Molecular mechanism of Aspergillus fumigatus adherence to host constituents

► Adherence to host constituents is a key early step in the pathogenesis of invasive aspergillosis. ► Early studies focused on the identification of fungal proteins as adhesins. ► Recently fungal cell wall and secreted glycans have been implicated in adherence. ► Galactosaminogalactan, a component of the extracellular matrix mediates adherence.