Iron acquisition mechanisms of human skin-associated fungi.

Fungi associated with human skin, including Malassezia, Candida albicans, and Candida auris, rely on diverse, yet incompletely understood, iron acquisition strategies in a nutritionally restrictive environment.

• Why it matters: Understanding these mechanisms is crucial because skin fungi must compete for limited, host-sequestered iron sources, influencing their roles as commensals or pathogens and their resistance to antifungal treatments.
• What they did: The review summarizes current knowledge on iron uptake systems in skin-associated fungi, focusing on mechanisms like reductive iron uptake, heme and ferritin utilization, and siderophore-mediated scavenging across five fungal taxa.
• The result: Findings highlight significant gaps in mechanistic understanding, especially for Malassezia and C. auris, and suggest that elucidating these pathways may reveal insights into fungal adaptation, pathogenicity, and resistance in the skin environment.