Candida (fungus)

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Candida
Candida albicans at 200× magnification
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Saccharomycetes
Order: Saccharomycetales
Family: Saccharomycetaceae
Genus: Candida
Berkh. (1923)
Type species
Candida vulgaris
Berkh. (1923)

Candida is a

fungal infections worldwide and the largest genus of medically important yeast.[1][2]

The genus Candida encompasses about 200 species.[2] Many species are harmless commensals or endosymbionts of hosts including humans. When mucosal barriers are disrupted or the immune system is compromised, however, they can invade and cause disease, known as an opportunistic infection.[3] Candida is located on most mucosal surfaces and mainly the gastrointestinal tract, along with the skin.[3] Candida albicans is one of the most commonly isolated species and can cause infections (candidiasis or thrush) in humans and other animals. In winemaking, some species of Candida can potentially spoil wines.[4]

Many species are found in

immunocompromised), affect over 90,000 people a year in the US.[8]

The genome of several Candida species has been sequenced.[8]

diabetes or the immunocompromised, such as those infected with HIV, are more susceptible to yeast infections.[10][11]

Candida rugosa are also used to digest fats in laboratory assays because of their broad range of activity.[12]

Biology

Agar plate culture of C. albicans

When grown in a laboratory, Candida appears as large, round, white or cream (albicans means "whitish" in Latin) colonies, which emit a yeasty odor on agar plates at room temperature.[13] C. albicans ferments glucose and maltose to acid and gas, sucrose to acid, and does not ferment lactose, which helps to distinguish it from other Candida species.[14]

Recent molecular

genera once phylogenetic reorganization is complete (for example, see Khunnamwong et al. 2015).[16]

Some species of Candida use a non-standard

Pathogen

Candida spores in a vaginal swab. (Gram stain)

Candida are almost universal in low numbers on healthy adult skin[14] and C. albicans is part of the normal flora of the mucous membranes of the respiratory, gastrointestinal and female genital tracts. The dryness of skin compared to other tissues prevents the growth of the fungus, but damaged skin or skin in intertriginous regions is more amenable to rapid growth.[19]

Overgrowth of several species, including C. albicans, can cause infections ranging from superficial, such as

amphotericin or fluconazole; other methods would include surgery.[22]

Applications

C. albicans has been used in combination with

carbon nanotubes (CNT) to produce stable electrically conductive bio-nano-composite tissue materials that have been used as temperature-sensing elements.[23]

Species

Among Candida species, C. albicans, which is a normal constituent of the

C. rugosa, which could be because they are frequently less susceptible to the currently used azole-group of antifungals.[25] Other medically important species include C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, C. dubliniensis.[8] and the more recently emerging pathogen C. auris.[26]

Other Candida species, such as

biological control agents in fruit.[27]

References

  1. PMID 21178472
    .
  2. ^ from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  3. ^ .
  4. .
  5. .
  6. .
  7. .
  8. ^ .
  9. .
  10. ^ Steckelberg, James M. (2012-09-18). "Male yeast infection: Can I get it from my girlfriend?". Mayo Clinic. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  11. ^ "Yeast Infections". MedlinePlus. Archived from the original on 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  12. PMID 31414611
    .
  13. ^ "Candida species". DoctorFungus.org. Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  14. ^ .
  15. ^ .
  16. .
  17. ^ "CGD Help: Non-standard Genetic Codes". Candida Genome Database. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  18. ^
    S2CID 13575999
    .
  19. ^ .
  20. .
  21. ^ "Yeast Infections (Candidiasis) in Men and Women". WebMD. 2012-11-12. Archived from the original on 2012-08-19. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  22. PMID 26858961
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  23. .
  24. .
  25. .
  26. .
  27. ^ "Efficacy of Candida oleophila strain 128 in preventing Penicillium Expansum infection in apricot fruit". Acta Horticulturae. 485: 141–148. 1999. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  28. PMID 19459983
    .
  29. .
  30. .

External links