CMM AFRICA Medical Mycology Research Unit, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IDM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
Open Biol. 2022 Mar;12(3):210219. doi: 10.1098/rsob.210219. Epub 2022 Mar 9.
Exposure to fungal pathogens from the environment is inevitable and with the number of at-risk populations increasing, the prevalence of invasive fungal infection is on the rise. An interesting group of fungal organisms known as thermally dimorphic fungi predominantly infects immunocompromised individuals. These potential pathogens are intriguing in that they survive in the environment in one form, mycelial phase, but when entering the host, they are triggered by the change in temperature to switch to a new pathogenic form. Considering the growing prevalence of infection and the need for improved diagnostic and treatment approaches, studies identifying key components of fungal recognition and the innate immune response to these pathogens will significantly contribute to our understanding of disease progression. This review focuses on key endemic dimorphic fungal pathogens that significantly contribute to disease, including , and species. We briefly describe their prevalence, route of infection and clinical presentation. Importantly, we have reviewed the major fungal cell wall components of these dimorphic fungi, the host pattern recognition receptors responsible for recognition and important innate immune responses supporting adaptive immunity and fungal clearance or the failure thereof.
暴露于环境中的真菌病原体是不可避免的，而且随着高危人群的增加，侵袭性真菌感染的患病率也在上升。一组有趣的真菌生物，即热双相真菌，主要感染免疫功能低下的个体。这些潜在的病原体很有趣，因为它们在一种形式（菌丝相）中存在于环境中，但当进入宿主时，温度的变化会触发它们切换到一种新的致病形式。考虑到感染的日益流行和对改进诊断和治疗方法的需求，研究确定真菌识别的关键成分以及对这些病原体的固有免疫反应将极大地促进我们对疾病进展的理解。本综述重点介绍了对疾病有重大贡献的主要地方性双相真菌病原体，包括 、 和 种。我们简要描述了它们的流行程度、感染途径和临床表现。重要的是，我们已经回顾了这些双相真菌的主要真菌细胞壁成分、负责识别的宿主模式识别受体以及支持适应性免疫和真菌清除或清除失败的重要固有免疫反应。
