Abishek Balakumar, Shankar Thangamani
ABSTRACT Candidozyma auris (formerly Candida auris ) is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in humans. C. auris is distinct from other Candida species and exhibits exceptional capacity for skin colonization, resulting in nosocomial transmission and outbreaks of invasive infections. Fungal adhesins play a crucial role in skin colonization. With this perspective, we discuss the recent advances in the fungal adhesins of C. auris and how the divergence of adhesins in C. auris contributes to its unique fitness for skin colonization. We also discuss potential avenues to target fungal adhesins, which could pave the way for developing novel vaccine strategies and therapeutics to prevent skin colonization, nosocomial transmission, and invasive C. auris infections in humans.