Candida glabrata
| Candida glabrata | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Candida glabrata 1600x | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Saccharomycetes |
| Order: | Saccharomycetales |
| Family: | Saccharomycetaceae |
| Genus: | Candida |
| Species: | C. glabrata |
| Binomial name | |
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Candida glabrata (H.W.Anderson) S.A.Mey. & Yarrow (1978) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Cryptococcus glabratus H.W.Anderson (1917) |
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Cryptococcus glabratus H.W.Anderson (1917)
Torulopsis glabrata (H.W.Anderson) Lodder & N.F.de Vries (1938)
Candida glabrata is a haploid yeast of the genus Candida, previously known as Torulopsis glabrata. This species of yeast is non-dimorphic and no mating activity has been observed. Until recently, C. glabrata was thought to be a primarily non-pathogenic organism. However, with the ever increasing population of immunocompromised individuals, trends have shown C. glabrata to be a highly opportunistic pathogen of the urogenital tract, and of the bloodstream (Candidemia). It is especially prevalent in the elderly and HIV positive people.
There are two widely cited potential virulence factors that contribute to the pathogenicity of C. glabrata. The first is a series of adhesins coded by the EPA (epithelial adhesin) genes. These genes, located in the subtelomeric region, can respond to environmental cues that allow them to be expressed en masse so the organism can adhere to biotic and abiotic surfaces in microbial mats. This is also the suspected mechanism by which C. glabrata forms microbial "biofilms" on urinary catheters, and less commonly in-dwelling IV catheters. It also causes problems with dental devices, such as dentures.
Cultures are an effective method for identifying non-albicans vaginal infections. Urinalyses are less accurate in this process. The culture may take several days to grow, but the identification of the yeast species is quick once the yeast is isolated. Skin disease diagnosis is difficult, as cultures collected from swabs and biopsies will test negative for fungus and a special assessment is required. Listed under the 'Rare Diseases' database on the NIH web site, Torulopsis glabrata, or Candida glabrata can also be found on the CDC's web site. Although listed as the second most virulent yeast after Candida albicans, the fungus is becoming more and more resistant to common treatments like fluconazole. Like many Candida species, C. glabrata resistance to Echinocandin is also increasing, leaving expensive and toxic antifungal treatments available for those infected. Although high mortality rates are listed, assessment of the critical nature of a glabrata infection is a gray area. Another promising diagnostic tool is the T2Candida Panel, which in addition to glabrata, can also identify albicans, tropicalis, kruzei and parapsilosis direct from whole blood without requiring a blood culture. The T2 Candida Panel is manufactured by T2 Biosystems, Inc and received FDA approval in September 2014.
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