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Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins
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421

Emergence and evolution of virulence in human pathogenic fungi

Sofía Siscar-Lewin1, Bernhard Hube2, Sascha Brunke1

  • 1Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany.

Trends in Microbiology
|January 21, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Fungal infections impact a billion people globally each year. This review explores how fungi evolve to cause disease, focusing on virulence factors and pathogen persistence.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Mycology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Pathogenomics

Background:

  • Fungal pathogens affect one billion people globally, causing 1.6 million deaths annually.
  • Human fungal infections arise from opportunistic commensals and environmental fungi.
  • Understanding fungal pathogenesis is crucial due to its significant public health impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the emergence and evolution of fungal pathogenesis in humans.
  • To explore attributes contributing to fungal pathogen success and virulence factor evolution.
  • To introduce concepts of antivirulence and avirulence genes in human fungal pathogens.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of fungal pathogenesis, evolution, and virulence factors.
  • Analysis of established concepts from bacterial and plant pathogenic fungi.
  • Exploration of genetic factors influencing fungal pathogenicity.

Main Results:

  • Fungi possess specific attributes enabling them to become successful human pathogens.
  • Evolutionary pressures may drive the selection of virulence factors in fungi.
  • Antivirulence and avirulence genes offer new perspectives on fungal pathogenicity.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding fungal evolution, including antivirulence, enhances knowledge of human fungal infections.
  • This framework aids in comprehending fungal pathogenicity from emergence to persistence.
  • Further research into fungal virulence and avirulence mechanisms is warranted.
Keywords:
antivirulenceavirulenceevolution of virulencefungal virulencepathogenic fungi

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