Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026
Whole Genome Sequencing of Candida glabrata for Detection of Markers of Antifungal Drug Resistance
Published on: December 28, 2017
Rapid Detection of FKS-Associated Echinocandin Resistance in Candida glabrata
Yanan Zhao1, Yoji Nagasaki2, Milena Kordalewska2
1Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School-Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, New Jersey, USA zhaoy1@njms.rutgers.edu perlinds@njms.rutgers.edu.
Abstract:
A novel and highly accurate diagnostic assay platform was established for rapid identification of FKS mutations associated with echinocandin resistance in Candida glabrata The assay platform uses allele-specific molecular beacon and DNA melt analysis following asymmetric PCR. A dual assay for FKS1 and FKS2 was developed to identify within 3 h the most common and clinically relevant resistance-associated mutations, including 8 FKS1 HS1 (wild type [WT], S629P, F625S, D632Y, D632E [T1896G], D632E [T1896A], I634V, and F625F) and 7 FKS2 HS1 (WT, F659del, F659S, F659V, F659L, S663P, and S663F) genotypes. A blinded panel of 188 C. glabrata clinical isolates was tested by both assays. The molecular diagnostic results from the dual assay were 100% concordant with data obtained from DNA sequencing. This platform has the potential to overcome the deficiencies of existing in vitro susceptibility-based assays to identify echinocandin-resistant C. glabrata and holds promise as a surrogate diagnostic method to better direct echinocandin therapy.
