{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T16:52:38Z","timestamp":1792601558291,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":100,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]],"date-time":"2026-03-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772496000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]],"date-time":"2026-03-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772496000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000060","name":"National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R21AI178931"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R21AI178931"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000060","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Microbiol Spectr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Candida auris<\/jats:italic>\n                      is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen. The genetic factors contributing to the virulence, drug resistance, and stress-tolerant nature of\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                      are mostly unknown. Additional animal models of virulence are needed, especially those amenable to high-throughput analysis. The nematode\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Caenorhabditis elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                      has been validated as an effective tool for studying multiple fungal and bacterial pathogens. We describe here a\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                      infection model in which exposure to\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                      is lethal to worms with kinetics similar to killing by\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Candida albicans<\/jats:italic>\n                      ; in contrast to\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. albicans<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                      does not form hyphae, indicating distinct virulence mechanisms. Furthermore, an engineered mutant auxotrophic for adenine biosynthesis (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">ade2<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2206) is avirulent, as it is in many models, indicating that the nematode can discriminate between virulent and avirulent mutants. Moreover, the\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                      model can recapitulate strain-to-strain differences in virulence seen in mouse models. We have adapted a live\/dead staining methodology using SYTOX Orange to enable a high-throughput assay amenable to analysis of multiple strains or genetic mutants. This model has significant advantages, including cost-effectiveness, a short generation time, and excellent amenability to high-throughput assays.\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                      represents a valuable preliminary screening platform for\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                      virulence studies.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Candida auris<\/jats:italic>\n                      is a growing clinical problem. This fungal pathogen spread rapidly worldwide after its discovery in 2009. It avidly colonizes the skin and abiotic surfaces, and many strains are multidrug resistant, making them easy to spread in hospital settings and very difficult to treat. Though distantly related to\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Candida albicans<\/jats:italic>\n                      , it is clear that\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                      possesses unique virulence mechanisms, making studies directly in this species imperative. However, existing animal models, including mouse and invertebrate species, have limitations in variability and throughput. We describe here a facile infection model using the nematode\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Caenorhabditis elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                      , which has previously been used for other bacterial and fungal pathogens. We show that this model can identify virulence differences between strains and in mutants predicted to be less virulent. Moreover, this model is amenable to high-throughput screening. This will be a valuable tool in uncovering\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                      -specific virulence traits.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.03156-25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]],"date-time":"2026-01-15T14:00:31Z","timestamp":1768485631000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["<i>C. elegans<\/i>\n                    as a tractable infection model for the emerging fungal pathogen\n                    <i>Candida auris<\/i>"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Melissa","family":"Martinez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04twxam07","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences","place":["Houston, USA"]},{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School","place":["Houston, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melissa R.","family":"Cruz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School","place":["Houston, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6551-2600","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Danielle A.","family":"Garsin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School","place":["Houston, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7881-8027","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Michael C.","family":"Lorenz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School","place":["Houston, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"235","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1348-0421.2008.00083.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/jof9090913"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra2402635"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2023.157"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2024.1312929"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00910-19"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1010730"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2507.180491"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.01503-19"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2410.180649"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1714373"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cmi.2020.12.030"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s40121-022-00625-9"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.18502\/ijm.v14i3.9753"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jmii.2022.12.002"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciw691"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/22221751.2022.2125349"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2666-5247(24)00101-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.03540-23"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2509.190686"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7326\/M22-3469"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms12050927"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.03364-19"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1011843"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1011190"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-018-07779-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-micro-032521-015858"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00334-18"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1011239"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-53588-5"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jac\/dkx480"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mib.2022.102208"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_34_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00151-20"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_35_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41426-018-0187-x"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/mmy\/myaa116"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_37_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fgb.2019.103243"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_38_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1012011"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_39_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s44259-024-00043-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_40_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.02055-18"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_41_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00189-16"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_42_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/22221751.2020.1771218"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_43_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mib.2024.102506"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_44_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-46786-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_45_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.02215-23"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_46_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41591-021-01383-w"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_47_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.00921-17"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_48_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/21505594.2021.1908765"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_49_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00760-20"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_50_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.00013-21"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_51_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.01403-18"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_52_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jac\/dkz100"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_53_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/msphere.00817-21"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_54_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.01625-19"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_55_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms22116162"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_56_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00339-19"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_57_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.00914-12"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_58_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1620432114"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_59_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mbio.00570-24"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_60_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-022-33613-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_61_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/EC.00163-09"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_62_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.0030018"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_63_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0243223"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_64_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-021-27545-5"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_65_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.adf8972"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_66_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/iai.59.9.3297-3300.1991"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_67_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/genetics\/134.3.717"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_68_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.69.4.2542-2548.2001"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_69_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jcm.31.12.3305-3309.1993"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_70_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chom.2020.12.002"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_71_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0007025"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_72_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/cb900084v"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_73_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/9780470559277.ch130160"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_74_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00217-16"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_75_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.coi.2018.06.003"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_76_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0128587"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_77_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/sj.embor.7400516"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_78_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nature26157"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_79_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/msphere.00734-24"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_80_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.01397-19"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_81_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1011268"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_82_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/jof10050336"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_83_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/jof5030058"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_84_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms13030652"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_85_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1006290"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_86_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3201\/eid3108.250315"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_87_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1586\/14787210.1.1.167"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_88_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.96.5.2408"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_89_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.01372-06"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_90_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.73.12.8219-8225.2005"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_91_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/genetics\/iyab003"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_92_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.72.12.7220-7230.2004"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_93_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780199637393.001.0001"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_94_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00328721"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_95_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.1500248"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_96_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00217-17"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_97_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00130-16"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_98_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gene.2004.06.021"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_99_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/iai.00274-23"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_100_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1003634"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_101_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0805048105"}],"container-title":["Microbiology Spectrum"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/spectrum.03156-25","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/spectrum.03156-25","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]],"date-time":"2026-03-03T14:07:09Z","timestamp":1772546829000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/10.1128\/spectrum.03156-25"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Luis R.","family":"Martinez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]]},"references-count":100,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1128\/spectrum.03156-25"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/spectrum.03156-25","relation":{},"ISSN":["2165-0497"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2165-0497","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,3]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-09-30","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-12-15","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-01-15","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e03156-25"}}