Wickerhamomyces anomalus, a Biotechnological Yeast... an Opportunistic Pathogen? , a Biotechnological Yeast... an Opportunistic Pathogen?

GAROLERA, B; PAJOT, HIPÓLITO F.; FERNANDEZ, P

Congreso; XIII Argentine Congress of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (XIII CAB2C); 2023

Wickerhamomycesanomalusis a yeast with significant biotechnological potential, utilized in the production of fermented beverages and ethanol, as well as in the biocontrol of postharvest diseases, bioremediation of metals and organic contaminants, and surfactant production, among other applications. Its utility arises from its capacity to thrive on various carbon sources, tolerate a wide range of pH values, and survive temperatures ranging from 20 to 40°C (1). Nevertheless, documented cases of fungal infections in immunocompromised patients, including infants and adults, suggest its potential as an opportunistic pathogen(2). In our laboratory, we isolated a strain of Wickerhamomycesanomaluswith potential for hexavalent chromium bioremediation (3). The aim of this study was to in silico assess the presence of virulence factor genes in the WickerhamomycesanomalusM10 strain, which could confer opportunistic pathogenicity in humans.