scholarly journals Candida auris: A rapidly emerging cause of hospital-acquired multidrug-resistant fungal infections globally

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. e1006290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuradha Chowdhary ◽  
Cheshta Sharma ◽  
Jacques F. Meis
2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Bidaud ◽  
F. Botterel ◽  
A. Chowdhary ◽  
E. Dannaoui

ABSTRACT Candida auris is an emerging, multidrug-resistant pathogen responsible for invasive hospital-acquired infections. Flucytosine is an effective anti-Candida species drug, but which cannot be used as a monotherapy because of the risk of development of resistant mutants during treatment. It is, therefore, noteworthy to test possible combinations with flucytosine that may have a synergistic interaction. In this study, we determined the in vitro interaction between flucytosine and amphotericin B, micafungin, or voriconazole. These combinations have been tested against 15 C. auris isolates. The MIC ranges (geometric mean [Gmean]) of flucytosine, amphotericin B, micafungin, and voriconazole were 0.125 to 1 μg/ml (0.42 μg/ml), 0.25 to 1 μg/ml (0.66 μg/ml), 0.125 to 0.5 μg/ml (0.3 μg/ml), and 0.03 to 4 μg/ml (1.05 μg/ml), respectively. When tested in combination, indifferent interactions were mostly observed with fractional inhibitory concentration index values from 0.5 to 1, 0.31 to 1.01, and 0.5 to 1.06 for the combinations of flucytosine with amphotericin B, micafungin, and voriconazole, respectively. A synergy was observed for the strain CBS 10913 from Japan. No antagonism was observed for any combination. The combination of flucytosine with amphotericin B or micafungin may be relevant for the treatment of C. auris infections.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0258465
Author(s):  
Mohamed Hagras ◽  
Nader S. Abutaleb ◽  
Ahmed M. Sayed ◽  
Ehab A. Salama ◽  
Mohamed N. Seleem ◽  
...  

To minimize the intrinsic toxicity of the antibacterial agent hydrazinyloxadiazole 1, the hydrazine moiety was replaced with ethylenediamine (compound 7). This replacement generated a potent antifungal agent with no antibacterial activity. Notably, use of a 1,2-diaminocyclohexane moiety, as a conformationally-restricted isostere for ethylenediamine, potentiated the antifungal activity in both the cis and trans forms of N-(5-(2-([1,1’-biphenyl]-4-yl)-4-methylthiazol-5-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)cyclohexane-1,2-diamine (compounds 16 and 17). Both compounds 16 and 17 were void of any antibacterial activity; nonetheless, they showed equipotent antifungal activity in vitro to that of the most potent approved antifungal agent, amphotericin B. The promising antifungal effects of compounds 16 and 17 were maintained when assessed against an additional panel of 26 yeast and mold clinical isolates, including the Candida auris and C. krusei. Furthermore, compound 17 showed superior activity to amphotericin B in vitro against Candida glabrata and Cryptococcus gattii. Additionally, neither compound inhibited the normal human microbiota, and both possessed excellent safety profiles and were 16 times more tolerable than amphotericin B.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis Marquez ◽  
Cassandra L. Quave

Antimicrobial resistance is a global issue that threatens the effective practice of modern medicine and global health. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) fungal strains of Candida auris and azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus were highlighted in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2019 report, Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States. Conventional antifungals used to treat fungal infections are no longer as effective, leading to increased mortality. Compounding this issue, there are very few new antifungals currently in development. Plants from traditional medicine represent one possible research path to addressing the issue of MDR fungal pathogens. In this commentary piece, we discuss how medical ethnobotany—the study of how people use plants in medicine—can be used as a guide to identify plant species for the discovery and development of novel antifungal therapies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s168-s168
Author(s):  
Omika Katoch ◽  
Vijeta Bajpai ◽  
Surbhi Khurana ◽  
Sonal Katyal ◽  
Purva Mathur

