biostudies-literatureMartinez-Lopez RSpanish Ministry of Science and Innovation/ State Research Agency 10.13039/501100011033244https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11720215biostudies-literatureUnknown26(1)Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from <i>Candida albicans</i> can elicit immune responses, positioning them as promising acellular vaccine candidates. We characterized EVs from an avirulent <i>C. albicans</i> cell wall mutant (<i>ecm33</i>Δ) and evaluated their protective potential against invasive candidiasis. EVs from the yeast (YEVs) and hyphal (HEVs) forms of the SC5314 wild-type strain were also tested, yielding high survival rates with SC5314 YEV (91%) and <i>ecm33</i> YEV immunization (64%). Surprisingly, HEV immunization showed a dual effect, resulting in 36% protection but also causing premature death in some mice. Proteomic analyses revealed distinct profiles among the top 100 proteins in the different EVs, which may explain these effects: a shared core of 50 immunogenic proteins sucInternational journal of molecular sciencesFrom High Protection to Lethal Effect: Diverse Outcomes of Immunization Against Invasive Candidiasis with Different &lt;i&gt;Candida albicans&lt;/i&gt; Extracellular Vesicles.PMC11720215PID2021-124062NB-I00Molero GGil CCabeza MSMartinez-Lopez RCastejon GHernaez MLParra-Giraldo CMMonteoliva LGarcia-Duran CClemente LFfalseFrom High Protection to Lethal Effect: Diverse Outcomes of Immunization Against Invasive Candidiasis with Different &lt;i&gt;Candida albicans&lt;/i&gt; Extracellular Vesicles.Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from <i>Candida albicans</i> can elicit immune responses, positioning them as promising acellular vaccine candidates. We characterized EVs from an avirulent <i>C. albicans</i> cell wall mutant (<i>ecm33</i>Δ) and evaluated their protective potential against invasive candidiasis. EVs from the yeast (YEVs) and hyphal (HEVs) forms of the SC5314 wild-type strain were also tested, yielding high survival rates with SC5314 YEV (91%) and <i>ecm33</i> YEV immunization (64%). Surprisingly, HEV immunization showed a dual effect, resulting in 36% protection but also causing premature death in some mice. Proteomic analyses revealed distinct profiles among the top 100 proteins in the different EVs, which may explain these effects: a shared core of 50 immunogenic proteins suc2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Dec2026-04-08T15:32:33.471Z2026-04-08T05:00:10.843ZS-EPMC117202153979610010.3390/ijms26010244