Identification and analysis of factors influencing intracellular growth of the pathogenic fungus Talaromyces marneffei

Abstract

Fungal pathogens of animals and plants are a major concern in society with huge economic and public health consequences. The prevalence of pathogenic fungi and the emergence of new, opportunistic fungal pathogens, about which we know little, compounds the current problem. Talaromyces marneffei is a dimorphic, opportunistic pathogenic fungus that infects immunocompromised individuals. At 25 ̊C T. marneffei grows in a multinucleate hyphal form that can undergo a process of asexual development to produce conidia, which are the infectious agents. Upon inhalation, conidia reach the alveoli of the lungs where they are phagocytosed by resident phagocytes such as alveolar macrophages. The transition..