Putting Fungi to Work: Harvesting a Cornucopia of Drugs, Toxins, and Antibiotics

Fungi belong amongst the severest pathogens of humans, animals, and plants. For example, Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp. account for most invasive mycoses, and such infections are associated with high rates of mortality in hematology and oncology patients. Worrisomely, it has been estimated that 4% of all patients who die in hospitals die of invasive aspergillosis and 2% die of candidiasis [1]. Moreover, in agriculture, filamentous fungi are mainly responsible for severe loss of crops worldwide, destroying over 125 million tons of rice, wheat, maize, potatoes, and soybeans each year. Calculations for 2011 predicted that prevention of these losses would be sufficient to feed 600 million people [2]. However, due to the common negative perception of fungi as pathogens, we often lose sight of the beneficial role of fungi as producers of a cornucopia of life-saving drugs.