IADR Abstract Archives
Mycobiota spectrum of oral fungal infections in head-neck cancer patients
Objectives: This study aimed to characterize the mycobiota profile of oral fungal infections in HNC patients receiving radiation treatment (RT).
Methods: A 6-year retrospective study was conducted, analyzing oral mycobiota records from the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at Karolinska University Hospital from 2014 to 2019. MALDI-TOF MS characterization was performed on oral mucosa samples from HNC patients who underwent RT and were diagnosed with oral fungal infections. Data from HNC patients were grouped according to their RT history (ongoing- or post-RT). Descriptive statistics, a linear regression model, and a Venn diagram were used to examine the diversity and trend of detected fungal species.
Results: A total of 190 oral fungi were isolated from all 162 HNC patients receiving RT. The genus Candida accounted for nearly 88% of all identified fungi, followed by the genus Pichia (5%). Two novel non-abicans Candida (NAC) species, including F. solani and C. jadinii, were detected in HNC patients under RT. Trend analysis based on annual records showed constant frequencies for C. albicans and P. kudriavevii. A mild to moderate increase was observed in C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis, while a significant decrease was observed in C. glabrata (P < 0.05). The Venn analysis revealed that C. albicans, C. glabrata, P. kudriavzevii, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis, were common species in both ongoing- and post-RT groups and represented the core mycobiota of the oral fungal infections in HNC patients.
Conclusions: MALDI-TOF MS technique identified a broad range of oral fungal species in HNC patients receiving RT. Despite the emergence of F. solani and C. jadinii, C. albicans remained the most frequently detected pathogen in oral fungal infections. Exploration of these causative pathogens could pave the way for developing therapeutics to control and treat oral fungal infections in HNC patients receiving RT.
Methods: A 6-year retrospective study was conducted, analyzing oral mycobiota records from the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at Karolinska University Hospital from 2014 to 2019. MALDI-TOF MS characterization was performed on oral mucosa samples from HNC patients who underwent RT and were diagnosed with oral fungal infections. Data from HNC patients were grouped according to their RT history (ongoing- or post-RT). Descriptive statistics, a linear regression model, and a Venn diagram were used to examine the diversity and trend of detected fungal species.
Results: A total of 190 oral fungi were isolated from all 162 HNC patients receiving RT. The genus Candida accounted for nearly 88% of all identified fungi, followed by the genus Pichia (5%). Two novel non-abicans Candida (NAC) species, including F. solani and C. jadinii, were detected in HNC patients under RT. Trend analysis based on annual records showed constant frequencies for C. albicans and P. kudriavevii. A mild to moderate increase was observed in C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis, while a significant decrease was observed in C. glabrata (P < 0.05). The Venn analysis revealed that C. albicans, C. glabrata, P. kudriavzevii, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis, were common species in both ongoing- and post-RT groups and represented the core mycobiota of the oral fungal infections in HNC patients.
Conclusions: MALDI-TOF MS technique identified a broad range of oral fungal species in HNC patients receiving RT. Despite the emergence of F. solani and C. jadinii, C. albicans remained the most frequently detected pathogen in oral fungal infections. Exploration of these causative pathogens could pave the way for developing therapeutics to control and treat oral fungal infections in HNC patients receiving RT.
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