Know the enemy and know yourself: Addressing cryptic fungal pathogens of humans and beyond

Abstract

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."-Sun Tzu, The Art of War Fungal pathogens threaten human welfare, including human and animal health and global food security. For example, ameliorating crop loss due to fungal plant pathogens would feed nearly 600 million more people Fungal infections of humans are difficult to diagnose and treat, potentially leading to serious illness and death, especially in immunocompromised individuals; case in point, there are an estimated 1.7 million deaths per year and more than 150 million severe fungal infections worldwide These issues may be exacerbated due to climate change. Reflecting the importance of combatting and preventing infection diseases caused by fungi, the World Health Organization recently released a list of priority fungal pathogens (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240060241). Accordingly, fungi that cause disease have become a major research focus, resulting in a deeper, but still incomplete, understanding of virulence and the cadre of pathogenic species.

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