Objective
Most human pathogenic fungi have a dual life cycle involving saprotrophic growth in the environment, alternated by an invasive phase. The formation of propagules enable the fungus to leave the host is necessary and can be viewed as a hallmark of a pathogen . In contrast, opportunists do not have any means of transmission. The model organism Pseudallescheria boydii, a fungal opportunist, colonises man-made environments, such as polluted soil and ponds, industrial filters and sewage in high frequencies. This f ungus is one of the emerging, therapy-refractory agents of hospital infections. Opportunists are taking advantage of environmental conditions which are adverse for most other organisms, e.g. assimilation of toxic compounds, oligotrophism, or thermotoleran ce. When these conditions are provided in excess, e.g. in man-made habitats, up-scaled niches serve as stepping stones for adaptation, now in the direct vicinity of humans. As adaption and evolution towards increased virulence can take place in the host a s well as in the environment. P. boydii is prone to reach another level of virulence in the human host. This may be driven by changes in the environment or by the adaption to the human host. When the environment becomes more permissive, it allows for selec tion of the most vigorously reproducing genotypes and thus provides an enormous window of opportunity for the species which overrules the trade-offs for invasion. A new balance between environmental and invasive cycles is probable to lie on a higher level of virulence. In the proposed study we will evaluate computed models of the cost effectiveness of pathogen abilities in opportunistic fungi. Together with the description of population dynamics this will serve to establish tools for effective risk assessme nt and for better understanding of the evolution of fungal virulence. Competition experiments with the model organism P. boydii will be carried out, providing basic data for computer-aided modelling.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology mycobiomes
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP6-2002-MOBILITY-3
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
UTRECHT
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.