New insights into the global expansion of Candida auris
· News-Medical- Invasive fungal infections affect approximately 6.5 million people per year, with high mortality rates.
- C. auris has also developed wily cellular strategies to survive, including morphogenesis in its ability to switch from yeast growth to filament-driven spread, as well as forming multicellular aggregates, and also switching its phenotypic genetic expression in response to its changing environment.
- The host develops mechanisms to battle C. auris, but the science so far indicates the germ can develop proactive ways to evade the immune response. Yet new vaccination and treatment strategies are possible.
"Taken together, these data underscore the need to develop novel antifungal agents with broad-spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, to improve diagnostic tests, and to develop immune- and vaccine- based adjunct modalities for the treatment of high-risk patients," they write. "In addition, future efforts should focus on raising awareness about fungal disease through developing better surveillance mechanisms, especially in resource-poor countries.
"All these developments should help improve the outcomes and prognosis of patients afflicted by opportunistic fungal infections," the authors conclude.
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