Virulence Factors in Emerging and Pathogenic Protists

Climate change is raising surface temperatures of natural waters, increasing concern about pathogenic species in aquatic environments that can infect humans and other organisms. Among this group are pathogenic protists for which the mechanisms underlying their degree of pathogenicity in relation to environmental conditions are still unknown. It is important to know that some proteins from these organisms not only contribute to their adaptation to the environment but also play a very important role in virulence by promoting adhesion, invasion, and persistence within hosts. Many emerging protists are amphizoic able to live freely in the environment yet also behave as adapted parasites and some display broad host ranges.Virulence factors are considered products that facilitate infection, colonization, invasion of different tissues and even evasion of the immune system; their study is of significant interest because identification and/or manipulation of some of these microbial factors could be used to develop therapeutic and/or prophylactic strategies against pathogenesis caused by pathogenic protists.The objectives of this Research Topic include, but are not limited to, the following research areas: • Assessing the role of protists virulence factors in different contexts such as adhesion, invasion, and modulation of the immune response used by these emerging protists.• Virulence factors in the adaptation of these microorganisms to their environments (climate change) and virulent capacity.• Signaling pathways used for the expression of these virulence factors under different conditions.• Symbiotic relationships that contribute to the acquisition of these factors. Topic editors: María Maricela Carrasco Yépez, Saul Rojas-Hernandez Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80691/virulence-factors-in-emerging-and-pathogenic-protists