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Effect of Voriconazole on Candida tropicalis Biofilms: Relation with ERG Genes Expression

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Abstract

Candida tropicalis has emerged as the third most prevalent fungal pathogens and its ability to form biofilms has been considered one of the most important virulence factors, since biofilms represent high tolerance to antifungal agents. However, the mechanisms of C. tropicalis biofilm resistance to antifungals remain poorly understood. Thus, the main aim of this work was to infer about the effect of voriconazole on the formation and control of C. tropicalis biofilms and disclose its relationship with ERG genes’ expression. Planktonic cells tolerance of several C. tropicalis clinical isolates to voriconazole was determined through of antifungal susceptibility test, and the effect of this azole against C. tropicalis biofilm formation and pre-formed biofilms was evaluated by cultivable cells determination and total biomass quantification. ERG genes expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. This work showed that C. tropicalis resistance to voriconazole is strain dependent and that voriconazole was able to partially control biofilm formation, but was unable to eradicate C. tropicalis pre-formed biofilms. Moreover, C. tropicalis biofilms resistance to voriconazole seems to be associated with alterations of sterol content in the cell membrane, resulting in ERG genes overexpression. Voriconazole is unable to control C. tropicalis biofilms, and the overexpression of ERG genes is a possible mechanism of biofilm resistance.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the FCT for the Strategic Project of the UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, FCT and European Union funds (FEDER/COMPETE) for the project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462). We also would like to acknowledge Pfizer®, S.A. for the kindly donation of voriconazole.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Investigação em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira (LIBRO), Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Tânia Fernandes, Sónia Silva & Mariana Henriques

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  1. Tânia Fernandes
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  2. Sónia Silva
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  3. Mariana Henriques
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Correspondence to Sónia Silva.

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Fernandes, T., Silva, S. & Henriques, M. Effect of Voriconazole on Candida tropicalis Biofilms: Relation with ERG Genes Expression. Mycopathologia 181, 643–651 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-016-0023-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-016-0023-6

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