Danish Whole-Genome-Sequenced Candida albicans and Candida glabrata Samples Fit into Globally Prevalent Clades

Abstract

<i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Candida glabrata</i> are opportunistic fungal pathogens with increasing incidence worldwide and higher-than-expected prevalence in Denmark. We whole-genome sequenced yeast isolates collected from Danish Clinical Microbiology Laboratories to obtain an overview of the <i>Candida</i> population in the country. The majority of the 30 <i>C. albicans</i> isolates were found to belong to three globally prevalent clades, and, with one exception, the remaining isolates were also predicted to cluster with samples from other geographical locations. Similarly, most of the eight <i>C. glabrata</i> isolates were predicted to be prevalent subtypes. Antifungal susceptibility testing proved all <i>C. albicans</i> isolates to be susceptible to both azoles and echinocandins. Two <i>C. glabrata</i> isolates presented azole-resistant phenotypes, yet all were susceptible to echinocandins. There is no indication of causality between population structure and resistance phenotypes for either species.