The first isolate of Candida auris in China: clinical and biological aspects

Xiaojuan Wang,Jian Bing,Qiushi Zheng,Feifei Zhang,Jingbo Liu,Huizhen Yue,Li Tao,Han Du,Yina Wang,Hui Wang,Guanghua Huang

doi:10.1038/s41426-018-0095-0

Abstract

The emerging human fungal pathogen Candida auris has been recognized as a multidrug resistant species and is associated with high mortality. This fungus was first described in Japan in 2009 and has been reported in at least 18 countries on five continents. In this study, we report the first isolate of C. auris from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of a hospitalized woman in China. Interestingly, this isolate is susceptible to all tested antifungals including amphotericin B, fluconazole, and caspofungin. Copper sulfate (CuSO4) also has a potent inhibitory effect on the growth of this fungus. Under different culture conditions, C. auris exhibits multiple morphological phenotypes including round-to-ovoid, elongated, and pseudohyphal-like forms. High concentrations of sodium chloride induce the formation of a pseudohyphal-like form. We further demonstrate that C. auris is much less virulent than Candida albicans in both mouse systemic and invertebrate Galleria mellonella models.

Highlights

The incidence of non-albicans Candida infections has risen dramatically in recent years[1]
The strain was initially identified as C. auris by applying in-house MALDI-TOF MS database
Since it has been reported that C. auris can grow at high salt concentrations and temperatures[17], we examined the morphology of C. auris on the rich medium YPD and YPD plus 10% NaCl

Summary

Introduction

The incidence of non-albicans Candida infections has risen dramatically in recent years[1]. These species are often drug-resistant and difficult to eradicate from the human body, as well as the hospital environment. An emerging fungal pathogen of humans, is often resistant to multiple currently used drugs[2,3,4]. Since the first report of C. auris infection in Japan in 2009, this fungus has been isolated on five continents[2,4]. The ecological niches for this fungus remain unidentified. Their survival and persistence ability on dry surfaces and within hospital

Methods

Results

Conclusion