{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,11]],"date-time":"2026-02-11T13:05:20Z","timestamp":1770815120607,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,4]],"date-time":"2022-06-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1654300800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)\/MCTES","award":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)\/MCTES","award":["UIDP\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/00709\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)\/MCTES","award":["SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"]}]},{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)\/MCTES","award":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Instituto Nacional de Administra\u00e7\u00e3o e Gest\u00e3o de Bolsas de Estudo (INAGBE)","award":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Instituto Nacional de Administra\u00e7\u00e3o e Gest\u00e3o de Bolsas de Estudo (INAGBE)","award":["UIDP\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/00709\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Instituto Nacional de Administra\u00e7\u00e3o e Gest\u00e3o de Bolsas de Estudo (INAGBE)","award":["SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"]}]},{"name":"Instituto Nacional de Administra\u00e7\u00e3o e Gest\u00e3o de Bolsas de Estudo (INAGBE)","award":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FCT","award":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FCT","award":["UIDP\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/00709\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FCT","award":["SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"]}]},{"name":"FCT","award":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100008530","name":"the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00709\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100008530","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100008530","name":"the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDP\/00709\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/00709\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100008530","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100008530","name":"the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SFRH\/BPD\/115145\/2016"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100008530","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100008530","name":"the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100008530","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Previous studies have revealed that Candida albicans isolates involved in chronic vulvovaginal candidosis (cVVC) phenotypically express less virulent traits than clinical isolates involved in sporadic infections. In this study, we aimed to further explore this finding by studying the behaviour of those same clinical isolates in in-vitro models of infection. Eighteen clinical Candida albicans isolates were collected from women suffering sporadic (eight isolates) or chronic infections (ten isolates). Adhesion to HeLa cells (human cervical cancer epithelial cell line) and resistance to phagocytosis by RAW 264.7 cells (murine macrophages cell line) were tested in-vitro. In addition, phenotypic expression of virulence factors related with either adhesion or resistance to phagocytosis was tested in-vitro. Results indicated that yeast isolates involved in sporadic infection adhered in a higher proportion of HeLa cells than those of chronic infections, which was related with their ability to produce biofilm (p &lt; 0.05). The ability to evade phagocytosis was related to an elevated production of proteases (p &lt; 0.05) by chronic isolates, while sporadic isolates\u2019 resistance to phagocytosis was related to a higher hydrophobicity of cell walls (p &lt; 0.05). We conclude that the evasion of macrophage-mediated phagocytosis related to the production of proteases might be an important factor involved in the recurrence of vulvovaginal candidosis infection.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life12060838","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,4]],"date-time":"2022-06-04T09:42:32Z","timestamp":1654335752000},"page":"838","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Vulvovaginal Candida albicans Clinical Isolates\u2019 Resistance to Phagocytosis In-Vitro"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Paula","family":"Faria-Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CICS-UBI\u2014Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"FCS-UBI\u2014Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"FMUMN\u2014Faculty of Medicine, University Mandume Ya Ndemufayo, Lubango 3FJP+27X, Angola"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICS-UBI\u2014Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"FCS-UBI\u2014Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0144-2543","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos","family":"Gaspar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICS-UBI\u2014Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"FCS-UBI\u2014Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Labfit-HPRD\u2014Health Products Research and Development Lda, 6200-284 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Rodrigues","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CNC\u2014Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"FMUC\u2014Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9311-8355","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rita","family":"Palmeira-de-Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICS-UBI\u2014Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"FCS-UBI\u2014Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Labfit-HPRD\u2014Health Products Research and Development Lda, 6200-284 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"Martinez-de-Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICS-UBI\u2014Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Teresa","family":"Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CNC\u2014Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"FMUC\u2014Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Palmeira-de-Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICS-UBI\u2014Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"FCS-UBI\u2014Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"Labfit-HPRD\u2014Health Products Research and Development Lda, 6200-284 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5291-212X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joana","family":"Rolo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICS-UBI\u2014Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.1016\/S0002-9378(98)80001-X","article-title":"Vulvovaginal candidiasis: Epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations","volume":"178","author":"Sobel","year":"1998","journal-title":"Am. 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