Ogundeji Adepemi, Bello-Akinosho Maryam, Swart Vaughn, Featherston Jonathan, Cason Errol D, Bolsenbroek Armand, Beneke Carel, Musoke Jolly, Baker Tyla, Ismail Arshad, Sebolai Olihile, Albertyn Jacobus, Pohl Carolina
Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 9301, South Africa.
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 9301, South Africa.
Med Mycol. 2025 Aug 5;63(8). doi: 10.1093/mmy/myaf069.
The environmental niche and mode of transmission from the environment to humans of the emerging pathogenic yeast, Candidozyma (Candida) auris is a subject of speculation, with hypotheses including avian species and marine environments. Interestingly, yeasts related to Candidozyma auris have been repeatedly observed associated with various insects. This prompted us to investigate a thermophilic insect, Locustana pardalina, as a possible host for C. auris. Here, we report the isolation and identification of three C. auris strains from the gut of L. pardalina as well as the phenotypic characterisation of one of these isolates. Interestingly, the isolate was able to survive at 50°C and grew at 15% NaCl. In addition, it was susceptible to the tested disinfectants and antifungals, except fluconazole. Genome sequencing and single-nucleotide polymorphism analyses placed the isolate in Clade III, which is common in South African hospitals. This highlights the potential role of thermotolerant insects in the evolution and dissemination of emerging pathogenic yeasts.
新兴致病酵母耳念珠菌（Candidozyma (Candida) auris）的环境生态位以及从环境传播至人类的方式仍是一个猜测的话题，相关假设包括鸟类物种和海洋环境。有趣的是，与耳念珠菌相关的酵母已多次被观察到与各种昆虫有关。这促使我们研究嗜热昆虫——南非褐飞蝗（Locustana pardalina），看它是否可能是耳念珠菌的宿主。在此，我们报告从南非褐飞蝗肠道中分离并鉴定出三株耳念珠菌菌株，以及其中一株分离株的表型特征。有趣的是，该分离株能够在50°C下存活，并在15%氯化钠的环境中生长。此外，除氟康唑外，它对所测试的消毒剂和抗真菌药物敏感。基因组测序和单核苷酸多态性分析将该分离株归入第三进化枝，这在南非医院中很常见。这凸显了耐热昆虫在新兴致病酵母进化和传播中的潜在作用。
