image: Top left: Yeast cells of Candida parapsilosis phagocytosed by human primary macrophages. Killed cells are in red. (Image kindly provided by Attila Gacser and Csaba Papp, University of Szeged, Hungary.) Top middle: Scanning electron micrograph of yeasts (green) and pseudohyphae (brown) produced in a Candida tropicalis calcineurin mutant strain. (Image kindly provided by Ying-Lien Chen, National Taiwan University and reprinted from Evolution of Virulence in Eukaryotic Microbes, 2012, with permission from Wiley/Blackwell © 2012.) Top right: Scanning electron micrograph of an Aspergillus fumigatus ascospore. (Image provided by Bryan Hansen originally appeared in Kwon-Chung and Sugui 2013 [PLos Pathog 9: e1003743] and is reprinted with permission from the National Institutes of Health © 2013). Bottom left: Candida albicans-infected kidney tissue stained by Periodic Acid Schiff showing hyphal invasion in the renal medulla. (Image kindly provided by Michail Lionakis, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.) Bottom middle: A mature spherule of Coccidioides posadasii releasing endospores in the host lung. (Image reprinted from Cole et al. 2004 [Med Mycol 42: 189-216], with permission from Oxford University Press ©2004.) Bottom right: Four different images of a Cryptococcus neoformans yeast cell labeled with different reagents: red (capsule edge); green (complement protein bound to the inner capsule); and blue (cell wall stained by Calcoflour). (Image kindly provided by Oscar Zaragoza, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.) view more
Credit: © 2015 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Some yeasts and molds that are common in the environment can infect humans and cause a range of diseases, from superficial (e.g., athlete's foot) to severe (e.g., cryptococcal meningitis). These pathogenic fungi pose a particular threat to immunocompromised individuals, such as those living with HIV/AIDS, and are becoming a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Written and edited by experts in the field, Human Fungal Pathogens, published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, provides a comprehensive review of the biology and diseases of fungal pathogens. Contributors examine their life cycles, nutritional and metabolic requirements, and morphological characteristics, as well as their interactions with humans--their modes of dissemination and penetration, the mechanisms they use to evade the immune system, and their effects on target organs. Specific chapters are devoted to the major disease-causing fungi, such as Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus species. The ecology, evolution, and epidemiology of human fungal pathogens are also explored.
This volume includes discussions about options for diagnosing and treating fungal infections, as well as challenges presented by emerging drug-resistant strains. It is therefore an essential reference for all fungal biologists and medical professionals who wish to understand and manage these difficult pathogens.
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