Evolving moldy murderers: Aspergillus section Fumigati as a model for studying the repeated evolution of fungal pathogenicity

摘要

Species in the genus Aspergillus are saprophytic filamentous fungi that are most commonly found in soil and litter environments of subtropical and warm temperate latitudes [1]. Inhalation of asexual spores produced by Aspergillus fumigatus and a few other species in the genus cause a group of diseases collectively referred to as aspergillosis [2]. The most severe form of aspergillosis is invasive aspergillosis, which primarily affects individuals with compromised immune systems or preexisting lung conditions [3]. Since drugs targeting invasive aspergillosis are not always effective due to our lack of understanding of how they function inside the human host [4] and the evolution of drug resistance [5, 6], infected individuals suffer high morbidity and mortality [7]. Collectively, Aspergillus fungi affect millions of patients and cause hundreds of thousands of life-threatening infections every year [8, 9].