Linking Cellular Morphogenesis with Antifungal Treatment and Susceptibility in Pathogens.

Fungal infections are a growing public health concern, and an increasingly important cause of human mortality, with species being amongst the most frequently encountered of these opportunistic fungal pathogens. Several species are polymorphic, and able to transition between distinct morphological states, including yeast, hyphal, and pseudohyphal forms. While not all pathogens are polymorphic, the ability to undergo morphogenesis is linked with the virulence of many of these pathogens. There are also many connections between morphogenesis and antifungal drug treatment and susceptibility. Here, we review how morphogenesis-a key virulence trait-is linked with antifungal drugs and antifungal drug resistance. We highlight how antifungal therapeutics are able to modulate morphogenesis in both sensitive and drug-resistant strains, the shared signaling pathways that mediate both morphogenesis and the cellular response to antifungal drugs and drug resistance, and the connection between morphology, drug resistance, and biofilm growth. We further review the development of anti-virulence drugs, and targeting morphogenesis as a novel therapeutic strategy to target fungal pathogens. Together, this review highlights important connections between fungal morphogenesis, virulence, and susceptibility to antifungals.