Evolution of fungal pathogens in domestic environments?

Cene Gostinčar (Avtor), Martin Grube (Avtor), Nina Gunde-Cimerman (Avtor)

Povzetek

Specific indoor environments select for certain stress-tolerant fungi and can drive their evolution towards acquiring medically important traits. Here we review the current knowledge in this area of research, focussing on the so-called black yeasts. Many of these melanised stress-tolerant organisms originate in unusual ecological niches in nature, and they have a number of preadaptations that make them particularly suited for growth on human-made surfaces and substrates. Several pathogenic species have been isolated recently from various domestic habitats. We argue that in addition to enriching for - potentially - pathogenic species, the selection pressure and stress acting on microorganisms in indoor environments are driving their evolution towards acquiring the missing virulence factors and further enhancing their stress tolerance and pathogenic potential. Some of the polyextremotolerant fungi are particularly problematicČ they can grow at elevated temperatures, and so they have a higher potential to colonise warm-blooded organisms. As several species of black fungi are already implicated in health problems of various kinds, their selection and possible evolution in human environments are of concern.

Ključne besede

black fungi;domestic environment;evolution;pathogen;polyextremophilic;polyextremotolerant;

Podatki

Jezik:	Angleški jezik
Leto izida:	2011
Tipologija:	1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
Organizacija:	UL BF - Biotehniška fakulteta
UDK:	579
COBISS:	2441295
ISSN:	1878-6146
Št. ogledov:	869
Št. prenosov:	310
Ocena:	0 (0 glasov)
Metapodatki:

Ostali podatki

Sekundarni jezik:	Angleški jezik
Vrsta dela (COBISS):	Delo ni kategorizirano
Strani:	str. 1008-1018
Letnik:	ǂVol. ǂ115
Zvezek:	ǂno. ǂ10
Čas izdaje:	2011
DOI:	10.1016/j.funbio.2011.03.004
ID:	1446668