Opportunistic Pathogen Candida glabrata and the Mechanisms of its Resistance to Antifungal Drugs

Berila N., Subik J.: Opportunistic Pathogen Candida glabrata and the Mechanisms of its Resistance to Antifungal Drugs Treatment of not only bacterial but also fungal infections is currently a growing concern. A major reason is the acquisition of multidrug resistance in both prokaryotic and human cells. The multidrug resistance phenotype is a cellular response to the presence of cytotoxic substances in the environment. The basic mechanism of multidrug resistance is overexpression of the membrane proteins involved in the extrusion of toxic substances outside the cell. The resistance mechanism based on the efflux of inhibitors as a result of the overproduction of transport proteins was also observed in some plant and animal pathogens and human tumour cells. The phenomenon of multidrug resistance associated with an excessive and long-term use of antifungals, in particular of azole derivatives, was also confirmed in the yeast Candida glabrata which is becoming a growing concern for health care professionals. Reduced susceptibility to azole derivatives in particular, a high potential for adapting to stressors, and multiple mechanisms of resistance to structurally and functionally unrelated antifungal drugs make the species C. glabrata a potential threat to hospital patients.