Commentary: Experimental Mouse Models of Invasive Candidiasis Caused by Candida auris and Other Medically Important Candida Species

The study ““Experimental Mouse Models of Disseminated Candida auris Infection” provides the first insight into the critical role of C5 in the host antimicrobial defense to disseminated candidiasis caused by C. auris. This study also establishes an inbred A/J mouse model of systemic C. auris infection without drug-induced immunosuppression. C. auris has become the first fungal pathogen causing global public health threat due to its multidrug resistance (MDR) and persistence in hospital and nursing home settings. Currently, as compared to C. albicans, very limited animal models are available to study the progression of non-albicans Candida (NAC) species including C. auris. We have successfully established immunosuppressed C57BL/6, BALB/c and A/J murine models of disseminated candidiasis caused by five clinically significant Candida species: C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C. auris. Here we also report updated progress of some important mouse models for C. auris infection in the field. These valuable mouse models can be used for the assessment of antifungal drugs, evaluation of potential vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to protect before and after candidiasis, and comparison of pathogenicity of different Candida species.