Candida albicans reprograms Staphylococcus aureus glycolytic metabolism to drive enhanced virulence.

Candida albicans reprograms Staphylococcus aureus glycolytic pathways, increasing its virulence by 2- to 3-fold in glucose-rich environments.

• Why it matters: Understanding how microbial interactions enhance infection severity is crucial for developing targeted therapies, especially since polymicrobial infections are more deadly than single-species ones.
• What they did: The study used metabolic profiling and inhibition experiments to show that C. albicans induces glycolytic reprogramming in S. aureus, characterized by reduced lactate and increased intermediates like phosphoenolpyruvate.
• The result: Disrupting lactate metabolism or glycolytic intermediates diminishes S. aureus virulence, revealing potential therapeutic targets to prevent or treat polymicrobial infections involving these pathogens.