Malassezia spp. Yeasts of Emerging Concern in Fungemia.

Wafa Rhimi,Domenico Otranto,Claudia Cafarchia,Bart Theelen,Teun Boekhout

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2020.00370

Abstract

Malassezia spp. are lipid-dependent yeasts, inhabiting the skin and mucosa of humans and animals. They are involved in a variety of skin disorders in humans and animals and may cause bloodstream infections in severely immunocompromised patients. Despite a tremendous increase in scientific knowledge of these yeasts during the last two decades, the epidemiology of Malassezia spp. related to fungemia remains largely underestimated most likely due to the difficulty in the isolation of these yeasts species due to their lipid-dependence. This review summarizes and discusses the most recent literature on Malassezia spp. infection and fungemia, its occurrence, pathogenicity mechanisms, diagnostic methods, in vitro susceptibility testing and therapeutic approaches.

Highlights

Malassezia are lipid-dependent yeasts inhabiting the skin of healthy humans and other warm blooded animals
While fungemia caused by Candida species has been recognized as a cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients worldwide (Mellinghoff et al, 2018), the epidemiology of Malassezia-related fungemia remains largely underestimated most likely due to the difficulties in the isolation of these yeasts species due to their lipid-dependent growth (Iatta et al, 2018)
We focus on known virulence factors of the three fungemia causing Malassezia species (i.e., M. pachydermatis, M. furfur, and M. sympodialis) and discuss findings, even if they were derived from skin

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Malassezia are lipid-dependent yeasts inhabiting the skin of healthy humans and other warm blooded animals. The genus comprises 18 lipid-dependent species with a variable distribution on different hosts and pathologies (reviewed in Lorch et al, 2018; Guillot and Bond, 2020) By using both fingerprinting methods and multigene sequence analysis, different Malassezia genotypes were identified as strictly related to the host, geographical origin, and/or clinical manifestations (Cafarchia et al, 2008, 2011b; Theelen et al, 2018). Some authors propose that the fungal density on the skin as well the host immunological competence might be driving factors influencing their pathogenic role

Dead due to unrelated causes 5 Alive Alive

Findings

DISCUSSION