Are Phenotypic Variability and Drug Resistance in the Emerging Fungal Pathogen Candida auris Generated by Genetic Recombination?

The multi-drug resistant fungus Candida auris has recently emerged as a major public health concern worldwide. It is thus one of a few rare examples of a completely new pathogenic microbe coming into the world health care spotlight, as illustrated by alerts from the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, USA) and PHE (Public Health England, UK). Our ignorance about the life cycle of C. auris limits our ability to develop robust diagnostics and effective therapies to tackle this newly discovered health threat. Taking advantage of significant new fundamental pilot observations for this project we will dissect how the genetic diversity of C. auris is generated and how this contributes to the development of multiple drug resistance. Ultimately, this project will help explain the population epidemiology of this important new pathogen, thereby identifying experimental strategies to probe its mechanisms of pathogenicity in human patients.