Effect of filamentation and mode of growth on antifungal susceptibility of Candida albicans

Biofilm formation involving profuse hyphal growth is a major characteristic of Candida spp. and confers higher antifungal resistance than its planktonic mode of growth. We investigated the antifungal susceptibility of Candida albicans and its hyphal mutants (Δefg1/efg1, Δcph1/cph1 and ΔΔcph1/cph1 efg1/efg1) to commonly used antifungals during planktonic, adhesion and biofilm modes of growth. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each antifungal agent was determined for a lower inoculum (1 × 103 cells/mL) and higher inoculum (1 × 107 cells/mL) of planktonic Candida. Furthermore, MICs of C. albicans biofilms and adhesion modes of growth were determined with a standard XTT assay. Candida albicans in adhesion and biofilm modes of growth, but not in planktonic mode, were resistant to all five antifungal agents tested. Although Δefg1/efg1 and ΔΔcph1/cph1 efg1/efg1 mutants formed less biofilm than wild-type C. albicans SC5314, they were similarly resistant to caspofungin. However, these mutants were more sensitive to amphotericin B and nystatin than the wild-type. Adhesion per se confers increased resistance to antifungal agents, which is further pronounced in the biofilm mode of Candida. Filamentation does not appear to be a major determinant of the antifungal resistance in Candida biofilms.