Opportunistic Human Fungal Pathogen Research Articles

The role of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans high temperature growth and virulence

Fungal infections are often difficult to treat due to the inherent similarities between fungal and animal cells and the resulting host toxicity from many antifungal compounds. Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans that causes life-threatening disease, primarily in immunocompromised patients. Since antifungal therapy for this microorganism is limited, many investigators have explored novel drug targets aim at virulence factors, such as the ability to grow at mammalian physiological temperature (37°C). To address this issue, we used the Agrobacterium tumefaciens gene delivery system to create a random insertion mutagenesis library that was screened for altered growth at elevated temperatures. Among several mutants unable to grow at 37°C, we explored one bearing an interruption in the URA4 gene. This gene encodes dihydroorotase (DHOase) that is involved in the de novo synthesis of pyrimidine ribonucleotides. Loss of the C. neoformans Ura4 protein, by targeted gene interruption, resulted in an expected uracil/uridine auxotrophy and an unexpected high temperature growth defect. In addition, the ura4 mutant displayed phenotypic defects in other prominent virulence factors (melanin, capsule and phospholipase) and reduced stress response compared to wild type and reconstituted strains. Accordingly, this mutant had a decreased survival rate in macrophages and attenuated virulence in a murine model of cryptococcal infection. Quantitative PCR analysis suggests that this biosynthetic pathway is induced during the transition from 30°C to 37°C, and that transcriptional regulation of de novo and salvage pyrimidine pathway are under the control of the Ura4 protein.

Hassallidins, antifungal glycolipopeptides, are widespread among cyanobacteria and are the end-product of a nonribosomal pathway.

Cyanobacteria produce a wide variety of cyclic peptides, including the widespread hepatotoxins microcystins and nodularins. Another class of peptides, cyclic glycosylated lipopeptides called hassallidins, show antifungal activity. Previously, two hassallidins (A and B) were reported from an epilithic cyanobacterium Hassallia sp. and found to be active against opportunistic human pathogenic fungi. Bioinformatic analysis of the Anabaena sp. 90 genome identified a 59-kb cryptic inactive nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene cluster proposed to be responsible for hassallidin biosynthesis. Here we describe the hassallidin biosynthetic pathway from Anabaena sp. SYKE748A, as well as the large chemical variation and common occurrence of hassallidins in filamentous cyanobacteria. Analysis demonstrated that 20 strains of the genus Anabaena carry hassallidin synthetase genes and produce a multitude of hassallidin variants that exhibit activity against Candida albicans. The compounds discovered here were distinct from previously reported hassallidins A and B. The IC50 of hassallidin D was 0.29-1.0 µM against Candida strains. A large variation in amino acids, sugars, their degree of acetylation, and fatty acid side chain length was detected. In addition, hassallidins were detected in other cyanobacteria including Aphanizomenon, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Nostoc, and Tolypothrix. These compounds may protect some of the most important bloom-forming and globally distributed cyanobacteria against attacks by parasitic fungi.

GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol)-linked aspartyl proteases regulate vacuole homoeostasis in Candida glabrata

A family of 11 GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol)-linked cell surface-associated aspartyl proteases (yapsins) in the human opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida glabrata is required for cell wall remodelling, pH homoeostasis, survival in macrophages and virulence in a murine model of disseminated candidiasis. In the present paper, we report new roles for yapsins in C. glabrata physiology and implicate them for the first time in the regulation of vacuole homoeostasis. In the present study we show that a C. glabrata mutant lacking all 11 yapsins, Cgyps1-11∆, possesses an enlarged vacuole and displays vma- (vacuolar membrane ATPase)-like phenotypes with elevated metal ion susceptibility in an alkaline pH medium and diminished Vma activity. The results of the present study also demonstrate a singular role for CgYps1 (C. glabrata yapsin 1) in the maintenance of ion homoeostasis under normal and calcineurin-inhibited conditions. Elevated polyphosphate levels and diminished cellular CPY (carboxypeptidase Y) activity in the Cgyps1-11∆ mutant highlight the yapsin requirement for a properly functioning vacuole. Lastly, a gross perturbation of cellular homoeostasis in the Cgyps1-11∆ mutant, even in the absence of external stressors, characterized by reduced levels of ATP and stress metabolites, elevated ROS (reactive oxygen species) levels, cell surface abnormalities, and a constitutively activated PKC (protein kinase C) signalling pathway underscore diverse physiological functions of yapsins in C. glabrata.

