GC-MS-Based Metabolomics Study of Single- and Dual-Species Biofilms of <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>

• Main Authors: Emilia Galdiero, Maria Michela Salvatore, Angela Maione, Elisabetta de Alteriis, Anna Andolfi, Francesco Salvatore, Marco Guida
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: metabolomics; GC-MS; <i>Candida albicans</i>; <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>; polymicrobial biofilms; interspecies interactions
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/7/3496

<i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> frequently co-exist within the human host as a complex biofilm community. These pathogens are of interest because their association is also related to significantly increased morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. With the aim of highlighting metabolic shifts occurring in the dual-species biofilm, an untargeted GC-MS-based metabolomics approach was applied to single and mixed biofilms of <i>C. albicans</i> and <i>K. pneumoniae</i>. Metabolomic results showed that among the extracellular metabolites identified, approximately 40 compounds had significantly changed relative abundance, mainly involving central carbon, amino acid, vitamin, and secondary metabolisms, such as serine, leucine, arabitol, phosphate, vitamin B6, <i>cyclo</i>-(Phe-Pro), trehalose, and nicotinic acid. The results were related to the strict interactions between the two species and the different microbial composition in the early and mature biofilms.