Beyond Bacteria: Exploring the Biology and Treatment of Understudied Fungal Biofilms

Dear Colleagues,

Biofilm-associated infections caused by bacterial and fungal pathogens remain a pressing challenge in clinical medicine due to their persistence, resistance to antimicrobial therapies, and ability to evade host immune defenses. While bacterial biofilms have been extensively studied, our understanding of fungal biofilms—particularly those formed by filamentous fungi—remains comparatively limited. Filamentous fungi are those that exhibit primarily hyphal growth, and they are emerging as a severe threat to human health, especially in immunocompromised patients. This knowledge gap extends to interkingdom biofilms, where bacterial–fungal interactions can significantly enhance virulence and antimicrobial tolerance but remain poorly characterized in terms of growth dynamics and therapeutic approaches. A critical barrier to progress is the lack of standardized models and reproducible methodologies for establishing, testing, and treating fungal and mixed-kingdom biofilms. Addressing these limitations is essential for the development of innovative therapeutic interventions. This Special Issue, titled “Beyond Bacteria: Exploring the Biology and Treatment of Understudied Fungal Biofilms”, seeks to advance the field by bringing together research on fungal biofilms, including the basic biology of biofilm formation, host–pathogen interactions, treatment strategies, and methodological innovations aimed at overcoming the persistent clinical burden of fungal and mixed-kingdom biofilm-associated infections.

In this Special Issue, we invite contributions that explore the biology of fungal and inter-kingdom biofilms, with an emphasis on lesser-known filamentous fungal biofilms and interkingdom biofilm dynamics. Manuscripts submitted to this issue should explore the phenotypic and molecular epidemiology of fungal biofilms, mechanisms of biofilm resistance in fungi, fungal–bacterial interactions, and host–pathogen interactions. Submissions on innovative diagnostic tools, novel antimicrobial and antifungal strategies, and biofilm-disrupting technologies are particularly encouraged. We also welcome studies investigating interkingdom biofilm methods and treatments, as well as translational approaches aimed at improving clinical management of biofilm-associated infections. Furthermore, we encourage submissions detailing standardized and novel techniques and protocols for establishing, characterizing, and quantifying fungal and mixed-species biofilms in both in vitro and in vivo models. Such methodological advances are critical for reproducibility, comparative studies across laboratories, and for accelerating the development of targeted anti-biofilm interventions. 

Dr. Whitni Redman
Dr. Wolf-Rainer Abraham
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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