Quorum sensing controls hyphal initiation in Candida albicans through Ubr1-mediated protein degradation

Candida albicans is the most common cause of invasive fungal infections in humans. Its ability to undergo the morphological transition from yeast to hyphal growth forms is critical for its pathogenesis. Hyphal initiation requires the activation of the cAMP-PKA pathway, which down-regulates the expression of NRG1, the major repressor of hyphal development. Hyphal initiation also requires inoculation of a small amount of C. albicans cells from overnight culture to fresh medium. This inoculation releases the inhibition from farnesol, a quorum-sensing molecule of C. albicans, that accumulated in the spent medium. Here, we show that farnesol inhibits hyphal initiation mainly through blocking the protein degradation of Nrg1. Through screening a kinase mutant library, we identified Sok1 as the kinase required for Nrg1 degradation during inoculation. SOK1 expression is transiently activated on inoculation during hyphal initiation, and overexpression of SOK1 overcomes the farnesol-mediated inhibition of hyphal initiation. Screening a collection of transcription factor mutants, the homeodomain-containing transcription repressor Cup9 is found to be responsible for the repression of SOK1 expression in response to farnesol inhibition. Interestingly, farnesol inhibits Cup9 degradation mediated by the N-end rule E3 ubiquitin ligase, Ubr1. Therefore, hyphal initiation requires both the cAMP-PKA pathway-dependent transcriptional down-regulation of NRG1 and Sok1-mediated degradation of Nrg1 protein. The latter is triggered by the release from farnesol inhibition of Cup9 degradation and consequently, derepression of SOK1 transcription. Neither pathway alone is sufficient for hyphal initiation.

Spaceflight Enhances Cell Aggregation and Random Budding in Candida albicans

This study presents the first global transcriptional profiling and phenotypic characterization of the major human opportunistic fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, grown in spaceflight conditions. Microarray analysis revealed that C. albicans subjected to short-term spaceflight culture differentially regulated 452 genes compared to synchronous ground controls, which represented 8.3% of the analyzed ORFs. Spaceflight-cultured C. albicans–induced genes involved in cell aggregation (similar to flocculation), which was validated by microscopic and flow cytometry analysis. We also observed enhanced random budding of spaceflight-cultured cells as opposed to bipolar budding patterns for ground samples, in accordance with the gene expression data. Furthermore, genes involved in antifungal agent and stress resistance were differentially regulated in spaceflight, including induction of ABC transporters and members of the major facilitator family, downregulation of ergosterol-encoding genes, and upregulation of genes involved in oxidative stress resistance. Finally, downregulation of genes involved in actin cytoskeleton was observed. Interestingly, the transcriptional regulator Cap1 and over 30% of the Cap1 regulon was differentially expressed in spaceflight-cultured C. albicans. A potential role for Cap1 in the spaceflight response of C. albicans is suggested, as this regulator is involved in random budding, cell aggregation, and oxidative stress resistance; all related to observed spaceflight-associated changes of C. albicans. While culture of C. albicans in microgravity potentiates a global change in gene expression that could induce a virulence-related phenotype, no increased virulence in a murine intraperitoneal (i.p.) infection model was observed under the conditions of this study. Collectively, our data represent an important basis for the assessment of the risk that commensal flora could play during human spaceflight missions. Furthermore, since the low fluid-shear environment of microgravity is relevant to physical forces encountered by pathogens during the infection process, insights gained from this study could identify novel infectious disease mechanisms, with downstream benefits for the general public.

