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Saprochaete/Magnusiomyces: identification, virulence factors, and antifungal susceptibility of a challenging rare yeast

  • Bacterial and Fungal Pathogenesis - Research Paper
  • Published:
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Abstract

Saprochaete/Magnusiomyces is among rare yeasts which might emerge as causes of breakthrough infections and nosocomial outbreaks. Identification to the species level might be a challenge in clinical laboratories. Data on virulence factors are scarce and antifungal susceptibility testing methodology is not definite. The aim of this study was to confirm species identification of clinical Saprochaete/Magnusiomyces isolates, find out their virulence factors, and obtain antifungal minimum inhibitory concentrations with two reference methods. Of the 57 isolates included, 54 were Saprochaete capitata and four were Saprochaete clavata as identified by ID32C, MALDI-TOF MS, and sequencing. When tested using phenotypic methods, all isolates were negative for coagulase, hemolysis, acid proteinase, and phospholipase, 56.1% were positive for esterase, and 19.3% had intermediate surface hydrophobicity. All isolates formed biofilms, with 40.4% of the isolates producing more biomass than biofilm-positive reference strain Candida albicans MYA-274. Antifungal susceptibility testing needed an adjusted spectrophotometric inoculum than recommended in reference methods for Candida/Cryptococcus. In conclusion, Saprochaete/Magnusiomyces species could be identified using methods available in the clinical laboratories. Despite the disadvantages of the phenotypic methods, esterase positivity was observed for the first time. A high biomass production was observed in biofilms. The need for standardization of antifungal susceptibility testing was brought to attention.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available at Turkish High Education Council Thesis Center (https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/giris.jsp, No: 752412) and from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Sevtap Arikan-Akdagli for her constructive comments and Dr. Ceylan Polat for her help in improving Figure 1.

Funding

This study was supported by the Hacettepe University Scientific Research Unit (Project Code: THD-2022-19827).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Microbiology Department, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

    Beyzanur Kaşaltı & Dolunay Gülmez

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  1. Beyzanur Kaşaltı
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  2. Dolunay Gülmez
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Beyzanur Kaşaltı, and analysis was performed by Beyzanur Kaşaltı and Dolunay Gülmez. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Beyzanur Kaşaltı and finalized by Dolunay Gülmez. All authors commented on previous and final versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dolunay Gülmez.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Rosana Puccia

Part of this work was presented in the 37th ANKEM Rational Antibiotic Use Congress, 26–30th October 2022, Antalya, Türkiye.

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Kaşaltı, B., Gülmez, D. Saprochaete/Magnusiomyces: identification, virulence factors, and antifungal susceptibility of a challenging rare yeast. Braz J Microbiol 55, 41–49 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-024-01248-7

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