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Clinical, Microbiological, and Molecular Characterization of Candia (Starmera) stellimalicola, a Rare Fungal Pathogen Causing Human Infections

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Abstract

Candia (Starmera) stellimalicola is a yeast species spread worldwide and recovered from varieties of ecological reservoirs, but human infections are rarely reported. In this study, we reported an intra-abdominal infection case caused by C. stellimalicola and described its microbiological and molecular characteristics. C. stellimalicola strains were isolated from ascites fluid of an 82-year-old male patient having diffuse peritonitis with fever and elevated WBC counts. Routine biochemical and MALDI-TOF MS methods failed to identify the pathogenic strains. Phylogenetic analysis of 18S, 26S and internal transcribed space (ITS) rDNA regions, as well as whole-genome sequence identified the strains as C. stellimalicola. Compared with other Starmera species, C. stellimalicola had unique physiological characteristics including thermal tolerance (able to grow at 42 °C), which may prompt its environmental adaptability and potential for opportunistic human infection. Fluconazole minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the strains identified in this case was 2 mg/L, and the patient had a favorable outcome after receiving fluconazole treatment. In comparison, the majority of C. stellimalicola strains previously documented had high MIC values (≥ 16 mg/L) to fluconazole. In conclusion, with the raise in human infections caused by rare fungal pathogens, molecular diagnostic remains the most efficient way for accurate species identification; and antifungal susceptibility testing is essential to guide proper patient management.

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Data Availability

Sequences of the rDNA regions of C. stellimalicola strain HLJSST01 obtained in this study have been deposited in NCBI GenBank database under accession nos. OQ745670 (for 18S rDNA), OQ745669 (for 26S rDNA) and OQ750115 (for ITS region). In addition, the strains’ next-generation sequencing data for raw reads and genome assembly is available at NMDC database under Bioproject accession no. PRJNA952807.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant nos. 2022YFC2303002 and 2022YFC2504800).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine and Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Xin Fan

  2. State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Xin Fan

  3. Beijing Key Laboratory for Mechanisms Research and Precision Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Diseases, Beijing, China

    Xin Fan & Rong-Chen Dai

  4. State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

    Rong-Chen Dai & Jie Gong

  5. Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China

    Xiao-Feng Yan & Zhong-Shan Tong

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  1. Xin Fan
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Correspondence to Zhong-Shan Tong or Jie Gong.

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Fan, X., Dai, RC., Yan, XF. et al. Clinical, Microbiological, and Molecular Characterization of Candia (Starmera) stellimalicola, a Rare Fungal Pathogen Causing Human Infections. Mycopathologia 188, 345–352 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-023-00752-y

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