Medical mycology最新文献

{"title":"Clinical performance of the fully automated quantitative LeaDEA Pneumocystis PCR Kit for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia.","authors":"Yasufumi Matsumura, Yasuhiro Tsuchido, Yusuke Tsuda, Koh Shinohara, Masaki Yamamoto, Miki Nagao","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag058","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Compared with microscopy, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is more sensitive for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) and may also help distinguish PcP from colonization based on fungal burden. In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the performance of the LeaDEA Pneumocystis PCR Kit, a single-packaged reagent system designed for use on a fully automated molecular testing platform, using respiratory specimens from immunocompromised patients. The analytical and clinical performance of the LeaDEA assay on the GeneLEAD VIII platform was compared with that of a previously described laboratory-developed reference qPCR assay targeting the major surface glycoprotein gene of P. jirovecii. The limit of detection was 500 copies/ml for both assays, with a quantification range of 10³-10⁸ copies/ml. Among 350 patients (158 bronchoalveolar lavage and 192 sputum [including induced sputum] samples), the reference assay-based European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (EORTC/MSGERC) criteria classified 162 as having PcP (13 proven and 149 probable) and 188 as non-PcP. The overall concordance of qPCR results between the assays was 93% (kappa, 0.85). Compared with the reference assay-based diagnoses, the LeaDEA assay-based diagnoses showed 92.0% positive % agreement and 96.3% negative % agreement (kappa, 0.88). Among the PCR-positive non-HIV patients, the copy numbers measured by the LeaDEA assay distinguished PcP from colonization based on qPCR-independent diagnoses, with 63.8% sensitivity and 72.5% specificity, at an optimal cutoff of 20 427 copies/ml. The LeaDEA assay demonstrated analytical and clinical performance comparable to that of a reference qPCR assay, which may facilitate the diagnosis of PcP in routine clinical laboratories.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148157058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High burden of multidrug-resistant Candidozyma (formerly Candida) auris in a tertiary care haematology unit: Diagnostic pitfalls and identification of high-risk clinical areas.","authors":"Suman Kundu, Chayanika Banerjee, Swagata Ganguly Bhattacharjee","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag055","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag055","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Candidozyma (formerly Candida) auris is a multidrug-resistant critical priority pathogen, posing significant challenges in high-risk settings. This study was aimed to determine the proportion of C. auris among candidemia, evaluate automated antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) against Broth Microdilution (BMD), and identify high-risk areas in a haematology unit. A prospective cross-sectional study (September 2024-September 2025) screened 3894 blood cultures in a Kolkata hospital. Isolates were identified via Vitek-2 and MALDI-TOF MS. Vitek 2 AFST results were compared with the gold-standard BMD. Spatial mapping was utilized to identify ward clustering. Excluding paediatric and non-haematology cases, the adult C. auris cohort (n = 38) was analysed (mean age 25.8 ± 11.2 years). All had haematological malignancy and neutropenia, with central venous catheters in 81.6% (n = 31). The 30-day crude mortality was 15.8% (n = 6). Diagnostically Vitek 2 demonstrated a critical 47.4% Major Error rate for Amphotericin B compared to BMD (P < 0.001), significantly overestimating resistance. Spatial mapping identified persistent environmental reservoirs around specific high-traffic beds. Vitek 2 significantly overestimates Amphotericin B resistance, necessitating BMD verification to prevent inappropriate exclusion of polyene therapy. The infection burden in young, neutropenic adult highlights a vulnerable demographic. Persistence case clustering suggests environmental fomite colonization, requiring enhanced diagnostic stewardship and targeted sporicidal decontamination in haematology units.