Bioluminescent fungi for real-time monitoring of fungal infections

Novel luciferase reporters have been developed that allow real-time monitoring of infections by the fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Although these reporters still suffer limitations in the context of invasive infections, they provide unprecedented tools to monitor superficial infections and the efficacy of antifungal drugs or vaccines. In particular, the sensitivity and ease of detection of the cell-surface Gaussia princeps luciferase developed for C. albicans should make it a powerful tool for functional genomics studies in this and other pathogenic fungi.