Relationship between the Antifungal Susceptibility Profile and the Production of Virulence-Related Hydrolytic Enzymes in Brazilian Clinical Strains of Candida glabrata

• Published in: Mediators of inflammation Vol. 2017; no. 2017; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Zancopé-Oliveira, Rosely Maria, Santos, André Luis Souza dos, Oliveira, Jean Carlos Almeida de, Barbedo, Leonardo Silva, Ramos, Lívia de Souza, Figueiredo-Carvalho, Maria Helena Galdino, Almeida-Paes, Rodrigo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01-01-2017; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Amphotericin B; Amphotericin B - pharmacology; Antifungal agents; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Aspartic endopeptidase; Candida; Candida glabrata; Candida glabrata - drug effects; Candida glabrata - enzymology; Catalase; Drug development; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Fungal; Drugs; Echinocandins - pharmacology; Enzymes; Esterase; Fluconazole; Fluconazole - pharmacology; Flucytosine; Fungi; Health aspects; Host-pathogen interactions; Hydrolysis; Itraconazole; Itraconazole - pharmacology; Lipopeptides - pharmacology; Micafungin; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Observations; Opportunist infection; Pathogenicity; Pathogens; Phenotypes; Phospholipase; Statistical analysis; Virulence; Virulence (Microbiology); Yeast; Brazil
• ISSN: 0962-9351; 1466-1861
• DOI: 10.1155/2017/8952878

Candida glabrata is a facultative intracellular opportunistic fungal pathogen in human infections. Several virulence-associated attributes are involved in its pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, modulation of host immune defenses, and regulation of antifungal drug resistance. This study evaluated the in vitro antifungal susceptibility profile to five antifungal agents, the production of seven hydrolytic enzymes related to virulence, and the relationship between these phenotypes in 91 clinical strains of C. glabrata. All C. glabrata strains were susceptible to flucytosine. However, some of these strains showed resistance to amphotericin B (9.9%), fluconazole (15.4%), itraconazole (5.5%), or micafungin (15.4%). Overall, C. glabrata strains were good producers of catalase, aspartic protease, esterase, phytase, and hemolysin. However, caseinase and phospholipase in vitro activities were not detected. Statistically significant correlations were identified between micafungin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and esterase production, between fluconazole and micafungin MIC and hemolytic activity, and between amphotericin B MIC and phytase production. These results contribute to clarify some of the C. glabrata mechanisms of pathogenicity. Moreover, the association between some virulence attributes and the regulation of antifungal resistance encourage the development of new therapeutic strategies involving virulence mechanisms as potential targets for effective antifungal drug development for the treatment of C. glabrata infections.