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148157031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High frequency and high genetic diversity of Pneumocystis sp. in foals.","authors":"Julie Guiblin, Solène Le Gal, Nathan Le Nan, Corentin Paranthoën, Lourdes Velo-Suárez, Nathalie Foucher, Maud Bernez-Romand, Anthony Madeline, Nathalie Cordonnier-Lefort, Corinne Sevin, José-Carlos Valle-Casuso, Jacques Guillot, Peggy Moreau, Gilles Nevez","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag043","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Twenty-two foals, aged 1-7 months, which died from interstitial pneumonia (15 foals) or unrelated illnesses and injuries (7 foals), were enrolled in this study. Sampling of the lungs was performed post-mortem for a total of 52 specimens. Pneumocystis was detected in 21/22 foals (48/52 specimens) using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay targeting the gene encoding the small subunit of the mitochondrial rRNA (mtSSUrRNA) of the horse-related Pneumocystis (Pneumocystis sp. 'Equus ferus caballus'). The sequencing of the PCR products was successful in 34/48 specimens. The sequences were identical to the horse-related Pneumocystis reference sequence (Genbank accession number OP738808) in 7 specimens (5 foals). Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the sequences from 24 specimens (16 foals). Three alleles were determined according to these SNPs. Allele identification was successful in 10 specimens (7 foals) and unsuccessful in 21 specimens (14 foals) because of a mix of alleles. The presence of a mix of alleles highly suggests the presence of more than one strain able to infect foals. Three sequences from 2 foals did not align correctly to the reference sequence, with a percentage of identity of only 86.12%. Ultradeep sequencing of the gene encoding the large subunit of the mitochondrial rRNA (mtLSUrRNA) was performed on a subset of 5 specimens. The issued sequences were concatenated with mtSSUrRNA sequences and used for phylogenetic analysis. The phylogenetic analysis showed a shorter genetic distance of these sequences of Pneumocystis sp. 'Equus ferus caballus' with that of another species close to Pneumocystis sp. 'Sus scrofa domesticus', suggesting a putative other species able to infect foals. These results provided original and additional data on genetic diversity of Pneumocystis sp. in foals.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147874477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fungal species identification in FFPE tissues: A comparative evaluation of droplet digital PCR, ITS sequencing, and metagenomic next-generation sequencing.","authors":"Jialu Che, Juan Du, Yingshi Piao, Yujie Dong, Li Zhang, Dan Su, Chen Zhang, Yingli Zhao, Weili Du, Nanying Che","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag049","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag049","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate histological diagnosis of fungal infections is challenging due to morphological similarities among fungi, which can affect treatment outcomes. This study evaluated the performance of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing, and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) using 111 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples with histologically confirmed fungal infections. All three methods showed comparable detection rates for filamentous fungi (84.2%-94.7%; P = .2). For yeast-like fungi, however, mNGS demonstrated significantly higher detection (66.7%) than ddPCR (46.3%) and ITS sequencing (35.2%) (P < .01). mNGS also achieved superior genus- and species-level identification (81.1% for both) compared to ddPCR (65.8% and 64.9%) and ITS sequencing (61.3% and 50.5%) (P < .01). Additionally, mNGS identified two unusual fungi (Scedosporium apiospermum and Schizophyllum commune) previously misdiagnosed as Aspergillus. These findings support the integration of mNGS into clinical diagnostic workflows for the accurate identification of yeast-like and rare fungal pathogens, thereby enabling targeted antifungal therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147942224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metformin exerts a dual effect on Mucorales virulence by altering oxidative metabolism through the regulation of rhizoferrin levels.","authors":"J Alberto Patiño-Medina, Viridiana Alejandre-Castañeda, César J Torres-Cortés, León Francisco Ruíz-Herrera, Marco I Valle-Maldonado, César R Solorio-Alvarado, Joel Ramírez-Emiliano, Karla Viridiana Castro-Cerritos, Rafael Ortíz-Alvarado, Francisco E Nicolas, Victoriano Garre, Martha I Ramírez-Díaz, Ulrike Binder, Víctor Meza-Carmen","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag053","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mucormycosis, caused by fungi belonging to the order Mucorales, is associated with patients who suffer from uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Blood glucose management in diabetic patients is performed through multiple strategies, with metformin being a common drug for controlling these levels. In this work, we show that the addition of low or high concentrations of metformin during the culture of Mucor lusitanicus and Rhizopus arrhizus differentially