Global Sexual Fertility in the Opportunistic Pathogen and Identification of New Supermater Strains.

A sexual cycle in was first described in 2009 with isolates from Dublin, Ireland. However, the extent to which worldwide isolates can undergo sexual reproduction has remained unclear. In this study a global collection of 131 isolates was established with a near 1:1 ratio of mating types.

Evolution of asexual and sexual reproduction in the aspergilli.

has long-been used as a model organism to gain insights into the genetic basis of asexual and sexual developmental processes both in other members of the genus , and filamentous fungi in general. Paradigms have been established concerning the regulatory mechanisms of conidial development. However, recent studies have shown considerable genome divergence in the fungal kingdom, questioning the general applicability of findings from , and certain longstanding evolutionary theories have been questioned.

Discovery of a sexual cycle in Aspergillus lentulus, a close relative of A. fumigatus.

Aspergillus lentulus was described in 2005 as a new species within the A. fumigatus sensu lato complex. It is an opportunistic human pathogen causing invasive aspergillosis with high mortality rates, and it has been isolated from clinical and environmental sources.