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THE SWEET SIDE OF FUNGAL INFECTIONS: STRUCTURAL GLYCAN DIVERSITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR PATHOGENIC ADAPTATION
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Abstract
Fungal infections are the most common secondary infections in debilitated individuals
in a state of chronic disease or immunosuppression. Despite this, most fungal infections are neglected,
mainly due to the lower frequency of their more severe clinical forms in immunocompetent
individuals with a healthy background. However, over the past few years, several cases of severe
fungal infections in healthy individuals have provoked a change in the epidemiological dynamics of
fungal infections around the world, both due to recurrent outbreaks in previously infrequent regions
and the greater emergence of more pathogenic fungal variants affecting healthy individuals, such
as in the Cryptococcus genus. Therefore, before the arrival of a scenario of prevalent severe fungal
infections, it is necessary to assess more carefully what are the real reasons for the increased incidence
of fungal infection globally. What are the factors that are currently contributing to this new possible
epidemiological dynamic? Could these be of a structural nature? Herein, we propose a discussion
based on the importance of the virulence factors of glycoconjugate composition in the adaptation of
pathogenic fungal species into the current scenario of increasing severity of these infections.
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