Screening of Candida spp. in wastewater in Brazil during COVID-19 pandemic: workflow for monitoring fungal pathogens

COVID-19 疫情期间筛查巴西废水中的念珠菌属:真菌病原体监测工作流程

阅读:3
作者:Danielly Corrêa-Moreira, Gisela Lara da Costa, Reginaldo Gonçalves de Lima Neto, Tatiana Pinto, Bruna Salomão, Tulio Machado Fumian, Camille Ferreira Mannarino, Tatiana Prado, Marize Pereira Miagostovich, Lívia de Souza Ramos, André Luis Souza Dos Santos, Manoel Marques Evangelista Oliveira

Abstract

Fungal diseases are often linked to poverty, which is associated with poor hygiene and sanitation conditions that have been severely worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, COVID-19 patients are treated with Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that promotes an immunosuppressive profile, making patients more susceptible to opportunistic fungal infections, such as those caused by Candida species. In this study, we analyzed the prevalence of Candida yeasts in wastewater samples collected to track viral genetic material during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified the yeasts using polyphasic taxonomy. Furthermore, we investigated the production of biofilm and hydrolytic enzymes, which are known virulence factors. Our findings revealed that all Candida species could form biofilms and exhibited moderate hydrolytic enzyme activity. We also proposed a workflow for monitoring wastewater using Colony PCR instead of conventional PCR, as this technique is fast, cost-effective, and reliable. This approach enhances the accurate taxonomic identification of yeasts in environmental samples, contributing to environmental monitoring as part of the One Health approach, which preconizes the monitoring of possible emergent pathogenic microorganisms, including fungi.

特别声明

1、本文转载旨在传播信息,不代表本网站观点,亦不对其内容的真实性承担责任。

2、其他媒体、网站或个人若从本网站转载使用,必须保留本网站注明的“来源”,并自行承担包括版权在内的相关法律责任。

3、如作者不希望本文被转载,或需洽谈转载稿费等事宜,请及时与本网站联系。

4、此外,如需投稿,也可通过邮箱info@biocloudy.com与我们取得联系。