Date
2020-09-21Author
Ortega Riveros, Marcelo
De la Pinta Aresti, Iker
Quindós Andrés, Guillermo
Metadata
Show full item record
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 64(10) : (2020)
Abstract
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.