Beyond colonization: Candida albicans exhibits substantial pathogenic potential in cystic fibrosis environments.

ABSTRACT: Cystic fibrosis (CF) sputum represents a highly permissive niche for microbial colonization, yet the contribution of Candida albicans to disease progression remains insufficiently investigated despite its frequent detection in CF airways. We hypothesized that the heterogeneous nature of CF lung, reflected through the emergence of oxygen-depleted niches during disease progression, modulates C. albicans pathogenicity and antifungal susceptibility. Using complementary in vitro and in vivo approaches, we show that clinical CF isolates of C. albicans are virulent in CF-mimicking environments. Synthetic CF medium (SCFM2) supported robust filamentation, with oxygen-nutrient interplay critically shaping fungal growth and drug response. In a novel CF infection model using zebrafish morphants, we ob

SUBMITTER: Radakovic N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12848021 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature