<i>Pseudomonas</i> - <i>Candida</i> Interactions: An Ecological Role for Virulence Factors

TLDR

Bacterial‑fungal interactions are environmentally, medically, and economically important, yet few are well characterized at the molecular level. The study describes a pathogenic interaction between *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* and *Candida albicans* and proposes that virulence factors known from human infection may also mediate bacterial‑fungal interactions. *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* forms a dense biofilm on *Candida albicans* filaments and kills the fungus, while it neither binds nor kills yeast‑form *C.

Abstract

Bacterial-fungal interactions have great environmental, medical, and economic importance, yet few have been well characterized at the molecular level. Here, we describe a pathogenic interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, two opportunistic pathogens. P. aeruginosa forms a dense biofilm on C. albicans filaments and kills the fungus. In contrast, P. aeruginosa neither binds to nor kills yeast-form C. albicans. Several P. aeruginosa virulence factors that are important in disease are involved in the killing of C. albicans filaments. We propose that many virulence factors studied in the context of human infection may also have a role in bacterial-fungal interactions.