mSphere of Influence: Population-level thinking to unravel microbial pathogenicity

Amelia E. Barber works in the field of fungal genomics and pathogenesis. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper "Strain heterogeneity in a non-pathogenic Aspergillus fungus highlights factors associated with virulence" from the group of Antonis Rokas changed her view on the binary characterization of microbes as pathogens or non-pathogens. The work highlights the overlapping virulence traits shared between the two groups and encourages the use of a population-based framework. To understand the full spectrum of microbial pathogenic potential, virulence phenotypes are characterized across a strain population of isolates from "pathogenic" species and closely related "non-pathogens," in this case revealing a continuum rather than a clear distinction.