Impact of micafungin on Candida auris β-glucan masking and neutrophil interactions

Mark V Horton; Emily F Eix; Chad J Johnson; Megan E B Dean; Brody D Andes; Kayla M Wartman; Jeniel E Nett

doi:10.1093/infdis/jiae043

Impact of micafungin on Candida auris β-glucan masking and neutrophil interactions

J Infect Dis. 2024 Feb 8:jiae043. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae043. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Mark V Horton^{1

2}, Emily F Eix^{1

2}, Chad J Johnson¹, Megan E B Dean¹, Brody D Andes¹, Kayla M Wartman¹, Jeniel E Nett^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA.
² Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA.

PMID: 38330449
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiae043

Abstract

Invasive fungal pathogen Candida auris has become a public health threat causing outbreaks of high mortality infections. Drug resistance often limits treatment options. For Candida albicans, subinhibitory concentrations of echinocandins unmask immunostimulatory β-glucan, augmenting immunity. Here we analyze the impact of echinocandin treatment of C. auris on β-glucan exposure and human neutrophil interactions. We show subinhibitory concentrations lead to minimal glucan unmasking and only subtle influences on neutrophil functions for the isolates belonging to circulating clades. The data suggest that echinocandin treatment will not largely alter phagocytic responses. Glucan masking pathways appear to differ between C. auris and C. albicans.

Keywords: Candida; Candida auris; glucan; innate immunity; neutrophil; phagocytosis.