Addressing Microbial Resistance Worldwide: Challenges over Controlling Life-Threatening Fungal Infections

Abstract

Fungal infections are a serious global concern because of their ability to spread and colonize host tissues in immunocompromised individuals. Such infections have been frequently reported worldwide and are currently gaining clinical research relevance owing to their resistant character, representing a bottleneck in treating affected people. Resistant fungi are an emergent public health threat. The upsurge of such pathogens has led to new research toward unraveling the destructive potential evoked by these species. Some fungi—grouped into Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus—are causative agents of severe and systemic infections. They are associated with high mortality rates and have recently been described as sources of coinfection in COVID-hospitalized patients. Despite the efforts to elucidate the challenges of colonization, dissemination, and infection severity, the immunopathogenesis of fungal diseases remains a pivotal characteristic in fungal burden elimination. The struggle between the host immune system and the physiological strategies of the fungi to maintain cellular viability is complex. In this brief review, we highlight the relevance of drug resistance phenotypes in fungi of clinical significance, taking into consideration their physiopathology and how the scientific community could orchestrate their efforts to avoid fungal infection dissemination and deaths.

Cryptococcosis in Southern China: Insights from a Six-Year Retrospective Study in Eastern Guangdong

“…As cryptococcemia is a severe threat to the immunocompromised population, early detection and treatment are critical for better outcomes. 22 C. neoformans caused all cases; no C. gattii was detected in the present study. The studies showed that C. neoformans is predominantly reported worldwide and mainly infects immunosuppressed individuals, while the C. gattii is endemic to only a few regions of the world and infects immune-competent individuals.…”

Extracellular vesicles produced during fungal infection in humans are immunologically active

“…These compounds are present in the sphingolipid pathway, with phytosphingosine being an intermediate metabolite and sphingosine being an 18-carbon amino alcohol derived from the cleavage of ceramide process (27). The peak area corresponded to 2.8×10 6 for phytosphingosine (Figure 3F) and 5.4×10 4 for sphingosine (Figure 3G) in serum EVs from patients infected by C. albicans. Furthermore, in serum EVs from patients infected with C. neoformans, the peak area was 3.25×10 5 for sphingosine.…”

“…Currently, most common fungal infections are invasive candidiasis (70%), cryptococcosis (20%), and aspergillosis (10%) (3). The emergence of fungal species resistant to the four classes of antifungal drugs (azoles, polyenes, echinocandins, and flucytosine) poses a serious challenge for the effective treatment of fungal infections (4, 5).…”

Green synthesis, characterization and drug-loaded iron oxide nanoparticles derived from Nerium oleander flower extract as a nanocarrier for in vitro antibacterial efficacy

“…One of the most significant advances in medicine to date, the discovery of antibiotics in 1928 enabled the treatment of formerly deadly illnesses, saving millions of lives [1]. Microbial pathogen infections are a constantly rising concern with serious global ramifications, affecting millions of people every day and being a leading cause of mortality in both adults and children [2,3]. Antibiotics significantly reduced infection-related mortality, but misuse of them gave rise to the problem of antimicrobial resistance [4][5][6].…”