affects the toxicity of their cell-free culture supernatants toward Caenorhabditis elegans. The same effect was observed in infections of Galleria mellonella and mice treated with different metformin concentrations. Virulence induced by low concentrations of metformin correlates with augmented mitochondrial activity, which enhances respiration and increases hydroxyl radical (•OH) levels. Moreover, the SS toxicity towards C. elegans was eliminated by a mitophagy inducer and oxidative metabolism inhibitors, supporting that the effect of low metformin concentration on virulence is mediated by enhancing mitochondrial activity. Meanwhile, high metformin concentrations led to decreased virulence and reduced mitochondrial activity, along with the upregulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-α1-subunit (known also as Snfα-1), a mitophagy marker, catalase, and superoxide dismutase transcripts. Furthermore, deletion of the genes encoding the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (PkaR1) and rhizoferrin synthetase partially revealed the signaling pathway underlying metformin-induced virulence of M. lusitanicus. In general, we found that metformin concentrations have a dual effect on the virulence of both Mucorales species by regulating oxidative metabolism, which may be relevant to the outcome of mucormycosis in diabetic patients treated with metformin.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148138595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sporotrichosis in patients with diabetes mellitus: A systematic review of individual participant data.","authors":"Helena Duani, Alexandro Bonifaz, Andrés Tirado-Sánchez, Vanessa Caroline Randi Magalhães, Max Carlos Ramírez-Soto","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag060","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sporotrichosis is a globally distributed subcutaneous mycosis caused by fungi of the Sporothrix complex, and is associated with worse outcomes in immunocompromised individuals, including those with diabetes mellitus. The impact of diabetes mellitus on the clinical presentation and outcomes of sporotrichosis remains poorly characterized. We conducted a systematic review of individual participant data to assess this association. Eight databases (Cochrane Library, Embase, LILACS, MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Global Index Medicus/WHO, SciELO, and Web of Science) were searched without restrictions on publication date, country, language, sex, or age. The retrieved case data were divided into two groups: (1) localized disease and (2) systemic disease. We identified 122 cases of sporotrichosis in patients with diabetes mellitus from 64 articles and from 28 unpublished cases from Brazil and Mexico. Most patients were male (62.3%), with a mean age of 56.6 years, and 73% were from hyperendemic countries. Among cutaneous presentations, lymphocutaneous and fixed cutaneous forms were most frequent (41%), while osteoarticular multifocal disease was the leading extracutaneous manifestation (22.1%). Alcohol use disorder was independently associated with systemic disease (adjusted OR 4.76, 95% CI 1.45-18.05; P = .014). Compared with localized disease, systemic disease more commonly presented with joint symptoms (40.6% vs. 13.5%; P < .001), lesions with lower limb involvement (80% vs. 20%; P < .001), head involvement (81.3% vs. 18.8%; P < .001), and trunk involvement (84.6% vs. 15.4%; P < .001). Itraconazole monotherapy was the main treatment (45.9%), followed by amphotericin B-based regimens (33.6%). There were better outcomes for patients with localized disease than for those with systemic disease (cure rate 86.6% vs. 56.4%; P < .001). Systemic disease carried a 20% mortality rate in this population. These findings underscore the challenges posed by sporotrichosis in patients with diabetes mellitus and highlight the need for further research on risk factors for systemic disease and optimal treatment strategies for this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148205362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of the DermaGenius® Resistance Multiplex Real-Time PCR assay for rapid identification and detection of terbinafine resistant Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum species complex.","authors":"Lorra Monpierre, Françoise Foulet, Yacine Elaiba, Soulaf Suyyagh-Albouz, Delphine Patarot, Frédérique Boquel, Cécile Angebault, Françoise Botterel","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag051","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Terbinafine resistance in Trichophyton species has been increasingly reported worldwide, resulting in recalcitrant and difficult-to-treat dermatophytosis. However, resistance detection is not routinely implemented in diagnostic laboratories, as conventional methods are time-consuming, technically demanding, and require specialized equipment. