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Renaming Candida glabrata—A case of taxonomic purity over clinical and public health pragmatism

Summary

Candida glabrata is a common yeast infection that causes serious illnesses in humans, affecting millions of people worldwide. Scientists have recently proposed renaming it to Nakaseomyces glabrata for technical taxonomic reasons. However, this article argues against the change because it would create confusion for doctors, complicate treatment instructions on medications, disrupt disease tracking systems, and make it harder for patients to understand their conditions. Keeping the familiar name Candida glabrata is more practical and helpful for patient care and public health than strict adherence to taxonomic classification rules.

Background

Candida glabrata is the third or fourth most common human pathogen among Candida species, responsible for approximately 25% of candidaemia and invasive candidiasis cases. In recent years, many medical mycologists have adopted or proposed renaming C. glabrata to Nakaseomyces glabrata or Nakaseomyces glabratus based on taxonomic considerations.

Objective

To evaluate whether the proposed taxonomic renaming of Candida glabrata to Nakaseomyces glabrata or N. glabratus is helpful or a hindrance to clinical practice and public health. The author argues against the renaming based on clinical and pragmatic grounds.

Results

The paper documents that C. glabrata has been stable in nomenclature for 46 years since 1978 and provides evidence that renaming would disrupt established clinical terminology, compromise antifungal drug registrations, complicate diagnostic interpretation, and necessitate revisions to the International Classification of Disease, medical textbooks, and public health surveillance systems.

Conclusion

The proposed renaming of C. glabrata to Nakaseomyces should be rejected in favor of retaining the established clinical name based on reasons of nomenclatural stability, clinical utility, public health pragmatism, and the option available in nomenclatural codes to maintain well-established names despite taxonomic reclassification.
  • Published in:PLoS Pathogens,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 38489254, DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012055
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