Background: Candidiasis caused by Candida auris is one of the most serious hospital-acquired infection. Initially, Candida auris was reported to cause local infections; later, invasive candidasis was also reported in which the bloodstream, the central nervous system, kidneys, liver eyes, etc, are invaded. In this study, we evaluated the clinical epidemiology and risk factors in patients hospitalized to trauma center. Methods: This study was conducted at JPN Apex Trauma Centre of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, which is a 169-bed hospital. All patients who were identified to have candidemia due to C. auris over a period of 5 years from January 2012 to December 2016 were included. Blood samples were collected in BAC-T-Alert bottles (Bio Merieux, Durham, NC) and isolates were identified up to the species level by the VITEK 2 (version 8.01, BioMerieux). Conventional identification was performed by observing color development on CHROMagar (Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, NJ). The demographic and clinical data of patients were collected from the hospital information system. Results: Over a period of 5 years, 20 patients admitted to our trauma hospital developed candidemia due to Candida auris. Among them, men were predominant (95%), and the mean (SD) age of the patients was 33 (+15) years. Among these patients, 80% were in hospitalized and 20% were follow-up patients. The median of the total length of stay in the hospital was 34 days (range, 7–122). All of the patients were on mechanical ventilation; 65% patients were catheterized and 75% patients had central line placed. Head injury was the major cause of trauma followed by abdomen, chest, and spine. The overall mortality rate was 40%. Most of the patients (65%) who developed Candida auris infection were immunocompromised. The different comorbidities present were hypertension (35%), diabetes (15%), renal disease (10%), and hepatitis C (5%). Broad-spectrum antibiotics were given: amoxicillin-clavulanate was given to 65% of patients; cefoperazone sulbactam was given to 30% of patients; chloroamphenicol, amicillin-sulbactam, or clindamycin was given to 10% of patients. Antifungal agents like fluconazole or caspofungin were given to 5% of patients. Major surgeries like cranioplasty were performed in 58% of patients. Pancreatectomy, laparotomy, and endoscopic necrosectomy were performed in 42% of patients. Conclusions:Candida auris is one of the dreaded and most commonly spread hospital-acquired fungal infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. Broad-spectrum antibiotics use, major surgery, and invasive devices were the most common risk factors for acquiring Candida auris infection.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
YanChun Zhu ◽  
Shannon Kilburn ◽  
Mili Kapoor ◽  
Sudha Chaturvedi ◽  
Karen Joy Shaw ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT An ongoing Candida auris outbreak in the New York metropolitan area is the largest recorded to date in North America. Laboratory surveillance revealed NY C. auris isolates are resistant to fluconazole, with variable resistance to other currently used broad-spectrum antifungal drugs, and that several isolates are panresistant. Thus, there is an urgent need for new drugs with a novel mechanism of action to combat the resistance challenge. Manogepix (MGX) is a first-in-class agent that targets the fungal Gwt1 enzyme. The prodrug fosmanogepix is currently in phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of fungal infections. We evaluated the susceptibility of 200 New York C. auris isolates to MGX and 10 comparator drugs using CLSI methodology. MGX demonstrated lower MICs than comparators (MIC50 and MIC90, 0.03 mg/liter; range, 0.004 to 0.06 mg/liter). The local epidemiological cutoff value (ECV) for MGX indicated all C. auris isolates were within the population of wild-type (WT) strains; 0.06 mg/liter defines the upper limit of wild type (UL-WT). MGX was 8- to 32-fold more active than the echinocandins, 16- to 64-fold more active than the azoles, and 64-fold more active than amphotericin B. No differences were found in the MGX or comparators’ MIC50, MIC90, or geometric mean (GM) values when subsets of clinical, surveillance, and environmental isolates were evaluated. The range of MGX MIC values for six C. auris panresistant isolates was 0.008 to 0.015 mg/liter, and the median and mode MIC values were 0.015 mg/liter, demonstrating that MGX retains activity against these isolates. These data support further clinical evaluation of fosmanogepix for the treatment of C. auris infections, including highly resistant isolates.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S654-S654
Author(s):  
Yan Chun Zhu ◽  
Shannon N Kilburn ◽  
Mili Kapoor ◽  
Sudha Chaturvedi ◽  
Karen J Shaw ◽  
...  

