Nutritional Immunity and Fungal Pathogens: A New Role for Manganese

Copper, zinc, iron, and manganese are essential micronutrients for all living organisms. Microbial pathogens must acquire these elements from their host. Through a process termed nutritional immunity, animal hosts seek to withhold these vital nutrients from the microbe and the competition for metals can influence survival outcomes during infection. Much is known about the battle for iron, copper, and zinc during fungal infections, but a picture is just now beginning to emerge for manganese.

Pathogenic fungi utilize manganese for antioxidant defense, cell wall construction, morphogenesis, and survival in animal and plant hosts. The animal host can limit manganese availability for invading fungi at the macrophage, neutrophil, and whole tissue levels.

Here, we review the role of manganese as an essential nutrient for pathogenic fungi and the ways an animal host can withhold this vital metal from infectious fungi of clinical and agricultural importance.