Ocimum sanctum essential oil inhibits virulence attributes in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen which causes disease mainly in immunocompromised patients. Activity of hydrolytic enzymes is essential for virulence of C. albicans and so is the capacity of these cells to undergo transition from yeast to mycelial form of growth. Ocimum sanctum is cultivated worldwide for its essential oil which exhibits medicinal properties. This work evaluates the anti-virulence activity of O. sanctum essential oil (OSEO) on 22 strains of C. albicans (including a standard strain ATCC 90028) isolated from both HIV positive and HIV negative patients. Candida isolates were exposed to sub-MICs of OSEO. In vitro secretion of proteinases and phospholipases was evaluated by plate assay containing BSA and egg yolk respectively. Morphological transition from yeast to filamentous form was monitored microscopically in LSM. For genetic analysis, respective genes associated with morphological transition (HWP1), proteinase (SAP1) and phospholipase (PLB2) were also investigated by Real Time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results were analyzed using Student's t-test. OSEO inhibits morphological transition in C. albicans and had a significant inhibitory effect on extracellular secretion of proteinases and phospholipases. Expression profile of respective selected genes associated with C. albicans virulence by qRT-PCR showed a reduced expression of HWP1, SAP1 and PLB2 genes in cells treated with sub-inhibitory concentrations of OSEO. This work suggests that OSEO inhibits morphological transition in C. albicans and decreases the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes involved in the early stage of infection as well as down regulates the associated genes. Further studies will assess the clinical application of OSEO and its constituents in the treatment of fungal infections.

Deletion of the α-(1,3)-Glucan Synthase Genes Induces a Restructuring of the Conidial Cell Wall Responsible for the Avirulence of Aspergillus fumigatus

α-(1,3)-Glucan is a major component of the cell wall of Aspergillus fumigatus, an opportunistic human fungal pathogen. There are three genes (AGS1, AGS2 and AGS3) controlling the biosynthesis of α-(1,3)-glucan in this fungal species. Deletion of all the three AGS genes resulted in a triple mutant that was devoid of α-(1,3)-glucan in its cell wall; however, its growth and germination was identical to that of the parental strain in vitro. In the experimental murine aspergillosis model, this mutant was less pathogenic than the parental strain. The AGS deletion resulted in an extensive structural modification of the conidial cell wall, especially conidial surface where the rodlet layer was covered by an amorphous glycoprotein matrix. This surface modification was responsible for viability reduction of conidia in vivo, which explains decrease in the virulence of triple agsΔ mutant.

N-acetylglucosamine-induced white-to-opaque switching in Candida albicans is independent of the Wor2 transcription factor

Candida albicans, a major opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans, can spontaneously undergo white-to-opaque switching, a prerequisite of mating. The phenotypes of white and opaque cells are heritable and bistable. The zinc-finger transcription factor Wor2 (White Opaque Regulator 2) has previously been identified as an important regulator of white-to-opaque switching. Deletion of WOR2 locks cells in the white phase when cultured on media containing glucose as the sole carbon source. In this study, we report that N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) can induce white-to-opaque switching in the wor2/wor2 null mutant and stabilize the opaque phenotype of C. albicans. Moreover, overexpression of RAS1V13 (the activating form of RAS1) hypersensitizes white cells of the wor2/wor2 mutant to GlcNAc. These results suggest that Wor2 is not required for opaque cell formation at least under some culture conditions. Therefore C. albicans cells may adopt a different gene expression profile in response to GlcNAc to activate phenotypic switching.

Expression and Activity of Catalases Is Differentially Affected by GpaA (Ga) and FlbA (Regulator of G Protein Signaling) in Aspergillus fumigatus

Vegetative growth signaling of the opportunistic human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is mediated by GpaA (Gα). FlbA is a regulator of G protein signaling, which attenuates GpaA-mediated growth signaling in this fungus. The flbA deletion (ΔflbA) and the constitutively active GpaA (GpaAQ204L) mutants exhibit enhanced proliferation, precocious autolysis, and reduced asexual sporulation. In this study, we demonstrate that both mutants also show enhanced tolerance against H2O2 and their radial growth was approximately 1.6 fold higher than that of wild type (WT) in medium with 10 mM H2O2. We performed quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) for examination of mRNA levels of three catalase encoding genes (catA, cat1, and cat2) in WT and the two mutants. According to the results, while levels of spore-specific catA mRNA were comparable among the three strains, cat1 and cat2 mRNA levels were significantly higher in the two mutants than in WT. In particular, the ΔflbA mutant showed significantly enhanced and prolonged expression of cat1 and precocious expression of cat2. In accordance with this result, activity of the Cat1 protein in the ΔflbA mutant was higher than that of gpaAQ204L and WT strains. For activity of the Cat2 protein, both mutants began to show enhanced activity at 48 and 72 hr of growth compared to WT. These results lead to the conclusion that GpaA activates expression and activity of cat1 and cat2, whereas FlbA plays an antagonistic role in control of catalases, leading to balanced responses to neutralizing the toxicity of reactive oxygen species.

