Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Candida Parapsilosis Complex Isolates from a Lebanese Hospital

Overview

Journal Res Sq

Date 2024 Jun 21

PMID 38903078

Authors

Reine El Hady

Nour Fattouh

Marc Finianos

Ibrahim Bitar

Rola Husni

Roy Khalaf

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The opportunistic fungal pathogen is a major causative agent of candidiasis leading to death in immunocompromised individuals. Azoles are the first line of defense in treatment by inhibiting involved in the synthesis of ergosterol, the main sterol fungal sterol. Resistance to azoles is on the increase worldwide including in Lebanon. The purpose of this study is to characterize nine hospital isolates labeled as : four resistant and five sensitive to fluconazole. Phenotypic characterization was achieved through a battery of tests that target pathogenicity attributes such as virulence, biofilm formation, stress resistance, and ergosterol content. Genotypic analysis was done through whole genome sequencing to mutations in key virulence and resistance genes. Phylogenetic comparison was performed to determine strain relatedness and clonality. Genomic data and phylogenetic analysis revealed that three of the nine isolates were misidentified; two as and belonging to the complex, while the third was . Moreover, several known and novel mutations in key drug resistance and virulence genes were identified such as and . Phylogenetic analysis revealed a high degree of relatedness and clonality within our isolates. Our results showed that resistant isolates had no increased ergosterol content, no statistically significant difference in virulence, but exhibited an increase in biofilm content compared to the sensitive isolates. In conclusion, our study, the first of its kind in Lebanon, suggests several mechanisms of antifungal drug resistance in hospital isolates.

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