A defined interkingdom biofilm composed of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Primary studies of this exact species composition report outcomes ranging from contact-dependent antagonism to hypha-supported colonization and copper-mediated mutualism, demonstrating strong dependence on strains, nutrients, surfaces, growth state, and colonization order.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
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| Staphylococcus aureus | NCBITaxon:1280 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
CROSS_FEEDER
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ABUNDANT |
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| Candida albicans | NCBITaxon:5476 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
CROSS_FEEDER
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ABUNDANT |
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Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
Antagonistic Dual-Species Biofilm Suppression
The PMID:42629020 coculture had reduced aggregate biofilm biomass, cell counts, metabolic activity and extracellular matrix relative to single-species biofilms. Preserve this reported suppressive phenotype without treating aggregate endpoints as demonstrated reciprocal negative fitness effects. This observation does not establish the mechanism of a different strain/condition study.
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:42629020 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"there is an antagonistic effect between C. albicans and S. aureus"
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PMID:42629020 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"significantly reduced biomass, cell counts, metabolic activity, and EPS content"
Contact-Dependent Strain-Specific Fungal Suppression
PMID:42413741 reports strain-dependent, contact-associated fungal suppression and variation among dual-species biofilm compositions. This is a reported one-way inhibitory effect, not evidence that both partners suffer reciprocal negative fitness effects or that the mechanism explains PMID:42629020.
Source Taxon: Staphylococcus aureus
Target Taxon: Candida albicans
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:42413741 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"The majority of the 60 S. aureus strains tested suppressed fungal growth in a contact-dependent manner"
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PMID:42413741 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"dual-species biofilms varied significantly in their bacterial-to-fungal cell ratios and in the composition of the biofilm-associated extracellular matrix"
Copper-Mediated Nutritional Mutualism
MUTUALISMHYPOTHESIZED/PARTIAL: PMID:42359480 interprets its larger dual-species biofilms and proteomic copper-handling observations as nutritional mutualism. Preserve this study-specific interpretation, distinguishing inferred copper handling and aggregate biomass from quantified reciprocal partner benefit or a universal relationship across the six studies.
Metabolites: copper(2+) (CHEBI:29036 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:42359480 - PARTIAL (COMPUTATIONAL)"Dual-species proteomic analysis revealed non-reciprocal copper handling"
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PMID:42359480 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"dual-species biofilms are consistently larger than single-species counterparts"
Candida Biofilm Scaffold Supports Staphylococcus Colonization
COLONIZATION_FACILITATIONPMID:33831044 reports a contact-dependent scaffold association and increased bacterial cell numbers within its tested Candida-Staphylococcus system. Retain this source-supported colonization-facilitation observation without importing a hyphal requirement or other conditions from a separate study.
Source Taxon: Candida albicans
Target Taxon: Staphylococcus aureus
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:33831044 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"early C. albicans biofilms enhanced the numbers of E. coli and S. aureus"
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PMID:33831044 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"contact with C. albicans was required for the increased bacterial cell numbers observed"
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PMID:33831044 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"C. albicans provided a scaffold for initial bacterial adhesion"
Growth-State and Hyphal Context Dependence
PMID:41324029 reports differing outcomes between planktonic and biofilm contexts. Preserve the study-specific suppression and aggregate biofilm observations without classifying every condition as mutualism or turning its morphological comparison into a requirement for the separate PMID:33831044 scaffold study.
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:41324029 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"C. albicans dominated in planktonic co-culture, suppressing S. aureus growth, whereas biofilm conditions favored mutual adaptation"
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PMID:41324029 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"hyphae-competent C. albicans forming dual-species biofilms with S. aureus that accumulated substantial biomass"
Study-Specific Candida Transcript Response
PMID:34888261 reports Candida transcript differences and gene-ontology associations in the studied dual-species biofilms. Transcript abundance and functional annotations are not demonstrated changes in genotype, infection severity or colonization. No phenotype-enhancing mechanism is inferred from this expression result.
Source Taxon: Staphylococcus aureus
Target Taxon: Candida albicans
Biological Processes:
- gene expression (GO:0010467 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:34888261 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"Upregulated genes in dual-species biofilms corresponded to multiple gene ontology terms, including those attributed to virulence, biofilm formation and protein binding"
Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Which observations belong to the same tested system, and which claims remain interpretations rather than measured partner effects?
Six primary abstracts were read as separate studies of a species pair, not one resolved strain/condition system. Remove cross-study causal joins; distinguish aggregate biomass, one-way inhibition, proteomic interpretation and transcript associations. Retain the directly supported scaffold observation and the copper authors mutualism interpretation with explicit qualifications. Available full-text leads were not reviewed here. This is evidence/metadata correction only, without new enhancement procedures, genetic designs or partner mechanisms.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Antagonistic Dual-Species Biofilm Suppression, ecological_interactions#Contact-Dependent Strain-Specific Fungal Suppression, ecological_interactions#Copper-Mediated Nutritional Mutualism, ecological_interactions#Candida Biofilm Scaffold Supports Staphylococcus Colonization, ecological_interactions#Growth-State and Hyphal Context Dependence, ecological_interactions#Study-Specific Candida Transcript Response
2 evidence item(s)
significantly reduced biomass, cell counts, metabolic activity, and EPS content
Supports the measured suppressive biofilm phenotype.
Dual-species proteomic analysis revealed non-reciprocal copper handling
Supports the reported proteomic interpretation; PARTIAL for nutritional mutualism and not a direct measurement of transferred copper or reciprocal fitness.
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
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Primary publication - antagonistic phenotypic and transcriptomic study
Exact-composition study reporting antagonistic dual-species biofilm outcomes. |
OTHER | PMID:42629020 |
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Primary publication - copper-driven mutualism
Exact-composition study of copper-mediated cooperation. |
OTHER | PMID:42359480 |
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Primary publication - clinical-strain biofilm dynamics
Exact-composition study of growth-state, hyphal, and colonization-order effects. |
OTHER | PMID:41324029 |
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Primary publication - Candida transcriptome response
Exact-composition RNA-seq study of C. albicans responses to S. aureus. |
OTHER | PMID:34888261 |
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Primary publication - Candida scaffold and antifungal intervention
Exact-composition study of Candida-supported S. aureus biofilms and antifungal perturbation. |
OTHER | PMID:33831044 |
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Primary publication - S. aureus strain heterogeneity
Exact-composition study of 60 S. aureus strains paired with C. albicans. |
OTHER | PMID:42413741 |
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Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Surface-associated biofilm growth | plastic and other biotic or abiotic surfaces | N/A |
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| Copper availability | depletion and supplementation | N/A |
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| Growth state | planktonic versus biofilm | N/A |
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Growth Media
Cross-Mech Suite Links
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