Microbe Profile: - a master of deception.

is a fungal microbe associated with multiple vertebrate microbiomes and their terrestrial environments. In humans, the species has emerged as an opportunistic pathogen that now ranks as the second-leading cause of candidiasis in Europe and North America (Beardsley . 2024, 62). People at highest risk of infection include the elderly, immunocompromised individuals and/or long-term residents of hospital and assisted-living facilities. is intrinsically drug-resistant, metabolically versatile and able to avoid detection by the immune system. Analyses of its 12.3 Mb genome indicate a stable pangenome Marcet-Houben . ( 2022, 20) and phylogenetic affinity with . Recent phylogenetic analyses suggest reclassifying as Lakashima and Sugita ( 2022, 63: 119-132).