Nutritional immunity is one of the strategies employed by the host to combat invading pathogens. It consists of actively controlling micronutrient bioavailability in the site of infection to hinder microbial growth. The role of manganese in cell biology and nutritional immunity for bacterial pathogens is well understood, but data regarding fungi are still limited. Fungi have evolved complex regulatory systems to acquire, distribute, and utilize manganese. Therefore, the disruption of manganese homeostasis in pathogenic fungi may lead to severe phenotypes and impact virulence. Because the host presents tools for manganese sequestration, and this condition can reduce the growth of important fungal pathogens such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cryptococcus neoformans, it is feasible to suppose that manganese nutritional immunity could play an important role in fungal infections. However, direct evidence is still lacking, and little is known about manganese homeostasis, nutritional immunity, and specific adaptations in individual species of fungal pathogens. In this opinion, we present the current body of knowledge about these subjects, arguing about manganese importance in host–pathogen interactions.

营养免疫是宿主对抗入侵病原体的策略之一。它包括主动控制感染部位的微量营养素生物利用度以阻碍微生物生长。锰在细菌病原体的细胞生物学和营养免疫中的作用已广为人知，但有关真菌的数据仍然有限。真菌已经进化出复杂的调节系统来获取、分配和利用锰。因此，病原真菌中锰稳态的破坏可能导致严重的表型并影响毒力。因为宿主提供锰封存工具，并且这种条件可以减少重要的真菌病原体如白色念珠菌、烟曲霉和新型隐球菌，假设锰营养免疫在真菌感染中发挥重要作用是可行的。然而，仍然缺乏直接证据，并且对锰稳态、营养免疫和个别真菌病原体的特异性适应知之甚少。在此观点中，我们介绍了有关这些主题的当前知识体系，讨论了锰在宿主-病原体相互作用中的重要性。