Comment on: Genetically related micafungin-resistant Candida parapsilosis blood isolates harbouring novel mutation R658G in hotspot 1 of Fks1p: a new challenge?

Abstract

Echinocandins are the preferred initial therapy for Candida parapsilosis infections.1 While mutations in fks1p hotspot (HS) regions have been identified to confer echinocandin resistance in other Candida species, such as Candida albicans and Candida glabrata,2 there have been few data documenting mechanisms of echinocandin resistance in C. parapsilosis. A recently published paper by Arastehfar et al.3 identified a novel mutation (R658G) in HS1 of fks1p in four micafungin-resistant C. parapsilosis isolates. To the best of our knowledge, no replication studies have been published confirming the presence of this mutation in echinocandin-resistant C. parapsilosis isolates. In order to evaluate the presence of mutations in fks1p HS regions, such as this novel R658G mutation, we assessed an institutional collection of Candida spp. bloodstream isolates. These were prospectively collected from a tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia from 2015 to 2021. Of the 52 C. parapsilosis isolates in the...