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Special Issue "Fungal Diseases in Animals, 2nd Edition"

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A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogenesis and Disease Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2023 | Viewed by 3211

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Prof. Dr. Francesca Mancianti

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Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: parasitology; mycology; zoonotic parasites; zoonotic mycoses; vector-borne parasites
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Veterinary fungal diseases have been neglected over the years, despite their spread across the world involving several classes of animals. Mycoses and mycotoxicoses are the main fungal affections found in animals.

Animal mycoses impact animal welfare as well on human health when zoonotic agents, such as dermatophytes and Sporothrix spp., are involved. In food-producing species, organisms such as aspergilli, Nosema spp., Saprolegnia spp., and Prototheca spp. can be responsible for heavy economic losses. Furthermore, several emerging pathogens (e.g., Capronia in mussels, Nannizziopsaceae in reptiles, Batrachochytrium spp. In amphibians, Geomyces destructans in Chiroptera) represent a threat and drive the decline of animal populations.

Mycotoxicoses, caused by secondary toxic fungal metabolites, can impact animal health when acute disease occurs or may accumulate in the food chain, inducing pathologic disorders in humans.

This Special Issue will be devoted to studies including all the aspects of animal fungal infections, with a particular emphasis to etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis diagnosis, control, and treatment of diseases they can induce. Experimental studies, as well as case reports and review papers, will be welcome.

Prof. Dr. Francesca Mancianti
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.

Keywords

mycoses
mycotoxicoses
fungal zoonoses
fungi
molds
yeasts
dimorphic fungi
microsporidia
algae
oomycetes

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Phase-Dependent Differential In Vitro and Ex Vivo Susceptibility of Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium keratoplasticum to Azole Antifungals

and

J. Fungi 2023, 9(10), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9100966 - 26 Sep 2023

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Abstract

Fungal keratitis (FK) is an invasive infection of the cornea primarily associated with Aspergillus and Fusarium species. FK is treated empirically with a limited selection of topical antifungals with varying levels of success. Though clinical infections are typically characterized by a dense network of mature mycelium, traditional models used to test antifungal susceptibility of FK isolates exclusively evaluate susceptibility in fungal cultures derived from asexual spores known as conidia. The purpose of this study was to characterize differences in fungal response when topical antifungal treatment is initiated at progressive phases of fungal development. We compared the efficacy of voriconazole and luliconazole against in vitro cultures of A. flavus and F. keratoplasticum at 0, 24, and 48 h of fungal development. A porcine cadaver corneal model was used to compare antifungal efficacy of voriconazole and luliconazole in ex vivo tissue cultures of A. flavus and F. keratoplasticum at 0, 24, and 48 h of fungal development. Our results demonstrate phase-dependent susceptibility of both A. flavus and F. keratoplasticum to both azoles in vitro as well as ex vivo. We conclude that traditional antifungal susceptibility testing with conidial suspensions does not correlate with fungal susceptibility in cultures of a more advanced developmental phase. A revised method of antifungal susceptibility testing that evaluates hyphal susceptibility may better predict fungal response in the clinical setting where treatment is often delayed until days after the initial insult. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases in Animals, 2nd Edition)

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Open AccessArticle

Fungi’s Swiss Army Knife: Pleiotropic Effect of Melanin in Fungal Pathogenesis during Cattle Mycosis

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J. Fungi 2023, 9(9), 929; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9090929 - 15 Sep 2023

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Abstract

Fungal threats to public health, food security, and biodiversity have escalated, with a significant rise in mycosis cases globally. Around 300 million people suffer from severe fungal diseases annually, while one-third of food crops are decimated by fungi. Vertebrate, including livestock, are also affected. Our limited understanding of fungal virulence mechanisms hampers our ability to prevent and treat cattle mycoses. Here we aim to bridge knowledge gaps in fungal virulence factors and the role of melanin in evading bovine immune responses. We investigate mycosis in bovines employing a PRISMA-based methodology, bioinformatics, and data mining techniques. Our analysis identified 107 fungal species causing mycoses, primarily within the Ascomycota division. Candida, Aspergillus, Malassezia, and Trichophyton were the most prevalent genera. Of these pathogens, 25% produce melanin. Further research is required to explore the involvement of melanin and develop intervention strategies. While the literature on melanin-mediated fungal evasion mechanisms in cattle is lacking, we successfully evaluated the transferability of immunological mechanisms from other model mammals through homology. Bioinformatics enables knowledge transfer and enhances our understanding of mycosis in cattle. This synthesis fills critical information gaps and paves the way for proposing biotechnological strategies to mitigate the impact of mycoses in cattle. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases in Animals, 2nd Edition)

