Year: 2023
Type: review
Abstract: Worldwide, the number of infections caused by biofilm-forming fungal pathogens is very high. In human medicine, there is an increasing proportion of immunocompromised patients with prolonged hospitalization, and patients with long-term inserted drains, cannulas, catheters, tubes, or other artificial devices, that exhibit a predisposition for colonization by biofilm-forming yeasts. A high percentage of mortality is due to candidemia caused by medically important Candida species. Species of major clinical significance include C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei, and C. auris. The association of these pathogenic species in the biofilm structure is a serious therapeutic problem. Candida cells growing in the form of a biofilm are able to resist persistent therapy thanks to a combination of their protective mechanisms and their ability to disseminate to other parts of the body, thus representing a threat from the perspective of a permanent source of infection. The elucidation of the key mechanisms of biofilm formation is essential to progress in the understanding and treatment of invasive Candida infections.
Source: Journal of Fungi
DOI: 10.3390/jof9100955
Authors: Zuzana Malinovská, Eva Čonková, Peter Váczi
Institution: University of Veterinary Medicine in Košice
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,447
OpenAlex ID: W4387019916