A fungal metabolic regulator underlies infectious synergism during Candida albicans-Staphylococcus aureus intra-abdominal co-infection.

ABSTRACT: Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus are two commonly associated pathogens that cause nosocomial infections with high morbidity and mortality. Our prior and current work using a murine model of polymicrobial intra-abdominal infection (IAI) demonstrates that synergistic lethality is driven by Candida-induced upregulation of functional S. aureus α-toxin leading to polymicrobial sepsis and organ damage. In order to determine the candidal effector(s) mediating enhanced virulence, an unbiased screen of C. albicans transcription factor mutants was undertaken revealing that zcf13Δ/Δ fails to drive augmented α-toxin or lethal synergism during co-infection. A combination of transcriptional and phenotypic profiling approaches shows that ZCF13 regulates genes involved in pentose metabolism, inc

SUBMITTER: Paul S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11233573 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature