Mechanisms of Alternaria pathogenesis in animals and plants

Alternaria species are cosmopolitan fungi darkly pigmented by melanin that infect numerous plant species causing economically important agricultural spoilage of various food crops. Alternaria spp. also infect animals, being described as entomopathogenic fungi but also infecting warm-blooded animals, including humans. Their clinical importance in human health, as infection agents, lay in the growing number of immunocompromised patients. Moreover, Alternaria spp. are considered some of the most abundant and potent sources of airborne sensitizer allergens causing allergic respiratory diseases, as severe asthma. Among the numerous strategies deployed by Alternaria spp. to attack their hosts, the production of toxins, carrying critical concerns to public health as food contaminant, and the production of hydrolytic enzymes such as proteases, can be highlighted. Alternaria proteases also trigger allergic symptoms in individuals with fungal sensitization, acting as allergens and facilitating antigen access to the host subepithelium. Here, we review the current knowledge about the mechanisms of Alternaria pathogenesis in plants and animals, the strategies used by Alternaria to cope with the host defenses, and the involvement Alternaria allergens and mechanisms of sensitization.