Prolonged growth of Candida albicans reveals co-isolated bacteria from single yeast colonies.

Bacterial species are associated with Candida albicans in at least 25% of patients with bloodstream infection (Candidemia). These polymicrobial infections are usually caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci, most commonly Staphylococcus epidermidis and are associated with significantly worse clinical outcomes as compared to monomicrobial infections. Here we show that bacteria are present in C. albicans cultures started from isolated single colonies. These bacteria can only be detected by the use of specific media, and prolonged incubation periods of at least 8 days. The detection of these bacteria is sensitive to the polymerase enzyme used for 16S rDNA gene amplification and is often missed in clinical laboratory analysis because of short incubation periods, media and temperatures, used in mycology clinical routine, that are unfavorable for bacterial growth. We identified bacteria in cultures of different C. albicans isolates in long-term, continuous growth by molecular analysis and microscopy. Also, we confirmed the presence of these bacteria by identification of S. epidermidis genome segments in sequencing reads of the C. albicans reference strain SC5314 genome sequencing project raw data deposited in GenBank. Our results show that the presence of associated bacteria correlates with antifungal resistance alterations observed in growth under hypoxia. Our findings reveal the intense interaction between C. albicans yeasts and bacteria and have direct implications in yeast clinical procedures, especially concerning patient treatment.

Genome Sequence of a Staphylococcus epidermidis Strain (GTH12) Associated with Candida albicans SC5314 Cultured under Hypoxia at 37°C in Glycerol for 12 Weeks.

Polymicrobial infections with mixed-species biofilms are important health problems because of increased antimicrobial resistance and worse patient outcomes than with monomicrobial infections. Here, we present the whole-genome sequence of Staphylococcus epidermidis strain GTH12, which was cocultured with the yeast Candida albicans SC5314 (generating C. albicans strain SC5314 GTH12), thus providing genomic information on polymicrobial infections.

Whole-Genome Sequences and Annotation of the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida albicans Strain SC5314 Grown under Two Different Environmental Conditions.

The genetic variability of the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans is an important adaptive mechanism. Here, we present the whole-genome sequences of the C. albicans SC5314 strain under two different growth conditions, providing useful information for comparative genomic studies and further intraspecific analysis.