Tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in Candida auris: conceptual issues, clinical implications, and outstanding questions

ABSTRACT Candida auris is a significant public health threat due to its environmental persistence and multidrug resistance, with echinocandins being the preferred treatment. However, in addition to resistance, echinocandin tolerance and heteroresistance may contribute to treatment challenges. Echino...

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Main Authors: Erika Shor, David S. Perlin, Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Society for Microbiology 2025-05-01
Series:mSphere
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Online Access:https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00161-25
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author Erika Shor
David S. Perlin
Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
author_facet Erika Shor
David S. Perlin
Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
author_sort Erika Shor
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Candida auris is a significant public health threat due to its environmental persistence and multidrug resistance, with echinocandins being the preferred treatment. However, in addition to resistance, echinocandin tolerance and heteroresistance may contribute to treatment challenges. Echinocandin tolerance involves reduced drug-mediated killing, while heteroresistance is the ability of a small cell subset to grow at high drug concentrations. These phenomena may facilitate the emergence of full resistance and complicate clinical outcomes. The clinical significance of these mechanisms remains unclear, with limited data correlating them with treatment failures. Research is needed to understand their mechanisms and impact, develop streamlined and robust methods to detect them in clinical settings, and explore mitigation strategies. The pathogen’s range of drug adaptations demands innovative approaches like spatial transcriptomics to dissect these complex responses and improve patient outcomes.
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publisher American Society for Microbiology
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spelling doaj-art-b337d8f77bb540f2b918f446ac10aa262025-08-20T03:14:38ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologymSphere2379-50422025-05-0110510.1128/msphere.00161-25Tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in Candida auris: conceptual issues, clinical implications, and outstanding questionsErika Shor0David S. Perlin1Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis2Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USACenter for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USADepartment of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USAABSTRACT Candida auris is a significant public health threat due to its environmental persistence and multidrug resistance, with echinocandins being the preferred treatment. However, in addition to resistance, echinocandin tolerance and heteroresistance may contribute to treatment challenges. Echinocandin tolerance involves reduced drug-mediated killing, while heteroresistance is the ability of a small cell subset to grow at high drug concentrations. These phenomena may facilitate the emergence of full resistance and complicate clinical outcomes. The clinical significance of these mechanisms remains unclear, with limited data correlating them with treatment failures. Research is needed to understand their mechanisms and impact, develop streamlined and robust methods to detect them in clinical settings, and explore mitigation strategies. The pathogen’s range of drug adaptations demands innovative approaches like spatial transcriptomics to dissect these complex responses and improve patient outcomes.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00161-25Candida aurisechinocandinsheteroresistancetolerance
spellingShingle Erika Shor
David S. Perlin
Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
Tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in Candida auris: conceptual issues, clinical implications, and outstanding questions
mSphere
Candida auris
echinocandins
heteroresistance
tolerance
title Tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in Candida auris: conceptual issues, clinical implications, and outstanding questions
title_full Tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in Candida auris: conceptual issues, clinical implications, and outstanding questions
title_fullStr Tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in Candida auris: conceptual issues, clinical implications, and outstanding questions
title_full_unstemmed Tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in Candida auris: conceptual issues, clinical implications, and outstanding questions
title_short Tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in Candida auris: conceptual issues, clinical implications, and outstanding questions
title_sort tolerance and heteroresistance to echinocandins in candida auris conceptual issues clinical implications and outstanding questions
topic Candida auris
echinocandins
heteroresistance
tolerance
url https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00161-25
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AT davidsperlin toleranceandheteroresistancetoechinocandinsincandidaaurisconceptualissuesclinicalimplicationsandoutstandingquestions
AT dimitriospkontoyiannis toleranceandheteroresistancetoechinocandinsincandidaaurisconceptualissuesclinicalimplicationsandoutstandingquestions