{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T06:02:10Z","timestamp":1782280930884,"version":"3.54.5"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]]},"group-title":"Microbiology","reference-count":54,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770249600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/about\/FAQ#license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  <jats:italic>Candidozyma auris<\/jats:italic>\n                  is a high-priority, emerging fungal pathogen frequently isolated from urine in healthcare settings. These isolates are often associated with indwelling urinary catheters, a primary risk factor for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Despite its clinical prevalence, the mechanisms of\n                  <jats:italic>C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                  colonization and pathogenesis within the bladder remain poorly understood. In this study, we screened\n                  <jats:italic>C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                  isolates from diverse clades using an\n                  <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                  biofilm model and\n                  <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                  murine models of uncomplicated UTI and CAUTI. While\n                  <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                  biofilm formation varied among isolates, the presence of a catheter\n                  <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                  significantly enhanced fungal burden in the bladder. Notably, one strain (B11103) caused rapid systemic dissemination and mortality. To address this, we evaluated a liquid-infused silicone (LIS)-catheter coating, which has previously shown efficacy against other uropathogens. The LIS-coating significantly reduced\n                  <jats:italic>C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                  attachment\n                  <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                  and, crucially, mitigated fungal burden on both the catheter and bladder tissue\n                  <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                  across all tested strains. For the hyper-virulent B11103 strain, LIS-catheters also significantly reduced dissemination to the kidneys and bloodstream. Furthermore, cytokine analysis revealed that\n                  <jats:italic>C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                  CAUTI upregulates IL-6, CSF3, and CXCL1; notably, this damaging inflammatory response was dampened by the LIS-catheter. These findings demonstrate that catheterization potentiates\n                  <jats:italic>C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                  pathogenicity and identify LIS-catheters as a promising, antimicrobial-sparing strategy to prevent colonization, systemic spread, and inflammation during\n                  <jats:italic>C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                  CAUTI.\n                <\/jats:p>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    This research addresses the critical public health challenge posed by the emergence of\n                    <jats:italic>Candidozyma auris,<\/jats:italic>\n                    elucidating its pathogenesis in the urinary tract, the second most common yet understudied reservoir. Here, we find that\n                    <jats:italic>C. auris<\/jats:italic>\n                    exhibits plasticity in its ability to form biofilms in urine and cause uncomplicated UTIs and catheter-associated UTIs. Importantly, we show that our liquid-infused silicone (LIS)-catheters effectively disrupt this cycle by reducing fungal burden, preventing systemic spread, and dampening the damaging host inflammatory response. This work establishes the urinary tract as a critical niche for systemic entry and provides a validated strategy for infection prevention.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.02.05.703977","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,6]],"date-time":"2026-02-06T03:20:17Z","timestamp":1770348017000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Liquid-Infused Silicone Catheters Reduce Fungal Burden and Inflammation in\n                  <i>Candidozyma auris<\/i>\n                  Bladder Infections"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Alyssa Ann","family":"La Bella","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hope","family":"Akegbe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Caitlin","family":"Howell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04669, USA"},{"name":"Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04669, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6453-4904","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Felipe H.","family":"Santiago-Tirado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4610-4246","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana L.","family":"Flores-Mireles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.1","unstructured":"Alastruey-Izquierdo, A . WHO fungal priority pathogens list to guide research, development and public health action. World Health Organization: Geneva , Switzerland (2022)."},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-micro-032521-015858"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1011843"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1348-0421.2008.00083.x"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1013138"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra2402635"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.adf8972"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0924-8579(00)00359-9"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.9","unstructured":"Haider, M. Z. & Annamaraju, P. in StatPearls (2025)."},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/civ236"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1310\/sci2503-228"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajic.2018.01.015"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-46974-6"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41585-025-01065-z"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.15","unstructured":"Bono, M. J. & Leslie, S. W. in StatPearls (StatPearls Publishing Copyright \u00a9 2025, StatPearls Publishing LLC., 2025)."},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.ade7689"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1101\/2025.11.06.686417"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7554\/eLife.75798"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actbio.2024.12.040"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/coatings10010023"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mbio.02748-24"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3791\/52892"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41564-020-0780-3"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1013114"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1172\/jci.insight.88178"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.00711-10"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/IAI.00856-12"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/22221751.2020.1771218"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/msphere.00817-21"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-025-60876-1"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mbio.00842-22"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0307544"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7554\/eLife.49748"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-021-06036-4"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-53829-7"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/scitranslmed.aaf1283"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2020.00492"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/ecosalplus.ESP-0009-2017"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2022.864305"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens9100835"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.1601944"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1315203110"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0902179106"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2023.1033707"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.72676"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.69699"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nri3887"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1172\/JCI105952"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.01653-16"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.10.4.611"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cyto.2018.05.019"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-025-57797-4"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mib.2016.06.002"},{"key":"2026020905200921000_2026.02.05.703977v1.54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/scitranslmed.3009384"}],"container-title":[],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.64898\/2026.02.05.703977","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T05:11:38Z","timestamp":1782277898000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/biorxiv.org\/lookup\/doi\/10.64898\/2026.02.05.703977"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]]},"references-count":54,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.64898\/2026.02.05.703977","relation":{"is-preprint-of":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1128\/msphere.00098-26","asserted-by":"subject"}]},"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]]},"subtype":"preprint"}}