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Open AccessArticle

Ecological Barriers for an Amphibian Pathogen: A Narrow Ecological Niche for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in an Asian Chytrid Hotspot

Dan Sun

Gajaba Ellepola

Jayampathi Herath

and

Madhava Meegaskumbura

J. Fungi 2023, 9(9), 911; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9090911 - 08 Sep 2023

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Abstract

The chytrid fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) and B. dendrobatidis (Bd) are driving amphibian extinctions and population declines worldwide. As their origins are believed to be in East/Southeast Asia, this region is crucial for understanding their ecology. However, Bsal screening is relatively limited in this region, particularly in hotspots where Bd lineage diversity is high. To address this gap, we conducted an extensive Bsal screening involving 1101 individuals from 36 amphibian species, spanning 17 natural locations and four captive facilities in the biodiversity-rich Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GAR). Our PCR assays yielded unexpected results, revealing the complete absence of Bsal in all tested samples including 51 individuals with Bd presence. To understand the potential distribution of Bsal, we created niche models, utilizing existing occurrence records from both Asia and Europe. These models estimated potential suitable habitats for Bsal largely in the northern and southwestern parts of the GAR. Although Bsal was absent in our samples, the niche models identified 10 study sites as being potentially suitable for this pathogen. Interestingly, out of these 10 sites, Bd was detected at 8. This suggests that Bsal and Bd could possibly co-exist in these habitats, if Bsal were present. Several factors seem to influence the distribution of Bsal in Asia, including variations in temperature, local caudate species diversity, elevation, and human population density. However, it is climate-related factors that hold the greatest significance, accounting for a notable 60% contribution. The models propose that the specific climatic conditions of arid regions, primarily seen in the GAR, play a major role in the distribution of Bsal. Considering the increased pathogenicity of Bsal at stable and cooler temperatures (10–15 °C), species-dependent variations, and the potential for seasonal Bd-Bsal interactions, we emphasize the importance of periodic monitoring for Bsal within its projected range in the GAR. Our study provides deeper insights into Bsal’s ecological niche and the knowledge generated will facilitate conservation efforts in amphibian populations devastated by chytrid pathogens across other regions of the world. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases in Animals, 2nd Edition)

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Open AccessArticle

Modeling the Distribution of the Chytrid Fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis with Special Reference to Ukraine

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J. Fungi 2023, 9(6), 607; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9060607 - 25 May 2023

Viewed by 1073

Abstract

Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates. While habitat loss poses the greatest threat to amphibians, a spreading fungal disease caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Longcore, Pessier & D.K. Nichols 1999 (Bd) is seriously affecting an increasing number of species. Although Bd is widely prevalent, there are identifiable heterogeneities in the pathogen’s distribution that are linked to environmental parameters. Our objective was to identify conditions that affect the geographic distribution of this pathogen using species distribution models (SDMs) with a special focus on Eastern Europe. SDMs can help identify hotspots for future outbreaks of Bd but perhaps more importantly identify locations that may be environmental refuges (“coldspots”) from infection. In general, climate is considered a major factor driving amphibian disease dynamics, but temperature in particular has received increased attention. Here, 42 environmental raster layers containing data on climate, soil, and human impact were used. The mean annual temperature range (or ‘continentality’) was found to have the strongest constraint on the geographic distribution of this pathogen. The modeling allowed to distinguish presumable locations that may be environmental refuges from infection and set up a framework to guide future search (sampling) of chytridiomycosis in Eastern Europe. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases in Animals, 2nd Edition)

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