Escape mechanisms from the immune response

Abstract

Fungal pathogenesis is by definition a situation in which a fungal species is successfully surviving in host tissues and causing local destruction or toxicity. The immune system is exquisitely equipped to ward off infection, and the strategies employed by fungi to survive immune defences during pathogenesis are diverse. This review examines the diversity of mechanisms used by fungi to escape immune responses, and specifically explores the observation that these mechanisms range from clear virulence traits to more opportunistic consequences of fungal environmental growth and survival strategies