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the DermaGenius® Resistance real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of Trichophyton isolates harboring mutations in squalene epoxidase (SQLE) gene associated with terbinafine resistance, in comparison with conventional diagnostic approaches. Thirty clinical Trichophyton isolates with known terbinafine susceptibility profiles were included. All isolates were analyzed using the DermaGenius® Resistance real-time PCR assay and standard methods, including internal transcribed spacer (ITS), SQLE gene Sanger sequencing, and antifungal susceptibility testing to terbinafine using EUCAST microdilution and gradient diffusion strip methods. The DermaGenius® Resistance assay identified 20 T. interdigitale/mentagrophytes species complex isolates, of which 11 harboured wild-type SQLE and nine mutant SQLE. It also identified 10 T. rubrum/soudanense species complex isolates, including eight with wild-type SQLE and two with mutant SQLE. With regard to terbinafine susceptibility testing using both techniques, categorical agreement (CA), based on classification into ''wild-type'' (WT) and ''non-wild-type'' (NWT) using ECOFF, was 100% for T. indotineae and T. rubrum. No discrepancies were observed between the two methods in the WT/NWT classification. The DermaGenius® Resistance real-time PCR assay provides a rapid and reliable tool for the detection of terbinafine resistance in clinically relevant Trichophyton species. This assay represents a practical alternative to conventional methods and may enable earlier identification of resistant strains, thereby improving patient management.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147973964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Current challenges and drug delivery updates in vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment: A comprehensive review.","authors":"Shital Vikas Jadhav, Aparna Vijay Bhalerao, Zeeshan Nasiruddin Ansari","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag048","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To provide a comprehensive summary of a decade (2014-2025) of high-quality research from Q1 to Q3 journals on formulation development and improved drug-delivery methods for vulvovaginal candidiasis, addressing the limits of conventional antifungal therapy. A detailed narrative review was carried out using PubMed, Scopus, Springer, Wiley, Frontiers, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar. To maintain scientific rigor, only the most relevant Q1-Q3 indexed publications were included. Studies published in the last 11 years have been evaluated for their relevance to vaginal drug delivery systems and antifungal formulations. Data were systematically retrieved and described in text and tables, with 203 formulation techniques given, including nanoparticles, vesicular carriers, mucoadhesive systems, thermosensitive gels, electrospun nanofibers, microneedles, and three-dimensional printed dosage forms. The key outcomes examined were vaginal retention, drug release behavior, mucosal penetration, antibiofilm activity, and antifungal efficacy. In comparison to conventional formulations, advanced drug-delivery systems displayed longer vaginal residence time, sustained drug release, and improved tissue penetration. Nanoparticle-based and mucoadhesive systems demonstrated increased antifungal effectiveness against both microbial and biofilm-associated Candida species, with absolute fungal clearance improvements ranging from 25 to 45% in preclinical applications. This review combines 11years of formulation research, minimizing the need for readers to sift over fragmented literature. Major limitations included study design variability and a lack of long-term clinical data. This 11-year synthesis identifies improved drug-delivery technologies as promising patient-centered solutions for overcoming resistance, recurrence, and poor drug retention in vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment. These drug delivery systems constitute an important step toward next-generation antifungal therapy and better clinical outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147931034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of the PreventID Dermatophyte immunochromatographic test for diagnosing onychomycosis: Integration into routine clinical practice in a tertiary care hospital.","authors":"M Victoria Castaño-Amores, Beatriz González- Blanco, Maria Carmen Guevara Rodado, Ana Pérez-Ayala","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag056","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Onychomycosis is a common nail infection predominantly caused by dermatophytes. Accurate diagnosis is essential to guide antifungal therapy, yet conventional methods such as direct examination (DE) and fungal culture have important limitations, including operator dependence and long turnaround times. Rapid antigen-based assays, such as immunochromatographic tests (ICTs), have emerged as potential alternatives, but their performance under routine laboratory conditions remains insufficiently defined. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the PreventID Dermatophyte immunochromatographic test under controlled conditions and during routine clinical implementation, using fungal culture as the reference standard. This study was conducted in two phases at a tertiary care hospital. During the pilot phase (November 2023-February 2024), nail samples from patients with suspected onychomycosis were analyzed in parallel using ICT, DE, and fungal culture. During the implementation phase (September 2024-September 2025), ICT was introduced as a first-line screening tool. A subset of samples processed in October 2024 and January 2025 underwent parallel testing with ICT, DE, and culture for direct comparison. Diagnostic performance metrics were calculated using dermatophyte culture as the reference standard. In the pilot phase, 49 samples were analyzed, with dermatophytes isolated in 18 cases. ICT showed a sensitivity of 88.9%, specificity of 90.3%, and substantial agreement with culture (κ = 0.78), outperforming DE in sensitivity. During routine implementation, 904 ICTs were performed; among ICT-negative samples undergoing culture, dermatophytes were isolated in 52 cases, yielding a negative predictive value of 87.5%. During the systematic comparison period, ICT sensitivity decreased to 37.5% with poor agreement (κ = 0.08), whereas DE showed higher sensitivity (63.9%) and moderate agreement (κ = 0.53). PreventID Dermatophyte performs well under controlled conditions but shows reduced sensitivity in routine practice. Although its rapid turnaround makes it a useful screening tool, the observed false-negative rate limits its reliability as a stand-alone test to exclude infection. Therefore, ICT results should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical findings and confirmed by conventional methods, supporting its role within a multimodal diagnostic strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148199434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of postbiotics on biofilm formation and gene expression in Candida spp. isolates from patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.","authors":"Jeiser Marcelo Consuegra-Asprilla, Mariana González-Idarraga, Santiago Montoya-Carrascal, Dulce Xiomara Tello-Tobón, Andrés Abril Gómez, Flaviano Santos Martins, Ángel González","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myag061","DOIUrl":"10.1093/mmy/myag061","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>First-line treatment for vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) has reduced efficacy in patients with recurrent VVC (RVVC), prompting the search for therapeutic alternatives such as probiotics. Recently, postbiotics (cellular components and metabolites derived from probiotics) have gained relevance because they offer similar benefits to probiotics without the risks associated with live microorganisms. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-biofilm effect of cell-free supernatants (CFSs) derived from probiotic strains against Candida spp. isolates from patients with RVVC, as well as their impact on the expression of genes associated with biofilm formation. Therefore, the anti-biofilm activity of CFSs from Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus DM-UFMG 63, Bifidobacterium longum 5,1A and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM SD 5221 was evaluated in 40 Candida spp. isolates. The CFSs from L. acidophilus NCFM SD 5221 and Lc. rhamnosus 63 were analyzed using the XTT assay, and their effect on gene expression was measured by qPCR. At an estimated protein concentration of ∼200 μg/ml, these CFSs significantly inhibited biofilm formation by ∼ 50% (P < .01)). This phenotypic effect correlated with the downregulation of key biofilm-associated genes (ALS3, HWP1, EFG1, TEC1, and UME6), alongside a concomitant upregulation of the transcriptional repressor NRG1. The findings of this study demonstrate that CFSs derived from Lc. rhamnosus DM-UFMG 63 and L. acidophilus NCFM SD 5221 exhibit significant antagonistic activity against biofilm formation in clinical isolates from patients with RVVC. Consequently, these CFSs represent a promising therapeutic and prophylactic alternative for the management of RVVC.</p>","PeriodicalId":18586,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13285873/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148218344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}