Abstract
The objective of this study was to elucidate the proteomic mechanisms of drug resistance in HIV-infected African patients. Cell membrane fractions from forty oral Candida isolates isolated from African HIV-positive patients were analysed using HPLC-MS with the aim of identifying proteins associated with their pathogenicity and drug resistance. Heat shock proteins that mediate the fungicidal activity of salivary peptides were found in all tested Candida fractions, with pH-responsive proteins associated with increased pathogenicity only being present in the three most commonly isolated species. ABC multidrug transporter efflux pumps and estrogen binding proteins were only found in C. albicans fractions, while ergosterol biosynthesis proteins were identified in four species. The combination of various adherence, invasion, upregulation and efflux pump mechanisms appear to be instrumental for the Candida host colonization and drug resistance emergence in HIV-infected individuals.