Research Keyword: Treatment failure

Persister cells in human fungal pathogens

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Some fungal infections fail to respond to antifungal drugs even when the fungus should be susceptible to treatment. This happens because certain fungal cells can enter a dormant ‘sleep-like’ state that helps them survive drug exposure. These dormant cells, called persisters, are able to hide from medications by reducing their metabolism and enhancing their protective defenses. Understanding how these persister cells form and survive could lead to better treatments for serious fungal infections.

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Unlocking the potential of experimental evolution to study drug resistance in pathogenic fungi

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Fungal infections are becoming harder to treat as fungi develop resistance to antifungal drugs. This review explains how scientists can use experimental evolution—growing fungi in controlled laboratory conditions while exposing them to drugs—to understand how and why resistance develops. By studying these evolutionary processes and using mathematical models to predict outcomes, researchers can develop better treatment strategies, including combination therapies and drug cycling approaches to prevent resistance from emerging.

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Moving beyond multi-triazole to multi-fungicide resistance: Broader selection of drug resistance in the human fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus

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Aspergillus fumigatus is a dangerous fungal infection treated with triazole drugs, but the fungus is developing resistance to multiple antifungal medications. This resistance appears to be selected in agricultural settings where fungicides are used on crops, and resistant strains then spread to humans through the air. The problem is worse because agricultural fungicides are selecting for strains resistant to multiple drug classes at once, making infections harder to treat. Addressing this issue requires reducing fungicide use in agriculture and better strategies for managing antifungal resistance.

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