About this Research Topic
Over a billion people worldwide contract fungal infections on an annual basis. The majority are superficial infections that severely impact the quality of life. Besides, severe fungal infections mainly affect a select group of patients with specific predisposing factors, yet around 1.5 million people die each year due to invasive fungal infections. The rise of immunosuppressive therapy and an increase in organ transplant therapy contributes to a continuously increasing incidence of these deadly infections. A deep understanding of the mechanistic basis of fungal infections is crucial in order to reduce their impact on human health.
Advances in methodologies helped to answer major questions and helped to uncover essential pathways and processes involved in the pathogenesis of opportunistic fungal infections. Despite these advances, many questions about the complex interactions of fungi with the microbiome, the host and specifically the immune system remain unanswered. In this research topic we will explore novel experimental systems and how these can be harnessed to provide answers to essential questions about the mechanistic basis of fungal infections. This knowledge can help us to understand how disease develops and progresses, what crucial biomarkers are, and what can be targets for therapeutic interventions.
The aim of this Research Topic is to focus on novel experimental systems that have contributed or will contribute to insights into mechanistic basis of fungal infections.
Authors are encouraged to contribute original scientific articles, reviews and mini reviews focusing on the following areas:
- Immunology of fungal infections
- Infection biology
- Host-pathogen interactions
- Fungal Pathogenicity mechanisms
- Fungal-microbiome interactions
Advances in methodologies helped to answer major questions and helped to uncover essential pathways and processes involved in the pathogenesis of opportunistic fungal infections. Despite these advances, many questions about the complex interactions of fungi with the microbiome, the host and specifically the immune system remain unanswered. In this research topic we will explore novel experimental systems and how these can be harnessed to provide answers to essential questions about the mechanistic basis of fungal infections. This knowledge can help us to understand how disease develops and progresses, what crucial biomarkers are, and what can be targets for therapeutic interventions.
The aim of this Research Topic is to focus on novel experimental systems that have contributed or will contribute to insights into mechanistic basis of fungal infections.
Authors are encouraged to contribute original scientific articles, reviews and mini reviews focusing on the following areas:
- Immunology of fungal infections
- Infection biology
- Host-pathogen interactions
- Fungal Pathogenicity mechanisms
- Fungal-microbiome interactions
Keywords: Aspergillus, Candida, Cryptococcus, Mucormycoses, Organ-on-chip, Organoid, 3D cultures, Single-cell RNA-Seq, Dual RNA-Seq, Metabolomics, Microbiome analysis, Extracellular vesicles, CRISPR CAS9
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
