Interactions between invasive fungi and symbiotic bacteria.

ABSTRACT

Infection rates and mortality associated with the invasive fungi Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus are increasing rapidly in prevalence. Meanwhile, screening pressure brought about by traditional antifungal drugs has induced an increase in drug resistance of invasive fungi, which creates a great challenge for the preservation of physical health. Development of new drugs and novel strategies are therefore important to meet these growing challenges. Recent studies have confirmed that the dynamic balance of microorganisms in the body is correlated with the occurrence of infectious diseases. This discovery of interactions between bacteria and fungi provides innovative insight for the treatment of invasive fungal infections. However, different invasive fungi and symbiotic bacteria interact with each other through various ways and targets, leading to different effects on their growth, morphology, and virulence. And the mechanism and implication of these interactions remains largely unknown. The present review aims to summarize the research progress into the interaction between invasive fungi and symbiotic bacteria with a focus on the anti-fungal mechanisms of symbiotic bacteria, providing a new strategy against drug-resistant fungal infections.