Revised Nomenclature of Candida: Towards Evolution Part I

The nomenclature of any pathogen will inevitably change as a result of refinement and correction of previous taxonomic errors, providing opportunities for better recognition of biological traits that are clinically significant to medical practice.

Considering the identification of fungi which was primarily based on examination of morphological and phenotypic characteristics, is very much complicated by extreme diversity. But advanced molecular phylogenetic approaches have rapidly increased the pace of change over the last decade resulting in taxonomic changes to many fungi of medical importance.

The traceability of nomenclatural changes and a stable taxonomic system are crucial for all users, on the contrary straightforward application of fungal names is also important. As a result, the two main repositories, Mycobank and Index Fungorum are excellent resources for knowing current taxonomic data. 

Candida, are arguably the group of fungi that have undergone the most reclassification recently and are creating the greatest concern among medical professionals and clinicians. This is probably due to the fact that these fungi are frequently responsible for both invasive and superficial infections. It frequently took decades for many nomenclatural changes to be fully accepted due to strong opposition. At the very least, clinicians ought to know other names for common organisms. By reporting new names alongside their old ones until they are widely recognised, changes may be controlled and needless confusion can be prevented. 

These modifications are an essential component of a continuous process of improving our understanding of how organisms have evolved, interact and behave. Ongoing clinical education will be crucial because evolution is certain and many more medically significant fungi will be similarly impacted in the future. 

References

1. Warnock DW. Name changes for fungi of medical importance, 2012 to 2015. J Clin Microbiol 2017; 55:53–9.

2. Warnock DW. Name changes for fungi of medical importance, 2016–2017. J Clin Microbiol 2019; 57:e01183–18.

3. Borman AM, Johnson EM. Name changes for fungi of medical importance, 2018 to 2019. J Clin Microbiol 2021; 59:e01811–20. Erratum in: J Clin Microbiol 2021; 59.

4. Sarah E Kidd, Alireza Abdolrasouli, Ferry Hagen, Fungal Nomenclature: Managing Change is the Name of the Game, Open Forum Infectious Diseases 2023;10(1):559.