Seminal work by Louis Pasteur revealed the contribution of fungi—yeasts and microsporidia to agroindustry and disease in animals, respectively. More than 150 years later, the impact of fungi on human health and beyond is an ever-increasing issue, although often underestimated. Recent studies estimate that fungal infections, especially those caused by Candida, Cryptococcus and Aspergillus species, kill more than one million people annually. Indeed, these neglected infections are in general very difficult to cure and the associated mortality remains very high even when antifungal treatments exist. The development of new antifungals and diagnostic tools that are both necessary to fight fungal diseases efficiently, requires greater insights in the biology of the fungal pathogens of humans in the context of the infection, on their epidemiology, and on their role in the human mycobiota. We also need a better understanding of the host immune responses to fungal pathogens as well as the genetic basis for the increased sensitivity of some individuals to fungal infections. Here, we highlight some recent progress made in these different areas of research, in particular based on work conducted in our own laboratories. These progress should lay the ground for better management of fungal infections, as they provide opportunities for better diagnostic, vaccination, the development of classical antifungals but also strategies for targeting virulence factors or the host.

路易斯·巴斯德（Louis Pasteur）的开创性研究揭示了真菌-酵母菌和小孢子虫对农用工业和动物疾病的贡献。150多年来，尽管常常低估了真菌对人类健康的影响，但对人类健康的影响却日益严重。最近的研究估计真菌感染，尤其是由念珠菌，隐球菌和曲霉菌引起的真菌感染物种，每年造成超过100万人死亡。确实，这些被忽视的感染通常很难治愈，并且即使存在抗真菌治疗，相关的死亡率仍然很高。新型抗真菌剂和诊断工具的开发对于有效对抗真菌疾病都是必不可少的，需要在感染环境下对人类真菌病原体的生物学，流行病学及其在人类真菌菌群中的作用有更深入的了解。我们还需要更好地了解宿主对真菌病原体的免疫反应以及某些个体对真菌感染的敏感性提高的遗传基础。在这里，我们重点介绍了在这些不同研究领域中取得的一些最新进展，尤其是基于我们自己实验室中进行的工作。