Nine Things Genomics Can Tell Us About Candida auris

Aleksandra D Chybowska, Delma S Childers, Rhys A Farrer* (Corresponding Author)

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)
4 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Candida auris is a recently emerged multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen causing severe illness in hospitalized patients. C. auris is most closely related to a few environmental or rarely observed but cosmopolitan Candida species. However, C. auris is unique in the concern it is generating among public health agencies for its rapid emergence, difficulty to treat, and the likelihood for further and more extensive outbreaks and spread. To date, five geographically distributed and genetically divergent lineages have been identified, none of which includes isolates that were collected prior to 1996. Indeed, C. auris' ecological niche(s) and emergence remain enigmatic, although a number of hypotheses have been proposed. Recent genomic and transcriptomic work has also identified a variety of gene and chromosomal features that may have conferred C. auris with several important clinical phenotypes including its drug-resistance and growth at high temperatures. In this review we discuss nine major lines of enquiry into C. auris that big-data technologies and analytical approaches are beginning to answer.

Original languageEnglish
Article number351
Number of pages18
JournalFrontiers in Genetics
Volume11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Apr 2020

Bibliographical note

FUNDING
RF was supported by MRC grant MR/N006364/2 and a Wellcome
Trust Seed Award (215239/Z/19/Z).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to give thanks to Carolina Coelho for helpful
discussions and assistance with Figure 1 and Jose Muñoz for
valuable feedback on the manuscript.

Keywords

  • Candida auris
  • genomics
  • emergence
  • antifungal resistance mechanisms
  • virulence factors
  • epigenetics
  • SOUTH-AFRICA
  • AMPHOTERICIN-B
  • ITRACONAZOLE
  • EMERGENCE
  • SP-NOV.
  • FUNGEMIA
  • VITEK 2
  • RESISTANT
  • SURVEILLANCE
  • ALBICANS

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