白假丝酵母(又称白念珠菌)是人体重要的条件致病真菌。在正常人体中,白假丝酵母是一种无害共生真菌;在免疫力低下人群中,白假丝酵母可引起假丝酵母病,轻者可导致黏膜感染,重者可发展为系统性疾病,甚至危及生命。白假丝酵母从酵母相至菌丝相的形态转变是极其重要的致病因素之一。BDSF是小分子短链脂肪酸,由Burkholderia cenocepacia分泌产生。对酵母相白假丝酵母,在BDSF≥30μmol/L时因茵丝生长受强烈抑制,无法从酵母相向菌丝相转变。而对菌丝相白假丝酵母,当BDSF在30μmol/L和60μmol/L时,菌丝进一步生长并产生分支,但随菌丝分支生长,新生的分支菌丝不断转变为酵母相;当BDSF增加至120μmol/L时,菌丝生长和分支状况几乎完全受抑制。由此可见,BDSF不仅强烈抑制茵丝生长,还可促使新生的菌丝相向酵母相转化。
Candida albicans (C. albicans) is an important opportunistic pathogen. It is a harmless symbiotic fungus that inhabits various niches of healthy individuals. However, under immunocompromised conditions, C. albicans can cause candidiasis associated with mucosal infection and life-threatening systemic disease. BDSF is a Burkholderia cenocepacia-produced short-chain fatty acid with anti-fungal activity. When yeast form of C. albican was treated by BDSF, the yeast-to-hyphal transition was blocked at 30 μmol/L. Although the mycelia growth of hyphal form of C. albicans was not inhibited by BDSF at 30-60 μmol/L, the new-born branches of the mycelium were constantly changed into yeast form. The growth of hyphae was totally inhibited by BDSF at 120 μmol/L. The results suggested that both growth and differentiation of C. albicans may be regulated by BDSF.