Phylogenetic and phenotypic characterisation of the 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase gene family from the opportunistic human pathogenic fungusCandida albicans

Gene families are common to all kingdoms of live and most likely derived from gene duplications with subsequent specification for the adaptation to environmental conditions. However, the exact contribution of single members to cellular physiology is difficult to predict. Here, we analysed a family of 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolases composed of Pot1p, Fox3p and Pot13p from the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans and studied their contribution to fatty acid utilisation and virulence. The presence of three 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolases in C.albicans contrasts the existence of only one single gene in closely related Saccharomycetales such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that two of the thiolases, Pot1p and Fox3p, were closely related to the S.cerevisiae Pot1p. The third protein clustered with yet uncharacterised thiolases from filamentous fungi. Single, double and triple mutants were generated for phenotypic characterisations. While Pot1p was of general importance for utilisation of fatty acids, Fox3p partially contributed to fatty acid utilisation at elevated temperatures. No phenotype was detectable for pot13 deletions. When virulence of the different mutants was assessed in an embryonated chicken egg infection model, no significant attenuation was observed for any of the mutants, confirming previous assumptions that β-oxidation is dispensable for C.albicans virulence.

Histone biotinylation inCandida albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen in humans. It is a polymorphic fungus: it can live as yeasts, hyphae, or pseudohyphae. Biotin is required for cell growth and fatty acid metabolism because it is used as a cofactor for carboxylases such as acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and pyruvate carboxylase. In addition, we have discovered that biotin is used to modify histones in C.albicans. Biotinylation was detected by Western blots using a monoclonal antibiotin HRP-conjugated antibody as well as with qTOF and LC/MS/MS mass spectrometry. As a precaution, the antibiotin antibody was dialyzed against neutravidin prior to use. During this study, we observed that three histones, H2A, H2B, and H4, were biotinylated at many lysine residues in an apparently nonsite-specific manner. Roughly, equivalent levels of acetylation, methylation, and phosphorylation were found in histones from biotin-replete and biotin-starved cells, but histone biotinylation was only observed for cells grown in excess biotin. The function of histone biotinylation in C.albicans is still unknown but, because C.albicans is a natural biotin auxotroph, a storage reservoir for biotin is attractive. Techniques used to detect histone biotinylation in C.albicans did not detect any histone biotinylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Nepenthes khasiana's chitin-induced pitcher liquid: a potential treatment for opportunistic fungal infection

The endangered tropical pitcher plant Nepenthes khasiana has evolved mechanisms to lure, capture, and digest prey animals. Under special circumstances, Nepenthes pitcher liquid will also contain potent antifungal compounds called naphthoquinones. Their purpose, it is believed, is to prevent captured prey from being consumed by fungi, a competing organism. For hundreds of years, naphthoquinones have been utilized in Asia and South America for medicinal purposes. In the United States, emerging studies are investigating how these compounds can be produced, as well as their efficacy against opportunistic human fungal pathogens. The importance of this research is underscored by the limited variety of antifungal drugs that are commercially available, as well as their susceptibility to pathogenic resistance and crosstolerance.

