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Let's Get Physical: Bacterial-Fungal Interactions and Their Consequences in Agriculture and Health

Breanne N Steffan1, Nandhitha Venkatesh1,2, Nancy P Keller1,3

  • 1Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 29, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Bacteria attach to and invade fungi for protection and nutrients. These interactions impact microbial fitness, antibiotic resistance, and dispersal, affecting human and plant health. Understanding these multi-kingdom processes aids therapeutic development.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Mycology
  • Bacterial-Fungal Interactions

Background:

  • Fungi act as biological scaffolds, facilitating bacterial attachment and invasion.
  • Bacterial invasion of fungi provides a protected niche with essential nutrients for bacteria.
  • These interactions occur in both clinical and agricultural environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanisms of physical interactions between fungi and bacteria.
  • To explore the consequences of these interactions on microbial communities and host health.
  • To highlight the importance of understanding these dynamics for developing therapeutic strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on fungal-bacterial interactions.
  • Analysis of studies from clinical and agricultural settings.
  • Synthesis of findings on the impact of these interactions on microbial fitness and health.

Main Results:

  • Fungal-bacterial interactions alter microbial growth, development, and fitness.
  • Changes include modified antibiotic resistance, nutrient acquisition, and dispersal capabilities.
  • Consequences extend beyond microorganisms, impacting human and plant health.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding fungal-bacterial physical interactions is crucial for comprehending multi-kingdom community dynamics.
  • Knowledge gained can inform the development of novel therapeutic approaches for diseases in diverse ecological settings.
  • These interactions have significant implications for public health and agriculture.
Keywords:
adhesionattachmentbacterial–fungal interactionsendofungal

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