{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T14:53:53Z","timestamp":1791557633275,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,2]],"date-time":"2024-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1719878400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004442","name":"NATIONAL SCIENCE CENTRE, POLAND","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2017\/26\/D\/NZ6\/00136"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2017\/26\/D\/NZ6\/00136"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004442","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomolecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Current microbiological methods for pneumonia diagnosis require invasive specimen collection and time-consuming analytical procedures. There is a need for less invasive and faster methods to detect lower respiratory tract infections. The analysis of volatile metabolites excreted by pathogenic microorganisms provides the basis for developing such a method. Given the synergistic role of Candida albicans in increasing the virulence of pathogenic bacteria causing pneumonia and the cross-kingdom metabolic interactions between microorganisms, we compare the emission of volatiles from Candida albicans yeasts and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus using single and mixed co-cultures and apply that knowledge to human in vivo investigations. Gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis resulted in the identification of sixty-eight volatiles that were found to have significantly different levels in cultures compared to reference medium samples. Certain volatiles were found in co-cultures that mainly originated from C. albicans metabolism (e.g., isobutyl acetate), whereas other volatiles primarily came from S. aureus (e.g., ethyl 2-methylbutyrate). Isopentyl valerate reflects synergic interactions of both microbes, as its level in co-cultures was found to be approximately three times higher than the sum of its amounts in monocultures. Hydrophilic\u2013lipophilic-balanced (HLB) coated meshes for thin-film microextraction (TFME) were used to preconcentrate volatiles directly from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens collected from patients suffering from ventilation-associated pneumonia (VAP), which was caused explicitly by C. albicans and S. aureus. GC-MS analyses confirmed the existence of in vitro-elucidated microbial VOCs in human specimens. Significant differences in BAL-extracted amounts respective to the pathogen-causing pneumonia were found. The model in vitro experiments provided evidence that cross-kingdom interactions between pathogenic microorganisms affect the synthesis of volatile compounds. The TFME meshes coated with HLB particles proved to be suitable for extracting VOCs from human material, enabling the translation of in vitro experiments on the microbial volatilome to the in vivo situation involving infected patients. This indicates the direction that should be taken for further clinical studies on VAP diagnosis based on volatile analysis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biom14070788","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,3]],"date-time":"2024-07-03T04:23:43Z","timestamp":1719980623000},"page":"788","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Molecular Analysis of Volatile Metabolites Synthesized by Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus in In Vitro Cultures and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Specimens Reflecting Single- or Duo-Factor Pneumonia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8696-0816","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wojciech","family":"Filipiak","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacodynamics and Molecular Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144, A. Jurasza 2 Str., 85-089 Bydgoszcz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matthias","family":"Wenzel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Breath Research, Universit\u00e4t Innsbruck, Innrain 66 and 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3592-2059","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Clemens","family":"Ager","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Breath Research, Universit\u00e4t Innsbruck, Innrain 66 and 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chris A.","family":"Mayhew","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Breath Research, Universit\u00e4t Innsbruck, Innrain 66 and 80-82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6787-1378","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tomasz","family":"Bogiel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru\u0144, Maria Curie-Sk\u0142odowska 9 Str., 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-3633-3014","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"W\u0142odarski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, 10th Military Research Hospital and Polyclinic, Powsta\u0144c\u00f3w Warszawy 5 Str., 85-681 Bydgoszcz, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1225-9349","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Markus","family":"Nagl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Sch\u00f6pfstr. 41, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"National Healthcare Safety Network of CDC (2024, April 10). 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