Candida albicans Commensalism and Pathogenicity Are Intertwined Traits Directed by a Tightly Knit Transcriptional Regulatory Circuit

Author SummaryOur skin and mouth, as well as our genital and gastrointestinal tracts, are laden with microorganisms belonging to all three domains of life (bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes). Much of the time these commensal microorganisms are not only harmless but provide advantages to us. However, when the host's defenses are compromised, some members of the normal flora, such as the fungus C. albicans, can cross the host's protective barriers and colonize virtually every internal organ causing life-threatening conditions. The environment found in the bloodstream and internal organs is presumably distinct from the mucosal surfaces where our flora typically resides. Whether opportunistic pathogens such as C. albicans rely on common or separate gene repertoires to thrive in each of these locales is largely unknown. To address this question we carried out genetic screens in mouse models that recapitulate niches where C. albicans thrives and used genome-wide experimental approaches to uncover the genes required to proliferate in each environment. In fact, the ability of C. albicans to colonize disparate niches within a mammalian host relies on a large, integrated circuit. Our observations suggest that at least some key gene circuits are not dedicated to one niche or another. Rather, thriving in various locales of the host seems to involve the complex regulation of multiple processes, which may allow C. albicans to adjust to different environments.

Control of Candida albicans Metabolism and Biofilm Formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Phenazines

ABSTRACTCandida albicans has developmental programs that govern transitions between yeast and filamentous morphologies and between unattached and biofilm lifestyles. Here, we report that filamentation, intercellular adherence, and biofilm development were inhibited during interactions between Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa through the action of P. aeruginosa-produced phenazines. While phenazines are toxic to C. albicans at millimolar concentrations, we found that lower concentrations of any of three different phenazines (pyocyanin, phenazine methosulfate, and phenazine-1-carboxylate) allowed growth but affected the development of C. albicans wrinkled colony biofilms and inhibited the fungal yeast-to-filament transition. Phenazines impaired C. albicans growth on nonfermentable carbon sources and led to increased production of fermentation products (ethanol, glycerol, and acetate) in glucose-containing medium, leading us to propose that phenazines specifically inhibited respiration. Methylene blue, another inhibitor of respiration, also prevented the formation of structured colony biofilms. The inhibition of filamentation and colony wrinkling was not solely due to lowered extracellular pH induced by fermentation. Compared to smooth, unstructured colonies, wrinkled colony biofilms had higher oxygen concentrations within the colony, and wrinkled regions of these colonies had higher levels of respiration. Together, our data suggest that the structure of the fungal biofilm promotes access to oxygen and enhances respiratory metabolism and that the perturbation of respiration by bacterial molecules such as phenazines or compounds with similar activities disrupts these pathways. These findings may suggest new ways to limit fungal biofilms in the context of disease.

Aspergillus fumigatus melanins: interference with the host endocytosis pathway and impact on virulence

The opportunistic human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus produces at least two types of melanin, namely pyomelanin and dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin. Pyomelanin is produced during tyrosine catabolism via accumulation of homogentisic acid. Although pyomelanin protects the fungus against reactive oxygen species (ROS) and acts as a defense compound in response to cell wall stress, mutants deficient for pyomelanin biosynthesis do not differ in virulence when tested in a murine infection model for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. DHN melanin is responsible for the characteristic gray-greenish color of A. fumigatus conidia. Mutants lacking a functional polyketide synthase PksP, the enzyme responsible for the initial step in DHN-melanin formation, i.e., the synthesis of naphthopyrone, produce white spores and are attenuated in virulence. The activity of PksP was found to be essential not only for inhibition of apoptosis of phagocytes by interfering with the host PI3K/Akt signaling cascade but also for effective inhibition of acidification of conidia-containing phagolysosomes. These features allow A. fumigatus to survive in phagocytes and thereby to escape from human immune effector cells and to become a successful pathogen.

Candida albicans: A Model Organism for Studying Fungal Pathogens

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that causes candidiasis. As healthcare has been improved worldwide, the number of immunocompromised patients has been increased to a greater extent and they are highly susceptible to various pathogenic microbes and C. albicans has been prominent among the fungal pathogens. The complete genome sequence of this pathogen is now available and has been extremely useful for the identification of repertoire of genes present in this pathogen. The major challenge is now to assign the functions to these genes of which 13% are specific to C. albicans. Due to its close relationship with yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an edge over other fungal pathogens because most of the technologies can be directly transferred to C. albicans from S. cerevisiae and it is amenable to mutation, gene disruption, and transformation. The last two decades have witnessed enormous amount of research activities on this pathogen that leads to the understanding of host-parasite interaction, infections, and disease propagation. Clearly, C. albicans has emerged as a model organism for studying fungal pathogens along with other two fungi Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans. Understanding its complete life style of C. albicans will undoubtedly be useful for developing potential antifungal drugs and tackling Candida infections. This will also shed light on the functioning of other fungal pathogens.

