Work

Candidozyma auris ( Candida auris ) as a harbinger of novel fungal pathogens

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: ABSTRACT Mammals are protected from fungal pathogens by two evolutionary pillars: adaptive immunity and elevated body temperature. Anthropogenic climate change is eroding this thermal barrier, while a concurrent decline in human basal body temperature accelerates convergence from both directions. Candida auris , a thermotolerant, multidrug-resistant pathogen, arose independently as genetically distinct clades on multiple continents, a pattern implicating shared selective pressures rather than clonal spread. Unlike its closest relatives, which grow poorly at mammalian temperatures, it thrives at 37°C, tolerates up to 47°C, persists on hospital surfaces, resists all three major antifungal classes, and causes invasive infections with 30–60% mortality. We review its evolutionary biology, ecology, and clinical significance, evaluating hypotheses for its origin, and the mechanisms underlying its thermotolerance and virulence. C. auris may be the first of many fungi adapting to breach mammalian thermal defenses, making predictive frameworks for fungal disease emergence an urgent priority.

Source: mSphere

DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00109-26

Authors: Carla E. Schuh, Chaitanya S. Gokhale

Institution: University of Würzburg

Language: English

Topic: Antifungal resistance and susceptibility

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,500