New Insights into Fungal Pathogenesis, Mechanisms of Virulence and Resistance to Antifungals

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 963

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Mycology and Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, 51-148 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: mycology; fungal pathogens; virulence factors; conventional and molecular identification of fungi; Cryptococcus; malassezia; etiological factors of dermatomycoses; antifungals; mechanisms of resistance; evolution of determinants of fungal pathogenicity
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Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

The mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis, including those that allow for averting the host immune attack and those related to intrinsic or acquired resistance to drugs, are still poorly explored. The factors that drive fungal pathogens to activate virulence traits and the evolutionary paths of virulence and drug resistance mechanisms are not well understood.

In this exciting context, Pathogens is launching a Special Issue calling for manuscripts extended to those providing updates on the mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis, the evolution of fungal virulence factors, and adaptations for the colonization and penetration of host tissues. Papers contributing to the discussion on evolutionary solutions or strategies which allow for effectively avoiding components of innate and adaptive immune responses or mechanisms of acquired resistance antifungals will be equally valuable. Additionally, studies providing new insights into the adaptations causing and prolonging infection, along with their distribution within different taxa, are also welcome. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Both original articles and review papers are welcomed. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Fungal capsules, their distribution within the eukaryotic taxa and role in adaptation to the environment and pathogenesis;
  • Melanin and other natural pigments, and their protective role in fungi capable of their synthesis;
  • Fungal antiphagocytic proteins and others that effectively disturb the immune response;
  • Transcytosis, womocytosis and dragocytosis as the ways of transmission of etiological factors and strategies of interactions between pathogen cells and cells of the host immune system;
  • Fungal infectious propagules and their role in the environment and during infection;
  • Morphological transformation as a strategy promoting infection or its persistence that enables evasion of phagocytic cells;
  • Intrinsic and acquired resistance to antifungals and ways for overcoming them;
  • New drug targets, alternative therapies/strategies, chemosensitizers, nanoparticles and drug carriers or delivery systems;
  • Highly specialized opportunistic pathogens and their evolutionary adaptations to colonize narrow ecological niches or utilize specific substrates (such as lipid-dependent fungi or keratinolytic fungi);
  • Virulence factors and their distribution within the fungal kingdom and their evolution among species within the same taxon.

Dr. Mariusz Dylag
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • fungal pathogens
  • pathogenesis
  • virulence factors
  • resistance mechanisms
  • immune response
  • host–pathogen interactions
  • antifungals
  • drug targets

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 515 KiB  
Article
Systemic Antifolate Chemotherapy Does Not Select for Fluconazole-Resistant Candida: A Multicenter Clinical Study
by Dawid Żyrek, Joanna Nowicka, Magdalena Pajączkowska, Mariola Paściak, Katarzyna Machnik, Tomasz Werner, Zygmunt Konieczny, Piotr Jędrzejczak, Dominika Raźniewska, Gabriela Fijałkowska, Michał Piątek, Barbara Radecka, Kinga Żyrek, Elżbieta Woźniak-Grygiel and Iwona Dzieńdziora-Urbińska
Pathogens 2025, 14(6), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060574 - 7 Jun 2025
Viewed by 521
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that Candida spp. isolates exposed in vitro to the folic acid antagonist methotrexate may develop multidrug cross-resistance to azole antifungals. The aim of this study was to determine whether systemic therapy with antineoplastic antifolates—pemetrexed or methotrexate—constitutes a risk factor [...] Read more.
Previous studies have demonstrated that Candida spp. isolates exposed in vitro to the folic acid antagonist methotrexate may develop multidrug cross-resistance to azole antifungals. The aim of this study was to determine whether systemic therapy with antineoplastic antifolates—pemetrexed or methotrexate—constitutes a risk factor for colonization or infection with fluconazole-resistant yeasts. The study group comprised 44 cancer patients who received high-dose systemic antifolate therapy, while the control group consisted of 48 patients without prior exposure to either methotrexate or pemetrexed. Oral swabs and relevant clinical data were collected from all participants. In total, 109 fungal strains representing 13 species were isolated, identified, and subsequently tested for fluconazole susceptibility. Fluconazole-resistant isolates were identified in 4 out of 44 (9.1%) antifolate-treated patients and in 3 out of 48 (6.3%) control patients. Our findings suggest that, although this phenomenon occurs in vitro, systemic antineoplastic antifolate therapy does not induce azole resistance among endogenous yeast species in vivo. Full article
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