Role of Macroautophagy in Nutrient Homeostasis During Fungal Development and Pathogenesis

Macroautophagy is a non-selective, bulk degradation process conserved in eukaryotes. Response to starvation stress and/or regulation of nutrient breakdown/utilization is the major intracellular function of macroautophagy. Recent studies have revealed requirement for autophagy in diverse functions such as nutrient homeostasis, organelle degradation and programmed cell death in filamentous fungal pathogens, for proper morphogenesis and differentiation during critical steps of infection. In this review, we aim to summarize the physiological functions of autophagy in fungal virulence, with an emphasis on nutrient homeostasis in opportunistic human fungal pathogens and in the rice-blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae. We briefly summarize the role of autophagy on the host side: for resistance to, or subversion by, the pathogens.

Candida albicans infection inhibits macrophage cell division and proliferation

The pathogenicity of the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans depends on its ability to inhibit effective destruction by host phagocytes. Using live cell video microscopy, we show here for the first time that C. albicans inhibits cell division in macrophages undergoing mitosis. Inhibition of macrophage cell division is dependent on the ability of C. albicans to form hyphae, as it is rarely observed following phagocytosis of UV-killed or morphogenesis-defective mutant Candida. Interestingly, failed cell division following phagocytosis of hyphal C. albicans is surprisingly common, and leads to the formation of large multinuclear macrophages. This raises question as to whether inhibition of macrophage cell division is another virulence attribute of C. albicans or enables host macrophages to contain the pathogen.

Prediction of Phenotype-Associated Genes via a Cellular Network Approach: A Candida albicans Infection Case Study

Candida albicans is the most prevalent opportunistic fungal pathogen in humans causing superficial and serious systemic infections. The infection process can be divided into three stages: adhesion, invasion, and host cell damage. To enhance our understanding of these C. albicans infection stages, this study aimed to predict phenotype-associated genes involved during these three infection stages and their roles in C. albicans–host interactions. In light of the principles that proteins that lie closer to one another in a protein interaction network are more likely to have similar functions, and that genes regulated by the same transcription factors tend to have similar functions, a cellular network approach was proposed to predict the phenotype-associated genes in this study. A total of 4, 12, and 3 genes were predicted as adhesion-, invasion-, and damage-associated genes during C. albicans infection, respectively. These predicted genes highlight the facts that cell surface components are critical for cell adhesion, and that morphogenesis is crucial for cell invasion. In addition, they provide targets for further investigations into the mechanisms of the three C. albicans infection stages. These results give insights into the responses elicited in C. albicans during interaction with the host, possibly instrumental in identifying novel therapies to treat C. albicans infection.

Agent-Based Modeling Approach of Immune Defense Against Spores of Opportunistic Human Pathogenic Fungi

Opportunistic human pathogenic fungi like the ubiquitous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus are a major threat to immunocompromised patients. An impaired immune system renders the body vulnerable to invasive mycoses that often lead to the death of the patient. While the number of immunocompromised patients is rising with medical progress, the process, and dynamics of defense against invaded and ready to germinate fungal conidia are still insufficiently understood. Besides macrophages, neutrophil granulocytes form an important line of defense in that they clear conidia. Live imaging shows the interaction of those phagocytes and conidia as a dynamic process of touching, dragging, and phagocytosis. To unravel strategies of phagocytes on the hunt for conidia an agent-based modeling approach is used, implemented in NetLogo. Different modes of movement of phagocytes are tested regarding their clearing efficiency: random walk, short-term persistence in their recent direction, chemotaxis of chemokines excreted by conidia, and communication between phagocytes. While the short-term persistence hunting strategy turned out to be superior to the simple random walk, following a gradient of chemokines released by conidial agents is even better. The advantage of communication between neutrophilic agents showed a strong dependency on the spatial scale of the focused area and the distribution of the pathogens.