Unpredictable In Vitro Killing Activity of Amphotericin B against Four Candida auris Clades

Candida auris is an emerging multiresistant yeast against which amphotericin B (AMB) is still the first therapeutic choice in certain clinical situations (i.e., meningitis, endophthalmitis, and urinary tract infections). As data about the in vitro killing activity of AMB against C. auris clades are lacking, we determined MICs, minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs), and killing activity of AMB against 22 isolates representing the 4 major C. auris clades (South Asian n = 6; East Asian n = 4; South African n = 6, and South American n = 6). MIC values were <= 1 mg/L regardless of clades; MFC ranges were, 1-4 mg/L, 2-4 mg/L, 2 mg/L, and 2-8 mg/L for South Asian, East Asian, South African, and South American clades, respectively. AMB showed concentration-, clade-, and isolate-dependent killing activity. AMB was fungicidal at 1 mg/L against two of six, two of four, three of six, and one of six isolates from the South Asian, East Asian, South African, and South American clades, respectively. Widefield fluorescence microscopy showed cell number decreases at 1 mg/L AMB in cases of the South Asian, East Asian, and South African clades. These data draw attention to the weak killing activity of AMB against C. auris regardless of clades, even when MICs are low (<= 1 mg/L). Thus, AMB efficacy is unpredictable in treatment of invasive C. auris infections.

Automated summary

The study found that AMB has weak killing activity against C. auris regardless of clades, even when MIC values are low (<= 1 mg/L). The killing activity of AMB is concentration-, clade-, and isolate-dependent, making its efficacy unpredictable in the treatment of invasive C. auris infections.