Aspergillus fumigatus Drives Tissue Damage via Iterative Assaults upon Mucosal Integrity and Immune Homeostasis

Abstract

The human lung is constantly exposed to Aspergillus fumigatus spores, the most prevalent worldwide cause of fungal respiratory disease. Pulmonary tissue damage is a unifying feature of Aspergillus -related diseases; however, the mechanistic basis of damage is not understood. In the lungs of susceptible hosts, A. fumigatus undergoes an obligatory morphological switch involving spore germination and hyphal growth.