The drug-resistant fungal species Candida auris is turning more deadly and is spreading globally, according to a study led by Indian researchers.
Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen with a unique ability to grow and persist on human skin.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, in collaboration with a team at the National Institutes of Health in the US, showed that invasive fungal infections are spreading across the globe and gaining in virulence, affecting about 6.5 million people per year.
These infections are frequently associated with high mortality rates, often exceeding 50 per cent, even with antifungal therapy.
“C. auris has developed wily cellular strategies to survive, including morphogenesis through its ability to switch from yeast growth to filament-driven spread, forming multicellular aggregates, and switching its phenotypic genetic expression in response to changing environments,” the team said in the paper published in the journal Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews.
The fungus is also extremely successful in colonising human skin, with molecular evidence showing that proteins of the cell wall attach like a kind of glue to mammalian cells and even non-living surfaces.
Long-term skin colonisation by C. auris is a significant medical concern because colonised patients may facilitate inter- and intra-hospital transmission of the fungus to other patients.
Furthermore, C. auris-colonised patients are at risk of developing more serious systemic infections, the team said.
While the host develops mechanisms to combat C. auris, current scientific evidence indicates that the pathogen can develop proactive ways to evade the immune response.
Diagnostics also remain a challenge, as most conventional laboratory tests lead to misidentification as other related yeasts, delaying and complicating treatment.
However, awareness of the burden posed by this relatively new threat is growing, and research efforts are now increasing to meet clinical needs.
“Taken together, these data underscore the need to develop novel antifungal agents with broad-spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, improve diagnostic tests, and develop immune- and vaccine-based adjunct therapies for the treatment of high-risk patients,” the researchers wrote.
The study also called for efforts to raise awareness about fungal diseases through the development of better surveillance mechanisms, especially in resource-poor countries.
–IANS
