Candida

The genus Candida represents a huge repertoire of fungal species with diverse functions. These unicellular yeasts possess great clinical significance because of the high level of pathogenicity exhibited by some members of the genus. Moreover, several species of Candida are highly valued industrially as microbial platforms to produce commercial products. Therefore, there is a persistent need to describe the genus as a whole, considering its immense applications in both medical and biotechnological grounds. The genus is being continuously explored, with new species regularly emerging as pathogenic. However, since most of the in-depth research has been focused on a few species of these yeasts, therefore, only the pathogenic species have been described in this chapter, reviewing the underlying characteristics that label their pathogenicity, which include their incidence of occurrence among the population, spread of infection, factors affecting the host immune system, and disease control. Further, the major studies identifying the biotechnological potential of the species have been discussed.