Molecular characterization of Candida auris outbreak isolates in Qatar from patients with COVID-19 reveals the emergence of isolates resistant to three classes of antifungal drugs.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar, many patients who were severely ill were colonized and infected by Candida auris, an invasive multidrug-resistant yeast pathogen that spreads through nosocomial transmission within healthcare facilities. Here, we investigated the molecular epidemiology of these C. auris isolates and the mechanisms associated with antifungal drug resistance.

Methods

Whole genomes of 76 clinical C. auris isolates, including 65 from patients with COVID-19 collected from March 2020 to June 2021, from nine major hospitals were sequenced on Illumina NextSeq. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were used to determine their epidemiological patterns and mechanisms for antifungal resistance. The data were compared with those published prior to the COVID-19

SUBMITTER: Ben Abid F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10132836 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature