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Mucorales and Mucormycosis 2022
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Mucorales and Mucormycosis 2022

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 13998

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Francisco E. Nicolás

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: RNA silencing mechanism in fungus; Mucorales; antifungal resistance and virulence; fungal genetics and genomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue “Mucorales and Mucormycosis” deals with the current status and timeliness of the research in the exciting field of the Mucorales fungi. Mucorales have two essential features making them a thrilling subject of study. The first is the lethal fungal infection known as mucormycosis, caused by many Mucorales species. Mucormycosis is fatal mainly because there are no effective antifungal drugs against Mucorales. Moreover, mucormycosis is an emerging disease, a characteristic that is acquiring its greatest exponential growth due to the current pandemic of COVID-19. Thus, epidemics of mucormycosis have been declared in several Asian countries. The other important feature of Mucorales is their capacity to overproduce lipids (in fact, they are usually known as oleaginous fungi), among many other compounds, which makes them industrially attractive.

Despite these interesting features, Mucorales have been traditionally considered a neglected group of ancient fungi underrepresented in the goals of the scientific fungal community. The main reason constantly exhibited to excuse this underrepresentation is the stubborn reluctance of Mucorales to accept genetic manipulation. However, we believe that the field is seeing the beginning of a paradigm shift related to the whole order of Mucorales. The main reason is that we already have study models among Mucorales that allow most modern genetic tools. These tools include homologous recombination, gene disruption, complementation, amino-acid substitutions, and tag-labeling for protein purification and fluorescent cellular localization. Even more exciting, stable homologous recombination has recently been reported in a causal agent of mucormycosis, becoming the first pathogenic Mucoral to be genetically dissected for functional studies.  

This Special Issue of Journal of Fungi will try to answer basic and more applied questions about Mucorales, focusing on the lethal disease mucormycosis but not limiting other studies on the physiology of these ancient fungi.

Sincerely,

Dr. Francisco E. Nicolás
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 4574 KiB  
Article
Discovery of a New Lichtheimia (Lichtheimiaceae, Mucorales) from Invertebrate Niche and Its Phylogenetic Status and Physiological Characteristics
by Thuong T. T. Nguyen, André Luiz Cabral Monteiro de Azevedo Santiago, Paul M. Kirk and Hyang Burm Lee
J. Fungi 2023, 9(3), 317; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9030317 - 03 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2265
Abstract
Species of Lichtheimia are important opportunistic fungal pathogens in the order Mucorales that are isolated from various sources such as soil, indoor air, food products, feces, and decaying vegetables. In recent years, species of Lichtheimia have become an emerging causative agent of invasive [...] Read more.
Species of Lichtheimia are important opportunistic fungal pathogens in the order Mucorales that are isolated from various sources such as soil, indoor air, food products, feces, and decaying vegetables. In recent years, species of Lichtheimia have become an emerging causative agent of invasive mucormycosis. In Europe and USA, Lichtheimia are the second and third most common causal fungus of mucormycosis, respectively. Thus, the aim of this study was to survey the diversity of species of Lichtheimia hidden in poorly studied hosts, such as invertebrates, in Korea. Eight Lichtheimia strains were isolated from invertebrate samples. Based on morphology, physiology, and phylogenetic analyses of ITS and LSU rDNA sequence data, the strains were identified as L. hyalospora, L. ornata, L. ramosa, and a novel species, L. koreana sp. nov. Lichtheimia koreana is characterized by a variable columellae, sporangiophores arising solitarily or up to three at one place from stolons, and slow growth on MEA and PDA at all temperatures tested. The new species grows best at 30 and 35 °C and has a maximum growth temperature of 40 °C. Detailed descriptions, illustrations, and a phylogenetic tree are provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mucorales and Mucormycosis 2022)
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18 pages, 2297 KiB  
Article
Complement, but Not Platelets, Plays a Pivotal Role in the Outcome of Mucormycosis In Vivo
by Verena Harpf, Günter Rambach, Nadia Parth, Magdalena Neurauter, Verena Fleischer, Michaela Lackner, Cornelia Lass-Flörl, Reinhard Würzner and Cornelia Speth
J. Fungi 2023, 9(2), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9020162 - 25 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1525
Abstract
Background: Mucormycetes, a heterogeneous group of fungi, induce a life-threatening disease called mucormycosis. Immune deficiencies represent a major risk factor; hence, we wanted to illuminate the role of complement and platelets in the defense against mucormycetes. Methods: Rhizopus arrhizus (Ra), Rhizopus [...] Read more.
Background: Mucormycetes, a heterogeneous group of fungi, induce a life-threatening disease called mucormycosis. Immune deficiencies represent a major risk factor; hence, we wanted to illuminate the role of complement and platelets in the defense against mucormycetes. Methods: Rhizopus arrhizus (Ra), Rhizopus microsporus (Rm), Lichtheimia ramosa (Lr), Lichtheimia corymbifera (Lc), Rhizomucor pusillus (Rmp), and Mucor circinelloides (Mc) spores were opsonized with human and mouse serum, and C1q, C3c, and terminal complement complex (C5b-9) deposition was measured. Additionally, thrombocytopenic, C3-deficient, or C6-deficient mice were intravenously infected with selected isolates. Survival and immunological parameters were monitored, and fungal burden was determined and compared to that of immunocompetent and neutropenic mice. Results: In vitro experiments showed significant differences in complement deposition between mucormycetes. Mc isolates bound up to threefold more human C5b-9 than other mucormycetes. Lr, Lc, and Mc bound high levels of murine C3c, whereas human C3c deposition was reduced on Mc compared to Lr and Lc. Murine C3c deposition negatively correlated with virulence. Complement deficiencies and neutropenia, but not thrombocytopenia, were shown to be a risk factor for a lethal outcome. Conclusion: Complement deposition varies between mucormycetes. Additionally, we demonstrated that complement and neutrophilic granulocytes, but not platelets, play an important role in a murine model of disseminated mucormycosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mucorales and Mucormycosis 2022)
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Review

