In:
mBio, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 8, No. 3 ( 2017-07-05)
Abstract:
Fungi account for a large number of infections that are extremely difficult to treat; superficial fungal infections affect approximately 1.7 billion (25%) of the general population worldwide, and systemic fungal diseases result in an unacceptably high mortality rate. How fungi adapt to their hosts is not fully understood. This research investigated the role of changes to DNA sequences in adaption to the host environment and the ability to cause disease in Cryptococcus neoformans , one of the world’s most common and most deadly fungal pathogens. The study results showed that microevolutionary rates are enhanced in either clinical isolates or in gene deletion strains with msh2 mutations. This gene has similar functions in regulating the rapid emergence of antifungal drug resistance in a distant fungal relative of C. neoformans , the pathogen Candida glabrata . Thus, microevolution resulting from enhanced mutation rates may be a common contributor to fungal pathogenesis.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2161-2129
,
2150-7511
DOI:
10.1128/mBio.00595-17
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Society for Microbiology
Publication Date:
2017
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2557172-2