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Killer factor interference in mixed opportunistic yeast cultures

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Abstract

The interaction of the killer yeast Pichia anomala UP 25F with the killer toxin-sensitive clinical isolate Candida albicans UCSC 10S and its natural toxin-resistant mutant derivative C. albicans UCSC 10R were studied under various conditions. A differential inhibition was shown to occur in vitro at pH and temperature values, which are not encountered in vivo, only by using preformed killer toxin, since antagonism due to yeast growth proved to be predominant on the killer effect. Under adverse growth conditions, the P. anomala killer yeast proved to be able to produce an anatoxin antigenically related to the active or heat inactivated killer toxin. These findings suggest that killer toxins may not function as potential virulence factors in the competition between the opportunistic killer yeast P. anomala and sensitive microorganisms for colonization in the course of natural human infections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Microbiologia, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Universitá degli Studi di Parma, Via A. Gramsci 14, 43100, Parma, Italia

    Stefania Conti, Cristina Cantelli, Mara Gerloni, Paola Fisicaro, Walter Magliani, Daniela Bertolotti, Paola Mozzoni & Luciano Polonelli

  2. Department of Microbiology, The Moyne Institute, University of Dublin, Trinity College, 30 Westland Row, Dublin 2, Ireland

    Derek Sullivan & David Coleman

Authors
  1. Stefania Conti
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  2. Cristina Cantelli
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  3. Mara Gerloni
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  4. Paola Fisicaro
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  5. Walter Magliani
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  6. Daniela Bertolotti
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  7. Paola Mozzoni
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  8. Derek Sullivan
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  9. David Coleman
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  10. Luciano Polonelli
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Conti, S., Cantelli, C., Gerloni, M. et al. Killer factor interference in mixed opportunistic yeast cultures. Mycopathologia 135, 1–8 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00436568

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