The Multifaceted Role of Mating Type of the Fungus and Sex of the Host in Studies of Fungal Infections in Humans

Abstract

This review discusses the inclusion of sex and gender variables in studies of fungal infections in humans at the pathogen, host, and antifungal trial levels. The mating type of some fungi, or perhaps more likely the absence of the other, appears to be associated with some infections. Sexual and parasexual reproduction of some fungi is an important mechanism for the development of antifungal drug resistance. Host sex or gender influences the incidence of some infections such as aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, dermatophytosis, and candidiasis due to differences in immune response, behavior, and awareness for early detection and treatment. Participant sex (and age) is relevant not only in clinical antifungal trials but also in preclinical studies. The dimensions of sex and gender are important determinants throughout the fungal infection process and in approaches to prevent or treat these infections, as well as in development of antifungal drugs. Failure to consider sex and gender may be detrimental to the holistic understanding of the processes involved in fungal infection.

Towards a Fungal Science That Is Independent of Researchers’ Gender

“…As a result of these two events, a paper has been published that considers sex/gender/mating type in the study of fungal infections in humans, highlighting some aspects that may be overlooked in the overall picture [ 20 ]. Sex and age of participants in antifungal trials are critical to interpret results, but researchers should already in preclinical studies report the sex of model (primary) cells or cell-culture models, and model animals [ 15 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

“…Sexual and parasexual reproduction of some fungi is an important mechanism for the development of resistance to antifungal drugs [ 34 ]. Globalization and climate change will exacerbate the already existing challenges of fungal infections in humans; we need more multidisciplinary approaches to address them [ 20 ].…”

A clinical prevalence of dermatophytic mycoses with an assessment of its clinical manifestations in a tertiary care hospital at Salem, South India

“…A gender‐wise analysis of patients with dermatophytosis showed that females (213) are slightly more predominant to tinea infections compared to males (207), which may be due to clothing variation among genders like tight fitting synthetic cloths, poor personnel hygiene, occupational history, etc. However, most of the previous studies reported that males are more susceptible to tinea infections than females 3,30,31 …”

“…However, most of the previous studies reported that males are more susceptible to tinea infections than females. 3,30,31 In respect to months, June month was at the top for the number of male and female dermatophytosis patients who visited the Department of Skin and STD with 47 male patients and 46 female patients followed by April month with 43 male patients and 38 female patients which may be due to tinea infection are susceptible to occur in warm weather condition.…”

Hubungan Hiperglikemia Dengan Tinea Korporis Pada Pasien Diabetes Melitus Tipe 2 Di Rumah Sakit Graha Hermine Batam Tahun 2021

“…Jenis kelamin laki-laki, tingkat pendidikan yang lebih tinggi, dan jumlah obat resep yang lebih tinggi dikaitkan dengan pengetahuan penyakit jamur yang lebih tinggi secara keseluruhan. Jenis kelamin berbeda dalam intensitas (yaitu, beban patogen), prevalensi (yaitu, proporsi populasi dengan penyakit), kejadian (yaitu, kasus baru), dan tingkat keparahan (yaitu, rawat inap atau perkembangan) penyakit yang disebabkan oleh jamur, virus, bakteri, dan parasit (Son et al, 2022) (Kraševec, 2022).…”