Antifungal susceptibility and in vitro virulence characteristics of clinical Magnusiomyces/Saprochaete isolates: a multicenter study from Türkiye

Invasive infections due to Magnusiomyces/Saprochaete species are an emerging problem in immunocompromised patients and are often underrecognized because of misidentification and intrinsic resistance to some antifungals. This multicenter study investigated the species distribution, antifungal susceptibility patterns, and key virulence traits of clinical isolates from Türkiye. A total of 133 clinical isolates collected between 2010 and 2024 from 18 hospitals in 10 cities were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and ITS/LSU sequencing. MICs of amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and flucytosine were determined using the EUCAST broth microdilution method. Biofilm formation and esterase, caseinase, secreted aspartyl proteinase, phospholipase, and hemolysin activities were assessed phenotypically. Sequencing identified 107 isolates (80.4%) as Magnusiomyces capitatus and 26 (19.6%) as Magnusiomyces clavatus, MALDI-TOF MS identified 106 (79.7%) as M. capitatus and 27 isolates (20.3%) as M. clavatus. There was 99.2% agreement between MALDI-TOF MS and sequencing results. Voriconazole, amphotericin B, and posaconazole showed the lowest MICs, whereas fluconazole displayed wide MIC ranges and limited activity. Overall, 97.7% of isolates were strong biofilm producers, with significantly higher biofilm production in M. capitatus. In contrast, M. clavatus showed higher caseinase and esterase activity. This study provides the most extensive multicenter dataset on Magnusiomyces/Saprochaete in Türkiye and underscores their considerable pathogenic potential through strong biofilm formation and tissue-degrading enzyme activities. Accurate species-level identification using MALDI-TOF MS supported by molecular methods is essential, and limited fluconazole activity suggests that voriconazole and amphotericin B should be prioritized in species-guided treatment strategies.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Scientific Reports
Published
2026-03-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42967-1
Primary Topic
Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Antifungal susceptibility and in vitro virulence characteristics of clinical Magnusiomyces/Saprochaete isolates: a multicenter study from Türkiye

Gonca ERKÖSE GENÇ, Yasemin Öz, Emine Küçükateş, Özlem Koyuncu Özyurt et al.
Scientific Reports
Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
article

Antifungal susceptibility and in vitro virulence characteristics of clinical Magnusiomyces/Saprochaete isolates: a multicenter study from Türkiye

Gonca ERKÖSE GENÇ, Yasemin Öz, Emine Küçükateş, Özlem Koyuncu Özyurt, Nazmiye Ülkü Tüzemen, Elif Seren Tanrıverdi, Esra Özkaya, Berna Gültekin Korkmazgil, Halil Er, Ayşe Nedret Koç, Melda Özdamar, Ali Öztürk, Arzu İlki, İlknur Tosun, Asuman Bİrİncİ, Ayşe Bayraktar Bariş, Müge Aslan, Ayşe KALKANCI, MERVE AYDIN, BARIŞ OTLU, Sebahat Aksaray, Betil Ozhak, Aydin Karaarslan, Elif Ayca Sahin, Dolunay Gulmez, Bashar Ibrahim, Rabiye Altinbas, Sevtap Arikan-Akdagli, Beyza Ener, Ebru Evren, Zeynep Ceren Karahan, Deniz Turan, Ozgul Cetinkaya, Zayre Erturan, Elvan Sayin
article en

Abstract

Invasive infections due to Magnusiomyces/Saprochaete species are an emerging problem in immunocompromised patients and are often underrecognized because of misidentification and intrinsic resistance to some antifungals. This multicenter study investigated the species distribution, antifungal susceptibility patterns, and key virulence traits of clinical isolates from Türkiye. A total of 133 clinical isolates collected between 2010 and 2024 from 18 hospitals in 10 cities were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and ITS/LSU sequencing. MICs of amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and flucytosine were determined using the EUCAST broth microdilution method. Biofilm formation and esterase, caseinase, secreted aspartyl proteinase, phospholipase, and hemolysin activities were assessed phenotypically. Sequencing identified 107 isolates (80.4%) as Magnusiomyces capitatus and 26 (19.6%) as Magnusiomyces clavatus, MALDI-TOF MS identified 106 (79.7%) as M. capitatus and 27 isolates (20.3%) as M. clavatus. There was 99.2% agreement between MALDI-TOF MS and sequencing results. Voriconazole, amphotericin B, and posaconazole showed the lowest MICs, whereas fluconazole displayed wide MIC ranges and limited activity. Overall, 97.7% of isolates were strong biofilm producers, with significantly higher biofilm production in M. capitatus. In contrast, M. clavatus showed higher caseinase and esterase activity. This study provides the most extensive multicenter dataset on Magnusiomyces/Saprochaete in Türkiye and underscores their considerable pathogenic potential through strong biofilm formation and tissue-degrading enzyme activities. Accurate species-level identification using MALDI-TOF MS supported by molecular methods is essential, and limited fluconazole activity suggests that voriconazole and amphotericin B should be prioritized in species-guided treatment strategies.

Scientific Reports
Bursa Uludağ Üni̇versi̇tesi̇ (TR), Izmir University (TR), Ankara University (TR), Karadeniz Technical University (TR), Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi (TR), Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University (TR), Akdeniz University (TR), Niğde Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi (TR), Inonu University (TR), Ondokuz Mayıs University (TR), Turkish Armed Forces (TR), Memorial Ankara Hospital (TR), Antalya Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa (TR), Haydarpaşa Numune Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi (TR), Şişli Etfal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Eskişehir Osmangazi University (TR), Hacettepe University (TR), Istanbul University (TR), Marmara University (TR), Adnan Menderes University (TR), University of Health Sciences Antigua (AG), Erciyes University (TR), Gazi University (TR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.