Gaining Insights from Candida Biofilm Heterogeneity: One Size Does Not Fit All

The emergence of resistance to antifungal drugs has made the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) very challenging. Among natural substances, biosurfactants (BS) produced by Lactobacillus have gained increasing interest in counteracting Candida infections for their proven anti-adhesive properties and safety profile. In the present study, liposomes (LP-BS) or liposomes coated with hyaluronic acid (HY-LP-BS) were prepared in the presence of the BS isolated from the vaginal strain Lactobacillus crispatus BC1 and characterized in terms of size, ζ potential, stability and mucoadhesion. The anti-biofilm activity of free BS, LP-BS and HY-LP-BS was investigated against different Candida albicans and non-albicans strains (C. glabrata, C. lusitaniae, C. tropicalis, C. krusei and C. parapsilosis), clinically isolated from patients affected by VVC. The inhibition of biofilm formation and the dispersal of pre-formed biofilm were evaluated. The obtained phospholipid vesicles showed suitable size for vaginal application and good stability over the storage period. HY-LP-BS exhibited good mucoadhesive properties and the best anti-biofilm profile, both in preventing or limiting the surface colonization by a broad spectrum of Candida species. In conclusion, the formulation of a novel antifungal agent derived from the vaginal microbiota into mucoadhesive nanocarriers appears to be a promising biotherapeutic strategy to counteract vulvovaginal candidiasis.

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Clinical Characteristics and Relevance of Oral Candida Biofilm in Tongue Smears

Journal of Fungi ◽

10.3390/jof7020077 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 77

Author(s):

Eunae Cho ◽

YounJung Park ◽

Ki-Yeol Kim ◽

Dawool Han ◽

Hyun Sil Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Characteristics ◽

Oral Candidiasis ◽

Salivary Flow ◽

Nutritional Deficiencies ◽

Low Grade ◽

High Grade ◽

Novel Method ◽

Oral Candida ◽

Antifungal Use ◽

Candida Biofilm

Dimorphic Candida exist as commensal yeast carriages or infiltrate hyphae in the oral cavity. Here, we investigated the clinical relevance of Candida hyphae in non-pseudomembranous oral candidiasis (OC) by smears of tongue biofilms. We conducted a retrospective study of 2829 patients who had had tongue smears regardless of OC suspicion. Clinical characteristics were evaluated using a novel method of assessing hyphae. Clinical factors (moderate/severe stimulated pain, pain aggravated by stimulation, tongue dorsum appearance and initial topical antifungal use) were highly significant in the high-grade hyphae group but were statistically similar in the low-grade hyphae and non-observed hyphae group, suggesting low-grade hyphae infection as a subclinical OC state. In addition to erythematous candidiasis (EC), a new subtype named “morphologically normal symptomatic candidiasis” (MNSC) with specific pain patterns and normal tongue morphology was identified. MNSC had a significantly higher proportion of moderate and severe stimulated pain cases than EC. Low unstimulated salivary flow rate (<0.1 mL/min) was found to be a common risk factor in MNSC and EC. In non-pseudomembranous OC, pain patterns were dependent on Candida hyphae degree regardless of tongue dorsum morphology. Morphologic differences seen in high-grade hyphae infection were not associated with systemic diseases or nutritional deficiencies.

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Adhesion of Candida biofilm cells to human epithelial cells and polystyrene after treatment with silver nanoparticles

Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces ◽

10.1016/j.colsurfb.2013.10.027 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 114 ◽

pp. 410-412 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Douglas Roberto Monteiro ◽

Melyssa Negri ◽

Sónia Silva ◽

Luiz Fernando Gorup ◽

Emerson Rodrigues de Camargo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Silver Nanoparticles ◽

Epithelial Cells ◽

Human Epithelial Cells ◽

Candida Biofilm

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Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Anti-Candida Biofilm Compounds From Methanol Extracts of the Aerial Parts of Salvia officinalis (Annaba, Algeria)

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2018.01418 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Neila Kerkoub ◽

Sujogya Kumar Panda ◽

Ming-Rong Yang ◽

Jing-Guang Lu ◽

Zhi-Hong Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salvia Officinalis ◽

Methanol Extracts ◽

Aerial Parts ◽

Candida Biofilm

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Biofilm monitoring: a perfect solution in search of a problem

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2003.0267 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 9-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Z. Lewandowski ◽

H. Beyenal

Keyword(s):

Consumption Rate ◽

Glucose Consumption ◽

Data Interpretation ◽

Integrated System ◽

Glucose Consumption Rate ◽

Biofilm Heterogeneity

The main problem with monitoring biofilms is data interpretation. Biofilm heterogeneity causes monitored parameters to vary from location to location in the same biofilm, and it is difficult to assess to what extent these variations are caused by biofilm heterogeneity and to what extent they reflect other properties of the biofilm. We have used the concept of discretized biofilms, which is an integrated system of biofilm monitoring and data interpretation, to assess the effect of biofilm heterogeneity on biofilm activity. Using this approach we have estimated that a heterogeneous biofilm can be ten times more active, in terms of glucose consumption rate, than a homogeneous biofilm of the same thickness but with uniformly distributed density.

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