Fungus-Host Interactions: Transitions from Saprobic to Harmful Life Styles

Dear Colleagues,

The majority of fungal pathogens are opportunists occurring ubiquitously as saprobes in a variety of aquatic and terrestrial environmental habitats, such as soil, dung, and decaying organic matter. Some of these fungi spread as air-borne or food-borne entities across large geographic distances. In recent years, an increasing number of reports communicate the shift from environmental to pathogenic life styles of fungi, especially of those belonging to the ancient fungal lineages. These fungal species naturally occur as saprobes, are innocuous to other living organisms, and do not directly feed on other living beings. Under certain circumstances, however, they are able to expand their ecological niches to other living organisms and to transform their lifestyles from harmless into harmful. This harm is expressed in parasitic or pathogenic interactions, which peak in the case of life-threatening infections in certain predisposed patients. Although such fungal infections are emerging, very little is known about the mechanism of transposition, relocation, and coping strategies of the causative agents and subsequent establishment of pathogenesis. To assess which fungal attributes contribute to adaptation, sporadically occurring host jumps, parasitism, and virulence, a survey of fungal species with competence to participate in environment–parasite or environment–pathogen transitions and the investigation of the underlying adaptive mechanisms are necessary on a global scale.

The aim of this Special Issue of Microorganisms is to collect articles from researchers who have dedicated their scientific life to unravelling the mechanisms underlying conveyance from natural to clinical terrains. Manuscripts covering any aspect of the transition from saprobic to either parasitic or pathogenic life forms are welcome, including parasites and pathogens of plants, animals, and humans. The major focus of this Special Issue lies on adaptation and stress response, which are indicative of the potential for lifestyle switches. Since basal lineage fungi have been neglected in the past, the submission of manuscripts on ancestral fungal taxa is of special interest and is highly encouraged.

Dr. Kerstin Voigt
Guest Editor

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