Resistance of Candida krusei isolates to echinocandins, the recommended drugs to treat candidemia, has been associated with mutations in hot spot (HS) regions of the FKS1 gene or L701 M mutation in a region between HS1 and HS3 of FKS1. However, the role of L701 M mutation alone in causing reduced echinocandins susceptibility is still unclear. We analyzed a region between HS1 and HS3 of FKS1 of 25 C. krusei isolates from clinical samples. Susceptibility to echinocandins was determined by a commercial broth microdilution assay and by the microdilution method according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST). The L701 M mutation was detected in 22/25 (88%) C. krusei isolates with low MIC values in the absence of other HS mutations. The presence of isolated L701 M mutation in C. krusei clinical isolates susceptible to echinocandins suggests that this mutation may be just associated to polymorphism in the C. krusei population.
Keywords: Candida krusei; Candidemia; Echinocandins; FKS1 gene.
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