Galleria mellonella insektua eta Caenorhabditis elegans nematodoa, infekzio eredu boteretsuak Candida glabrata eta erlazionatutako espezieen birulentzia ikertzeko

Abstract

Candidiasis is a mycotic infection caused by species of Candida genus. Candida albicans is the major aetiological agent, although other species of Candida, such as Candida glabrata, are considered emerging causes of this disease. The species, Candida bracarensis and Candida nivariensis, are phylogenetically similar to Candida glabrata and can be correctly differentiated by molecular techniques. These changes in the aetiology have serious implications for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis; considering that yeast pathogenesis or susceptibilities to current antifungal drugs may be different. Invertebrate models, such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the lepidopter Galleria mellonella, are an attractive alternative for the study of fungal pathogenesis and antifungal therapy. The aim of this research study was to evaluate the usefulness of these two non-convetional model to assess the in vivo virulence of the phylogenetically close-related species, Candida glabrata, Candida bracarensis and Candida nivariensis.