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Fungal morphogenetic changes inside the mammalian host.

Nuria Trevijano-Contador1, Cristina Rueda1, Oscar Zaragoza1

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Pathogenic fungi change shape to cause disease. This review covers how morphological changes in fungi like Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans aid infection processes.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Medical Mycology
  • Pathogen Biology
  • Cellular Morphology

Background:

  • Pathogenic fungi exhibit morphological plasticity, switching between yeast and filamentous forms.
  • These morphological transitions are crucial for fungal pathogenesis, impacting infection progression.
  • Key processes like adhesion, invasion, immune evasion, and phagocytosis avoidance are influenced by fungal morphology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of fungal morphological transitions in disease development.
  • To highlight the significance of these changes in pathogenic fungi.
  • To examine specific examples in Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on fungal morphology and pathogenesis.
  • Analysis of documented morphological changes in key fungal species.
  • Comparative examination of different fungal morphological transition strategies.

Main Results:

  • Morphological switching is a common trait in pathogenic fungi, enabling adaptation during infection.
  • Candida albicans transitions between yeast (blastoconidia) and filamentous (hyphae/pseudohyphae) forms.
  • Cryptococcus neoformans exhibits size changes (titan cells) without altering cell shape.

Conclusions:

  • Fungal morphological transitions are critical virulence factors.
  • Understanding these changes provides insights into fungal disease mechanisms.
  • Targeting morphological plasticity may offer novel therapeutic strategies against fungal infections.