Fungal Dimorphism

The tendency of fungi pathogenic for humans to have shapes in tissue distinct from their usual saprophytic morphologies has fascinated the pathologist and medical mycologist for almost a century. A primary rea son for this fascination is the possibility that fungal duality of form, or dimorphism, may be an important virulence factor that allows the zoo pathogenic fungus to survive host defenses. A second reason relates to the desire to gain basic insights into the regulation of cellular develop ment and morphogenesis among the etiological agents of human mycoses. Many excellent treatises have appeared within the recent past dealing with fungal dimorphism. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that it may be beyond the capability of one or a few authors to review this subject adequately. Instead, the ever-increasing volume ofliterature asso ciated with fungal dimorphism and the diversity offungi now recognized to exhibit a type of dimorphism suggest that a volume comprised of con tributions by numerous researchers may be more appropriate. This per ception provided me with the motivation to compile a multiauthor volume.

"Dimorphism can be defined as the property of different fungal species to grow in the form of budding yeasts or in the form of mycelium, depending on the environmental conditions. Dimorphism may be considered as a differentiative phenomenon, similar to oth"

Fungal dimorphism is a topic that sounds inherently too rarified to attract more than a specialist audience. Yet some 230 individuals representing an eclectic mixture of interests, from basic science to medical practice, gathered in Churchill College, Cambridge in Semptember 1992 for a meeting devoted only to this subject. The symposium was the fourth in a series "Topics in Mycology" to be jointly organized by the Janssen Research Foundation and the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. The participants enjoyed a rich and varied diet of oral presentations and poster displays in the field of fungal morphogenesis. This book sets down in print the material presented at the dimorphism symposium. We think that the high quality of these papers conveys very well the flavor of what was an excellent meeting. The selection of contributions in this volume covers very wide ground indeed. Chapters devoted to some non-pathogenic fungi are included, because the scientific basis of morphological development belongs to the fields of cellular and molecular biology: it does not recognize the boundary imposed by considerations of virulence of a fungus for a human host. Yet morphogenetic change in those fungi that do cause human disease frequently appears to be a component of the pathological process: many important pathogens change from a hyphal form in the external environment to a round form in infected tissues. This relationship between dimorphism and pathogenicity is the point of contact between pure biology and medicine.

Fungal Wilt Diseases of Plants focuses on wilt diseases caused by the fungal genera Verticillium, Fusarium, and Ceratocystis. Special attention is given to the interactions of physiological, biochemical, and anatomical factors, as these relate to pathogenesis and mechanisms of disease resistance. Organized into 16 chapters, this book begins with a description, in a historical perspective, of the major research themes in fungal wilt diseases. It then looks into the worldwide status of this plant disease. The three subsequent chapters describe the epidemiology and life cycle of the major fungal wilt pathogens in Fusarium, Verticillium, and Ceratocystis. This book also provides an in-depth view of the genetics and biochemistry of these pathogens; the nature of pathogenesis and the effects of wilt pathogens on host-water relations; and the sources and genetics of host resistance in field and fruit crops, vegetable crops, and shade trees. Other chapters are dedicated to the biochemistry, physiology, and the anatomical aspects of resistance and to the progress in the biological and chemical control of these pathogens. This text will be of great value to graduate students and senior research scientists in plant pathology, physiology, and biochemistry, who are specifically involved in studying wilt diseases and host-parasite interactions. It will provide them the detailed background information needed to supplement their specialized research interests.

The Oxford Textbook of Medical Mycology is a comprehensive reference text which brings together the science and medicine of human fungal disease. Written by a leading group of international authors to bring a global expertise, it is divided into sections that deal with the principles of mycology, the organisms, a systems based approach to management, fungal disease in specific patient groups, diagnosis, and treatment. The detailed clinical chapters take account of recent international guidelines on the management of fungal disease. With chapters covering recent developments in taxonomy, fungal genetics and other 'omics', epidemiology, pathogenesis, and immunology, this textbook is well suited to aid both scientists and clinicians. The extensive illustrations, tables, and in-depth coverage of topics, including discussion of the non-infective aspects of allergic and toxin mediated fungal disease, are designed to aid the understanding of mechanisms and pathology, and extend the usual approach to fungal disease. This textbook is essential reading for microbiologists, research scientists, infectious diseases clinicians, respiratory physicians, and those managing immunocompromised patients. Part of the Oxford Textbook in Infectious Disease and Microbiology series, it is also a useful companion text for students and trainees looking to supplement mycology courses and microbiology training.

"A subject collection from Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine."

I belie ve that the book would provide an overview of the recent developments in the domain of yeast research with some new ideas, which could serve as an inspiration and challenge for researchers in this field. Ne w Delhi Prof. Asis Datta Dec. 24, 2007 F ormer Vice-chancellor, JNU Director, NCPGR (New Delhi) Pr eface Yeasts are eukaryotic unicellular microfungi that are widely distributed in the natural environments. Although yeasts are not as ubiquitous as bacteria in the na- ral environments, they have been isolated from terrestrial, aquatic and atmospheric environments. Yeast communities have been found in association with plants, a- mals and insects. Several species of yeasts have also been isolated from specialized or extreme environments like those with low water potential (e. g. high sugar/salt concentrations), low temperature (e. g. yeasts isolated from Antarctica), and low oxygen availability (e. g. intestinal tracts of animals). Around 1500 species of yeasts belonging to over 100 genera have been described so far. It is estimated that only 1% of the extant yeasts on earth have been described till date. Therefore, global efforts are underway to recover new yeast species from a variety of normal and extreme environments. Yeasts play an important role in food chains, and carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycles. Yeasts can be genetically manipulated by hybridization, mutation, rare m- ing, cytoduction, spheroplast fusion, single chromosomal transfer and transfor- tion using recombinant technology. Yeasts (e. g.