Schille Tim B, Sprague Jakob L, Naglik Julian R, Brunke Sascha, Hube Bernhard
Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), Jena, Germany.
Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2025 Apr 17. doi: 10.1038/s41579-025-01174-x.
Fungi are important and often underestimated human pathogens. Infections with fungi mostly originate from the environment, from soil or airborne spores. By contrast, Candida albicans, one of the most common and clinically important fungal pathogens, permanently exists in the vast majority of healthy individuals as a member of the human mucosal microbiota. Only under certain circumstances will these commensals cause infections. However, although the pathogenic behaviour and disease manifestation of C. albicans have been at the centre of research for many years, its asymptomatic colonization of mucosal surfaces remains surprisingly understudied. In this Review, we discuss the interplay of the fungus, the host and the microbiome on the dualism of commensal and pathogenic life of C. albicans, and how commensal growth is controlled and permitted. We explore hypotheses that could explain how the mucosal environment shapes C. albicans adaptations to its commensal lifestyle, while still maintaining or even increasing its pathogenic potential.
真菌是重要且常被低估的人类病原体。真菌感染大多源于环境，来自土壤或空气传播的孢子。相比之下，白色念珠菌是最常见且临床上重要的真菌病原体之一，在绝大多数健康个体中作为人类黏膜微生物群的一员永久存在。只有在某些情况下，这些共生菌才会引发感染。然而，尽管白色念珠菌的致病行为和疾病表现多年来一直是研究的核心，但对其在黏膜表面的无症状定植却仍令人惊讶地研究不足。在本综述中，我们讨论了真菌、宿主和微生物群之间的相互作用，涉及白色念珠菌共生与致病生活的二元性，以及共生生长是如何被控制和允许的。我们探讨了一些假设，这些假设可以解释黏膜环境如何塑造白色念珠菌对其共生生活方式的适应性，同时仍保持甚至增强其致病潜力。
