Abstract
Candidiasis is the wide-spread fungal infection caused by numerous strains of yeast, with the prevalence of Candida albicans. The current treatment of candidiasis is becoming rather ineffective and costly owing to the emergence of resistant strains; hence, the exploration of new possible drug targets is necessary. The most promising route is the development of novel antibiotics targeting this pathogen. In this review, we summarize such candidates found in C. albicans and those involved in the transport of (metal) cations, as the latter are essential for numerous processes within the cell; hence, disruption of their fluxes can be fatal for C. albicans.
Highlights
Candida albicans is the prevalent pathogenic microorganism among the yeast fungi, colonising humans and causing opportunistic infections, generally termed as candidiasis.In humans, C. albicans is a part of normal vaginal and gastro-intestinal flora, and over80% of the human population is colonized with it [1]
These fungi and the host live in commensalism; under certain circumstances, such as immune deficiency, prolonged antibiotics treatment, chemotherapy, malnutrition, and others, C. albicans may switch from commensal to the pathogenic state
As potassium uptake and its accumulation are essential for C. albicans cell growth, the aforementioned transporters may serve as novel targets for the development of new antifungal drugs
Summary
Candida albicans is the prevalent pathogenic microorganism among the yeast fungi, colonising humans and causing opportunistic infections, generally termed as candidiasis. The oral candidiasis ( termed thrush) is the most common form of candidiasis [3] diagnosed in humans and is typically treated by application of topical anti-fungal drugs such as nystatin or fluconazole in severe cases [4,5]. C. albicans is the most common hospital-acquired fungal and eukaryotic pathogen in the world It is ranked the third most causative agent of sepsis in the United States, with about 24 cases per 100,000 patients and a mortality rate of over 40% [8,9]. There is a steady increase in the number of registered cases of candidiasis annually, caused by the development of resistance to anti-fungal drugs, wider application of immunosuppression therapies, and the global increase in hospital treatments. We summarize the most promising targets among (metal) cation membrane transporters for future drug development against C. albicans
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