Fungal pathogenesis: Past, present and future

Over the last 20 years a record number of fungal and fungal-like diseases have jeopardized wild species the world over, causing several of the most severe population declines and extinctions ever witnessed (Fisher et al. 2012). Such events include the devastating impact of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on amphibian populations and the extinction of bat populations as a result of Geomyces destructans infection. This commentary focusses on two human-infecting fungal pathogens causing much scientific interest, that is, Cryptococcus gattii and Trichophyton rubrum. It summarises recent research findings into their pathogenic evolution and adaptive strategies and highlights key gaps in our knowledge. Finally, the prose attempts to fuse such data with the work of Casadevall, exploiting his theories to predict the future of fungal pathogenesis, that is, where pathogenesis refers to the mechanism that results in disease ( Casadevall 2012).