{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T06:43:00Z","timestamp":1785739380169,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,8]],"date-time":"2024-11-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1731024000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Candida auris, an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen, poses significant challenges in healthcare settings due to its high misidentification rate and resilience to treatments. Despite advancements in diagnostic tools, a gap remains in rapid, cost-effective identification methods that can differentiate C. auris from other Candida species, particularly on non-standard culture media. We used Raman spectroscopy to characterize C. auris grown on modified Dixon\u2019s agar (mDixon) and differentiated it from Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis. Key Raman spectral markers at 1171 cm\u22121 and 1452 cm\u22121, linked to mannan and \u03b2-glucan composition, differentiated C. auris into two subgroups, A and B. Despite the spectral similarities of groups A and B with C. albicans and C. parapsilosis, respectively, all Candida species were distinguishable through principal component analysis (PCA). Additionally, this study is the first to demonstrate the distinct spectral signature of mDixon agar, achieved through spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS), which enables accurate discrimination between the culture medium and fungal samples. The observed inter-individual variability within C. auris, coupled with the spectral overlap between C. auris subgroups and other Candida species, highlights a major challenge in differentiating closely related fungi due to their similar molecular composition. Enhancements in spectral resolution and further fluorescence minimization from the culture medium are needed to reliably detect the subtle biochemical differences within these species. Despite these challenges, the results underscore the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a real-time, non-destructive, and complementary tool for fungal pathogen identification.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens13110978","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,8]],"date-time":"2024-11-08T06:05:41Z","timestamp":1731045941000},"page":"978","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Characterization and Differentiation of Candida auris on Dixon\u2019s Agar Using Raman Spectroscopy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Chrysoula","family":"Petrokilidou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, 451 10 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6742-7533","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eleftherios","family":"Pavlou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, 451 10 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7605-0210","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aristea","family":"Velegraki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mycology Laboratory, BIOIATRIKI SA, 115 27 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Simou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mycology Laboratory, BIOIATRIKI SA, 115 27 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ioanna","family":"Marsellou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mycology Laboratory, BIOIATRIKI SA, 115 27 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Grigorios","family":"Filis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hautwerk Klinik, 8041 Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0252-8314","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioannis D.","family":"Bassukas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Skin & Venereal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, 451 10 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5482-1304","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Georgios","family":"Gaitanis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Skin & Venereal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, 451 10 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3264-2406","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikolaos","family":"Kourkoumelis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, 451 10 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"WHO (2022). 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