Mutations in <i>TAC1B</i> : a Novel Genetic Determinant of Clinical Fluconazole Resistance in Candida auris
Jeffrey M. Rybak, José F. Muñoz, Katherine S. Barker, Josie E. Parker, Brooke D. Esquivel, Elizabeth L. Berkow, Shawn R. Lockhart, Lalitha Gade, Glen E. Palmer, Theodore C. White, Steve L. Kelly, Christina A. Cuomo, P. David Rogers
Abstract
Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant pathogen of global concern, known to be responsible for outbreaks on six continents and to be commonly resistant to antifungals. While the vast majority of clinical C. auris isolates are highly resistant to fluconazole, an essential part of the available antifungal arsenal, very little is known about the mechanisms contributing to resistance. In this work, we show that mutations in the transcription factor TAC1B significantly contribute to clinical fluconazole resistance. These studies demonstrated that mutations in TAC1B can arise rapidly in vitro upon exposure to fluconazole and that a multitude of resistance-associated TAC1B mutations are present among the majority of fluconazole-resistant C. auris isolates from a global collection and appear specific to a subset of lineages or clades. Thus, identification of this novel genetic determinant of resistance significantly adds to the understanding of clinical antifungal resistance in C. auris .