Neta Shlezinger

Congratulations to Zuckerman Faculty Scholar Neta Shlezinger, researcher at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, at Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Rehovot campus, on  publishing her groundbreaking research in Nature Microbiology. Her explores how viral infections in fungi influence the virulence of Aspergillus fumigatus, a pathogen responsible for the majority of deadly fungal infections in humans. These discoveries could lead to novel approaches for diagnosing and managing fungal diseases.

Abstract:
Aspergillus fumigatus accounts for approximately 65% of all invasive fungal infections in humans, with mortality rates from aspergillosis approaching 50%. Fungal virulence  in plant pathogenic fungi can be modulated by viruses that infect fungi, also known as mycoviruses. However, their impact on fungal pathogenesis in mammals has remained largely unexplored.