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25 pages, 2206 KiB  
Review
Clinical Features and Treatment Progress of Invasive Mucormycosis in Patients with Hematological Malignancies
by Nuobing Yang, Lining Zhang and Sizhou Feng
J. Fungi 2023, 9(5), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9050592 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1917
Abstract
The incidence rate of invasive mucormycosis (IM) in patients with hematological malignancies (HMs) is increasing year by year, ranging from 0.07% to 4.29%, and the mortality rate is mostly higher than 50%. With the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) also became [...] Read more.
The incidence rate of invasive mucormycosis (IM) in patients with hematological malignancies (HMs) is increasing year by year, ranging from 0.07% to 4.29%, and the mortality rate is mostly higher than 50%. With the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) also became a global health threat. Patients with high risk factors such as active HMs, relapsed/refractory leukemia, prolonged neutropenia may still develop breakthrough mucormycosis (BT-MCR) even under the prophylaxis of Mucorales-active antifungals, and such patients often have higher mortality. Rhizopus spp. is the most common genus associated with IM, followed by Mucor spp. and Lichtheimia spp. Pulmonary mucormycosis (PM) is the most common form of IM in patients with HMs, followed by rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) and disseminated mucormycosis. The prognosis of IM patients with neutrophil recovery, localized IM and receiving early combined medical–surgical therapy is usually better. As for management of the disease, risk factors should be eliminated firstly. Liposome amphotericin B (L-AmB) combined with surgery is the initial treatment scheme of IM. Those who are intolerant to L-AmB can choose intravenous formulations or tablets of isavuconazole or posaconazole. Patients who are refractory to monotherapy can turn to combined antifungals therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mucorales and Mucormycosis 2022)
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16 pages, 684 KiB  
Review
Mucorales and Mucormycosis: Recent Insights and Future Prospects
by Ghizlane Tahiri, Carlos Lax, José Tomás Cánovas-Márquez, Pablo Carrillo-Marín, Marta Sanchis, Eusebio Navarro, Victoriano Garre and Francisco Esteban Nicolás
J. Fungi 2023, 9(3), 335; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9030335 - 09 Mar 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3870
Abstract
The classification of Mucorales encompasses a collection of basal fungi that have traditionally demonstrated an aversion to modern genetic manipulation techniques. This aversion led to a scarcity of knowledge regarding their biology compared to other fungal groups. However, the emergence of mucormycosis, a [...] Read more.
The classification of Mucorales encompasses a collection of basal fungi that have traditionally demonstrated an aversion to modern genetic manipulation techniques. This aversion led to a scarcity of knowledge regarding their biology compared to other fungal groups. However, the emergence of mucormycosis, a fungal disease caused by Mucorales, has attracted the attention of the clinical field, mainly because available therapies are ineffective for decreasing the fatal outcome associated with the disease. This revitalized curiosity about Mucorales and mucormycosis, also encouraged by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, has spurred a significant and productive effort to uncover their mysteries in recent years. Here, we elaborate on the most remarkable breakthroughs related to the recently discovered genetic advances in Mucorales and mucormycosis. The utilization of a few genetic study models has enabled the identification of virulence factors in Mucorales that were previously described in other pathogens. More notably, recent investigations have identified novel genes and mechanisms controlling the pathogenic potential of Mucorales and their interactions with the host, providing fresh avenues to devise new strategies against mucormycosis. Finally, new study models are allowing virulence studies that were previously hampered in Mucorales, predicting a prolific future for the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mucorales and Mucormycosis 2022)
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23 pages, 841 KiB  
Review
Mucormycosis and COVID-19-Associated Mucormycosis: Insights of a Deadly but Neglected Mycosis
by Laura C. García-Carnero and Héctor M. Mora-Montes
J. Fungi 2022, 8(5), 445; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8050445 - 25 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3019
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become a health threat worldwide, with high mortality and morbidity among patients with comorbidities. This viral infection promotes the perfect setting in patients for the development of opportunistic infections, such as those caused by fungi. Mucormycosis, a [...] Read more.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become a health threat worldwide, with high mortality and morbidity among patients with comorbidities. This viral infection promotes the perfect setting in patients for the development of opportunistic infections, such as those caused by fungi. Mucormycosis, a rare but deadly fungal infection, has recently increased its incidence, especially in endemic areas, since the onset of the pandemic. COVID-19-associated mucormycosis is an important complication of the pandemic because it is a mycosis hard to diagnose and treat, causing concern among COVID-19-infected patients and even in the already recovered population. The risk factors for the development of mucormycosis in these patients are related to the damage caused by the SARS-CoV-2 itself, the patient’s overstimulated immune response, and the therapy used to treat COVID-19, causing alterations such as hyperglycemia, acidosis, endothelial and lung damage, and immunosuppression. In this review, the molecular aspects of mucormycosis and the main risk factors for the development of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis are explained to understand this virus–fungi–host interaction and highlight the importance of this neglected mycosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mucorales and Mucormycosis 2022)
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