Fungi are a highly diverse group of heterotrophic eukaryotes characterized by the absence
of phagotrophy and the presence of a chitinous cell wall. While unicellular fungi are far from …

The opportunistic protist Acanthamoeba, which interacts with other microbes such as
bacteria, fungi, and viruses, shows significant similarity in cellular and functional aspects to …

Fungi must meet four criteria to infect humans: growth at human body temperatures,
circumvention or penetration of surface barriers, lysis and absorption of tissue, and …

Free-living amoebas (FLA) are ubiquitous environmental protists that have enormously
contributed to the microbiological contamination of water sources. FLAs have displayed …

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen with worldwide distribution. Serological
studies of human populations show a high prevalence of human infection, which rarely …

Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic infection due to the ubiquitous yeast Cryptococcus
neoformans. This yeast interacts closely with innate immune cells, leading to various fates …

The innate immune system is a critical line of defense against pathogenic fungi.
Macrophages act at an early stage of infection, detecting and phagocytizing infectious …

Fungi often adapt to environmental stress by altering their size, shape, or rate of cell division.
These morphological changes require reorganization of the cell wall, a structural feature …

Cryptococcus species are environmental fungal pathogens and the causative agents of
cryptococcosis. Infection occurs upon inhalation of infectious particles, which proliferate in …

Cryptococcosis is an invasive fungal infection of humans and other animals, typically caused
by the species Cryptococcus neoformans in patients with impaired immunity. However, there …