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Review
. 2022 Jun;65(6):599-612.
doi: 10.1111/myc.13449. Epub 2022 May 25.

Let's talk about sex characteristics-As a risk factor for invasive fungal diseases

Matthias Egger  1 , Martin Hoenigl  1   2   3 , George R Thompson 3rd  4   5   6 , Agostinho Carvalho  7   8 , Jeffrey D Jenks  9
Affiliations
Review

Let's talk about sex characteristics-As a risk factor for invasive fungal diseases

Matthias Egger et al. Mycoses. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Biological sex, which comprises differences in host sex hormone homeostasis and immune responses, can have a substantial impact on the epidemiology of infectious diseases. Comprehensive data on sex distributions in invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) are lacking. In this review, we performed a literature search of in vitro/animal studies, clinical studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of invasive fungal infections. Females represented 51.2% of invasive candidiasis cases, mostly matching the proportions of females among the general population in the United States and Europe (>51%). In contrast, other IFDs were overrepresented in males, including invasive aspergillosis (51% males), mucormycosis (60%), cryptococcosis (74%), coccidioidomycosis (70%), histoplasmosis (61%) and blastomycosis (66%). Behavioural variations, as well as differences related to biological sex, may only in part explain these findings. Further investigations concerning the association between biological sex/gender and the pathogenesis of IFDs are warranted.

Keywords: animal model; immunity; invasive fungal diseases; sex characteristics.

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References

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