Abstract Background An ongoing Candida auris outbreak in the New York metropolitan area is the largest recorded to date in North America. NY C. auris isolates demonstrate resistance to fluconazole and variable resistance to other antifungals. Thus, there is an urgent need for new drugs with a novel mechanism of action to combat the resistance challenge. Manogepix (MGX) is a first-in-class agent that targets the fungal Gwt1 enzyme. The prodrug, fosmanogepix, is in clinical development for the treatment of invasive fungal infections. Methods We evaluated the susceptibility of 200 NY C. auris isolates (2017-2020) to MGX and 10 comparators. Testing was performed using TREK frozen broth microdilution panels for FLC, VRC, ITC, ISA, POS, AFG, CAS, and MFG. MGX MICs were evaluated (CLSI M27-A3 guidelines) using a 50% reduction in fungal growth endpoint at 24 h. MICs were determined by ETEST® at 24 h for AMB and FLC. We defined pan-resistant C. auris as isolates with in vitro resistance to two or more azoles, all echinocandins, and AMB. The epidemiological cutoff values (ECVs, ECOFFs) for MGX were estimated using the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet calculator ECOFFinder. Results MGX demonstrated lower MICs than comparators (MIC50 and MIC90 0.03 mg/L; range 0.004-0.06 mg/L). MGX was 8-32-fold more active that the echinocandins, 16-64-fold more active than the azoles, and 64-fold more active than AMB. No differences were found in the MGX or comparators’ MIC50, MIC90, or GEOMEAN values when subsets of clinical, surveillance, and environmental isolates were evaluated. The range of MGX MIC values for six C. auris pan-resistant isolates was 0.008-0.015 mg/L, and the median and mode MIC values were 0.015 mg/L, demonstrating that MGX retains activity against these isolates. The MGX epidemiological cutoff value (ECV, 99% cutoff) was 0.06 mg/L. Conclusion MGX MICs were low against C. auris isolates including those with variable patterns of resistance to AMB, azoles, and echinocandins. In addition, MGX retained potent activity against six pan-resistant isolates. These data support the continued clinical evaluation of fosmanogepix for the treatment of C. auris infections, including highly resistant isolates. Disclosures Karen J. Shaw, PhD, Amplyx (Consultant)Forge Therapeutics (Consultant) Vishnu Chaturvedi, PhD, Amplyx (Grant/Research Support)


