Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience

Fisher, Matthew C.; Gow, Neil A. R.; Gurr, Sarah J.

doi:10.1098/rstb.2016.0332

Cited by 115 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The past century has witnessed an increasing number of disease-causing fungi that infect plants, animals, and humans. Fungal diseases in crops have a major impact on food security and there are direct measurable economic consequences (Fisher et al, 2012;Fisher, Gow, & Gurr, 2016). Fungi have an ability to grow on all kinds of foods-cereals, meat, milk, fruit, vegetables, nuts, fats, and products of these commodities, where they cause food spoilage such as toxin production, discoloration, off-flavor development, rotting and formation of pathogenic and allergenic propagules (Filtenborg, Frisvad, & Thrane, 1996;Pitt & Hocking, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold Plasma for Effective Fungal and Mycotoxin Control in Foods: Mechanisms, Inactivation Effects, and Applications

Misra

Yadav

Roopesh

et al. 2018

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

242

169

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Cold plasma treatment is a promising intervention in food processing to boost product safety and extend the shelf‐life. The activated chemical species of cold plasma can act rapidly against micro‐organisms at ambient temperatures without leaving any known chemical residues. This review presents an overview of the action of cold plasma against molds and mycotoxins, the underlying mechanisms, and applications for ensuring food safety and quality. The cold plasma species act on multiple sites of a fungal cell resulting in loss of function and structure, and ultimately cell death. Likewise, the species cause chemical breakdown of mycotoxins through various pathways resulting in degradation products that are known to be less toxic. We argue that the preliminary reports from cold plasma research point at good potential of plasma for shelf‐life extension and quality retention of foods. Some of the notable food sectors which could benefit from antimycotic and antimycotoxin efficacy of cold plasma include, the fresh produce, food grains, nuts, spices, herbs, dried meat and fish industries.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold Plasma for Effective Fungal and Mycotoxin Control in Foods: Mechanisms, Inactivation Effects, and Applications

Misra

Yadav

Roopesh

et al. 2018

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

242

169

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While many studies have posited mechanisms for host–pathogen coexistence (Table ), testing these hypotheses with field‐derived empirical evidence is limited for populations that have experienced mass mortality events (e.g., Fisher et al. , , but see Frick et al. ) because low host abundance and cryptic species post‐outbreak makes tracking individuals, estimating their demographic rates, and analyzing host–pathogen interactions difficult (e.g., Faustino et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eco‐evolutionary rescue promotes host–pathogen coexistence

DiRenzo

Zipkin

Grant

et al. 2018

Ecological Applications

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Emerging infectious pathogens are responsible for some of the most severe host mass mortality events in wild populations. Yet, effective pathogen control strategies are notoriously difficult to identify, in part because quantifying and forecasting pathogen spread and disease dynamics is challenging. Following an outbreak, hosts must cope with the presence of the pathogen, leading to host–pathogen coexistence or extirpation. Despite decades of research, little is known about host–pathogen coexistence post‐outbreak when low host abundances and cryptic species make these interactions difficult to study. Using a novel disease‐structured N‐mixture model, we evaluate empirical support for three host–pathogen coexistence hypotheses (source–sink, eco‐evolutionary rescue, and spatial variation in pathogen transmission) in a Neotropical amphibian community decimated by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in 2004. During 2010–2014, we surveyed amphibians in Parque Nacional G. D. Omar Torríjos Herrera, Coclé Province, El Copé, Panama. We found that the primary driver of host–pathogen coexistence was eco‐evolutionary rescue, as evidenced by similar amphibian survival and recruitment rates between infected and uninfected hosts. Average apparent monthly survival rates of uninfected and infected hosts were both close to 96%, and the expected number of uninfected and infected hosts recruited (via immigration/reproduction) was less than one host per disease state per 20‐m site. The secondary driver of host–pathogen coexistence was spatial variation in pathogen transmission as we found that transmission was highest in areas of low abundance but there was no support for the source–sink hypothesis. Our results indicate that changes in the host community (i.e., through genetic or species composition) can reduce the impacts of emerging infectious disease post‐outbreak. Our disease‐structured N‐mixture model represents a valuable advancement for conservation managers trying to understand underlying host–pathogen interactions and provides new opportunities to study disease dynamics in remnant host populations decimated by virulent pathogens.

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“…Fungi are responsible for many of the world's most serious diseases, ranging from crop diseases—which each year severely restrict the global harvest of many of our most important food sources—to human diseases that claim many hundreds of thousands of lives annually (Brown et al, 2012; Fisher et al, 2016). Understanding fungal pathogens is therefore vital from economic, social, and humanitarian standpoints.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Septins Focus Cellular Growth for Host Infection by Pathogenic Fungi

Momany

Talbot

2017

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

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One of the key challenges faced by microbial pathogens is invasion of host tissue. Fungal pathogens adopt a number of distinct strategies to overcome host cell defenses, including the development of specialized infection structures, the secretion of proteins that manipulate host responses or cellular organization, and the ability to facilitate their own uptake by phagocytic mechanisms. Key to many of these adaptations is the considerable morphogenetic plasticity displayed by pathogenic species. Fungal pathogens can, for example, shift their growth habit between non-polarized spores, or yeast-like cells, and highly polarized hyphal filaments. These polarized filaments can then elaborate differentiated cells, specialized to breach host barriers. Septins play fundamental roles in the ability of diverse fungi to undergo shape changes and organize the F-actin cytoskeleton to facilitate invasive growth. As a consequence, septins are increasingly implicated in fungal pathogenesis, with many septin mutants displaying impairment in their ability to cause diseases of both plants and animals. In this mini-review, we show that a common feature of septin mutants is the emergence of extra polar outgrowths during morphological transitions, such as emergence of germ tubes from conidia or branches from hyphae. We propose that because septins detect and stabilize membrane curvature, they prevent extra polar outgrowths and thereby focus fungal invasive force, allowing substrate invasion.

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Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience

Cited by 115 publications

References 34 publications

Cold Plasma for Effective Fungal and Mycotoxin Control in Foods: Mechanisms, Inactivation Effects, and Applications

Cold Plasma for Effective Fungal and Mycotoxin Control in Foods: Mechanisms, Inactivation Effects, and Applications

Eco‐evolutionary rescue promotes host–pathogen coexistence

Septins Focus Cellular Growth for Host Infection by Pathogenic Fungi

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