TITLE:
Clinical Isolate of Candida tropicalis from a Patient in North Carolina: Identification, Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis, and Anticandidal Activity of Ganoderma lucidum
AUTHORS:
Akamu Ewunkem, Lydia Merrills, Zahirah Williams, Lisa Maness, Jeffery Meixner, Brittany Justice, Uchenna Iloghalu, Vera Williams, Larisa Kiki, Dinesh Singh
KEYWORDS:
Candida sp., Candida tropicalis, Mushroom Extracts, Germ Tube, Resistance, Clinical Isolates
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Microbiology,
Vol.15 No.1,
March
5,
2025
ABSTRACT: In North Carolina, candida infections are on the rise and pose a significant threat to human health in clinical settings. In addition, the rise of resistance to antifungal drugs has only heightened this concern. Importantly, misidentification of Candida spp. may result in underdiagnosis, patients getting the wrong treatment and incomplete infection prevention measures. The correct and rapid etiological identification of Candida infections is of paramount importance because it provides adequate therapy, reduces mortality, and controls outbreaks. Hence, this study aimed to identify Candida sp. up to species level of a clinical isolate from an infected patient treated in North Carolina using biochemical and molecular techniques. Due to the emergence of resistance, we explored whole genomic analysis to highlight polymorphisms that can impact candida resistance. Exploration for the effectiveness of bioactive compounds in natural products to treat Candida spp. resistant to present-day drugs could provide promising new treatment options for managing infected patients. Thus, this study also investigated anticandida activity of three solvent extracts of Ganoderma lucidum against the clinical isolate of Candida sp. The findings of this study provided evidence that Candida tropicalis MYA-3404 was the only strain present in the clinical isolate. The whole genome sequencing of C. tropicalis identified mutations in genes that most likely underscore drug resistance. All extracts from G. lucidum significantly (P C. tropicalis. Together, this work highlights the enormous potential of biochemical and molecular techniques in identifying clinical isolates of candida to species level and the use of bioactive compounds from extracts of G. lucidum as promising anticandidal agents. Further testing is needed to confirm the phenotypic expression of resistance.