Candida albicans-bacteria interactions

Bacteria and fungi co-inhabit almost all environments including the human body. When the host immune defenses are compromised, some microorganisms can become opportunistic pathogens like the fungus Candida albicans. My research is focused on how bacterial secondary metabolites can inhibit the expression of fungal virulence factors. Furthermore, I am interested in the genetic regulation of C. albicans filamentation and biofilm formation in the context of normal human microbiota. To investigate the ecological roles of bacterial small molecules, I am screening bacterial populations isolated from human sites and other environments that alter the expression of reporter-genes, which regulate morphology, proteases secretion and biofilm formation of C. albicans cells.