Two echinocandin-resistant Candida glabrata FKS mutants from South Africa

Serisha D Naicker; Rindidzani E Magobo; Thokozile G Zulu; Tsidiso G Maphanga; Nkosinathi Luthuli; Warren Lowman; Nelesh P Govender

doi:10.1016/j.mmcr.2016.03.004

Two echinocandin-resistant Candida glabrata FKS mutants from South Africa

Med Mycol Case Rep. 2016 Mar 21:11:24-6. doi: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2016.03.004. eCollection 2016 Mar.

Authors

Serisha D Naicker¹, Rindidzani E Magobo², Thokozile G Zulu¹, Tsidiso G Maphanga¹, Nkosinathi Luthuli³, Warren Lowman⁴, Nelesh P Govender⁵

Affiliations

¹ National Institute for Communicable Diseases - Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, a Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³ Life Parklands, Springs, South Africa.
⁴ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Vermaak and Partners Pathologists, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁵ National Institute for Communicable Diseases - Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, a Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Echinocandins are recommended as first-line agents to treat invasive infections caused by Candida glabrata since this organism is inherently less susceptible to azoles. However, resistance to echinocandins has been described in C. glabrata due to amino acid changes in the hotspot regions of the FKS1 and FKS2 genes. In this report, we describe the first two South African C. glabrata isolates with echinocandin resistance mediated by mutations in the FKS2 gene. Both isolates were cultured from urine specimens from private-sector patients.

Keywords: Candida glabrata; Echinocandin resistance; South Africa.