Author(s):  
Priyanka S. Bapat ◽  
Clarissa J. Nobile

Fungal infections are increasing in prevalence worldwide. The paucity of available antifungal drug classes, combined with the increased occurrence of multidrug resistance in fungi, has led to new clinical challenges in the treatment of fungal infections. Candida auris is a recently emerged multidrug resistant human fungal pathogen that has become a worldwide public health threat. C. auris clinical isolates are often resistant to one or more antifungal drug classes, and thus, there is a high unmet medical need for the development of new therapeutic strategies effective against C. auris. Additionally, C. auris possesses several virulence traits, including the ability to form biofilms, further contributing to its drug resistance, and complicating the treatment of C. auris infections. Here we assessed red, green, and blue visible lights alone and in combination with photosensitizing compounds for their efficacies against C. auris biofilms. We found that (1) blue light inhibited and disrupted C. auris biofilms on its own and that the addition of photosensitizing compounds improved its antibiofilm potential; (2) red light inhibited and disrupted C. auris biofilms, but only in combination with photosensitizing compounds; and (3) green light inhibited C. auris biofilms in combination with photosensitizing compounds, but had no effects on disrupting C. auris biofilms. Taken together, our findings suggest that photodynamic therapy could be an effective non-drug therapeutic strategy against multidrug resistant C. auris biofilm infections.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
YanChun Zhu ◽  
Shannon Kilburn ◽  
Mili Kapoor ◽  
Sudha Chaturvedi ◽  
Karen Joy Shaw ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAn ongoing Candida auris outbreak in the New York metropolitan area is the largest recorded to date in North America. Laboratory surveillance revealed NY C. auris isolates are resistant to fluconazole, with variable resistance to other currently used broad-spectrum antifungal drugs, and that several isolates are pan-resistant. Thus, there is an urgent need for new drugs with a novel mechanism of action to combat the resistance challenge. Manogepix (MGX) is a first-in-class agent that targets the fungal Gwt1 enzyme. The prodrug, fosmanogepix, is currently in Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of fungal infections. We evaluated the susceptibility of 200 New York C. auris isolates to MGX and 10 comparator drugs using CLSI methodology. MGX demonstrated lower MICs than comparators (MIC50 and MIC90 0.03 mg/L; range 0.004-0.06 mg/L). The MGX epidemiological cutoff value (ECV, 99% cutoff) for the tested C. auris isolates was 0.06 mg/L. MGX was 8-32-fold more active than the echinocandins, 16-64-fold more active than the azoles, and 64-fold more active than amphotericin B. No differences were found in the MGX or comparators’ MIC50, MIC90, or GEOMEAN values when subsets of clinical, surveillance, and environmental isolates were evaluated. The range of MGX MIC values for six C. auris pan-resistant isolates was 0.008-0.015 mg/L, and the median and mode MIC values were 0.015 mg/L, demonstrating that MGX retains activity against these isolates. These data support further clinical evaluation of fosmanogepix for the treatment of C. auris infections, including highly resistant isolates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 488
Author(s):  
Lucie Peyclit ◽  
Hanane Yousfi ◽  
Jean-Marc Rolain ◽  
Fadi Bittar

Immunodepression, whether due to HIV infection or organ transplantation, has increased human vulnerability to fungal infections. These conditions have created an optimal environment for the emergence of opportunistic infections, which is concomitant to the increase in antifungal resistance. The use of conventional antifungal drugs as azoles and polyenes can lead to clinical failure, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Difficulties related to treating fungal infections combined with the time required to develop new drugs, require urgent consideration of other therapeutic alternatives. Drug repurposing is one of the most promising and rapid solutions that the scientific and medical community can turn to, with low costs and safety advantages. To treat life-threatening resistant fungal infections, drug repurposing has led to the consideration of well-known and potential molecules as a last-line therapy. The aim of this review is to provide a summary of current antifungal compounds and their main resistance mechanisms, following by an overview of the antifungal activity of non-traditional antimicrobial drugs. We provide their eventual mechanisms of action and the synergistic combinations that improve the activity of current antifungal treatments. Finally, we discuss drug repurposing for the main emerging multidrug resistant (MDR) fungus, including the Candida auris, Aspergillus or Cryptococcus species.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Arastehfar ◽  
Cornelia Lass-Flörl ◽  
Rocio Garcia-Rubio ◽  
Farnaz Daneshnia ◽  
Macit Ilkit ◽  
...  

Human fungal pathogens are attributable to a significant economic burden and mortality worldwide. Antifungal treatments, although limited in number, play a pivotal role in decreasing mortality and morbidities posed by invasive fungal infections (IFIs). However, the recent emergence of multidrug-resistant Candida auris and Candida glabrata and acquiring invasive infections due to azole-resistant C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, and Aspergillus spp. in azole-naïve patients pose a serious health threat considering the limited number of systemic antifungals available to treat IFIs. Although advancing for major fungal pathogens, the understanding of fungal attributes contributing to antifungal resistance is just emerging for several clinically important MDR fungal pathogens. Further complicating the matter are the distinct differences in antifungal resistance mechanisms among various fungal species in which one or more mechanisms may contribute to the resistance phenotype. In this review, we attempt to summarize the burden of antifungal resistance for selected non-albicansCandida and clinically important Aspergillus species together with their phylogenetic placement on the tree of life. Moreover, we highlight the different molecular mechanisms between antifungal tolerance and resistance, and comprehensively discuss the molecular mechanisms of antifungal resistance in a species level.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document