Candida and macrophages: a deadly affair

Timothy Tucey; Thomas Naderer; Ana Traven

doi:10.1071/MA15019

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Candida and macrophages: a deadly affair

Timothy Tucey ^A , Thomas Naderer ^A and Ana Traven ^A ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Building 76, 23 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Vic. 3800, Australia

^B Corresponding author. Email: ana.traven@monash.edu

Microbiology Australia 36(2) 53-56 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA15019
Published: 17 March 2015

Abstract

The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans is a significant cause of invasive disease in hospital patients. Treatments are inadequate resulting in high financial costs and mortality rates that approach 50%¹^–⁵. Over the past decades, extensive use of immunosuppressive therapies and invasive medical procedures has exacerbated the problem⁶. Recent advances have shed light on the intimate relationship between Candida and innate immune cells, which triggers rapid fatal infections⁷^–¹⁰. In this review we focus on the dynamic interaction between C. albicans and macrophages, which act as front line defense against invading pathogens, and discuss a newly discovered deadly affair.

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