Renátó Kovács
@renatokovacs1.bsky.social
51 followers 98 following 1 posts
medical mycologist, clinical microbiologist, associate professor, biofilm fan
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Reposted by Renátó Kovács
lorenzlab.bsky.social
Very happy to have our preprint published in Microbiological Research now doi.org/10.1016/j.mi..., we had additional help from Steven during the revision to get this over the line @chitinette.bsky.social @theafg.bsky.social @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
erc.europa.eu
📣 ERC Synergy Grant 2026 call for proposals is now open!

Application deadline 5 November 2025.

📝 Groups of 2-4 researchers
📝 Jointly addressing ambitious problems & with different skills

Application portal 👉 europa.eu/!XpwptY
General info 👉 europa.eu/!PR6gt8

#ERCSyG #FrontierResearch
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
andy-borman.bsky.social
Our new paper in JEADV describing four cases of TMVII infection in the UK:

doi.org/10.1111/jdv....
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
ukhsa.bsky.social
🆕 Our latest data shows that bloodstream infections caused by yeast rose by 4% in 2024, compared to 2023.
These infections are typically acquired in a hospital setting from yeasts found naturally on patients' skin or in our intestinal tracts. 🦠🧍
📰🔗 www.gov.uk/government/n...
Bloodstream infections caused by yeast rose by 4% in 2024, compared to 2023 (C. auris) Professor Andy Borman, Head of the Mycology Reference Laboratory, UKHSA

Our surveillance shows that serious fungal infections are having an increasing impact on public health.

UKHSA is working with the NHS to explore the reasons behind the rise in serious yeast infections, but factors such as an increase in people who are immunocompromised and the number of people receiving complex surgeries may be playing a part.
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
salmantongarcia.bsky.social
🦠 Fungi Under Fire in Peru 🇵🇪

🧪 Microscopy? Widespread.
💊 Antifungals? Some gaps.
🧬 Advanced tools? Still growing.
💡 A call for smarter investment in fungal care → journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

@jmaquera2 @olivercornely.bsky.social
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
germhuntermd.bsky.social
Antifungal therapy in Candida infective endocarditis: a comparison of echinocandins & other treatment regimens in a nation-wide cohort study

In this 🇸🇪 registry study, no dif in in-🏥 mort, relapse rate, or 1-yr mort in pts w/ echinocandin-based Rx vs other regimens

academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Graphical abstract
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
martinhoenigl.bsky.social
Antifungal pipeline: New tools for the treatment of mycoses.
Focus on LMICs where many dont have access to current antifungals.

Updated maps on fungal availability in LMICS.

Thanks to a fantastic group of authors

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Antifungal pipeline: New tools for the treatment of mycoses
Fungal infections are becoming an escalating public health challenge, particularly among immunocompromised individuals. The partially limited efficacy…
www.sciencedirect.com
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social
New publication from our previous @cemist.bsky.social project by Rune Overlund Stannius that he also worked on during his external stay at #InstituteBiologyLeiden

Plipastatin is a shared good by Bacillus subtilis during combating Fusarium spp

academic.oup.com/femsec/advan...
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
femsjournals.bsky.social
Check out the latest article from Kintner et al. 👇🏻 Insights into #polymicrobial #interactions in the female genital tract 🔬Role of β-glucans from #Candida in #Chlamydia infections. ⏩ https://buff.ly/3EWqdga

#PathogDis #vaginal #microbiome
Reposted by Renátó Kovács
germhuntermd.bsky.social
Invasive fungal infections in patients with liver disease: immunological and clinical considerations for the intensive care unit

Epelbaum, Gallo de Moraes, Olson, & Lionakis

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

#IDSky #HepSky #MedMycoSky
Diagram of the normal innate and cellular adaptive immune responses to fungal organisms highlighting the central role of macrophages and dendritic cells (DC). Should fungi succeed in breaching the host’s external barriers, the first immune cells they encounter as part of the innate response are the professional phagocytes residing in tissues: macrophages and DCs. Macrophages are responsible for both phagocytosis and, through signaling based on molecular recognition as detailed in the figure, for elaborating pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-1β, which attract blood-borne effector cells (neutrophils and monocytes) to the site of invasion. Likewise, DCs contribute to the innate immune response not only through phagocytosis but also by stimulating natural killer cells, which, once activated, release cytotoxins for direct pathogen elimination. The other critical function of DCs is their migration to surrounding lymph nodes, where they promote the diffe The liver is a vital cog in human immune defenses against infection, both locally and systemically. The main immune function of the liver is antimicrobial surveillance of splanchnic blood returning from the portal circulation and flowing through liver sinusoids into hepatic venules. Kupffer cells (KC) are macrophage derivatives that reside within hepatic sinusoids where they serve as the primary phagocytes and are also very important antigen presenting cells (APCs). KCs as well as dendritic cells (DC), the other prominent APCs residing in the liver, are major producers of both pro- (e.g., TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-10) and are thus instrumental in calibrating the liver’s immune response. Unlike KCs, DCs are not confined to the lumen of hepatic sinusoids, so they are can  traverse the Space of Disse and migrate to locoregional lymph nodes, where they initiate an adaptive immune response by priming naïve CD4 + lymphocytes. In the hepatic sinusoids, KCs and DCs interact with a variety of intrahepatic lymphocytes, most numerous among them being natural killer (NK) cells. Even structural cells in the liver, ie hepatocytes and sinusoidal endothelial cells, play a number of immunological roles, including elaboration of cytokines, release of soluble pattern recognition receptors, and phagocytosis. The major liver-resident cells with immune functions are depicted in the top left section of the diagram. Aside from disrupting local antimicrobial defenses, liver cirrhosis also negatively impacts the systemic immune response. Despite an overall hyperinflammatory systemic milieu, specific circulating immune cells are rendered dysfunctional in liver failure as part of a phenomenon called immune cell paralysis. Neutrophils become less effective with respect to chemotaxis and phagocytosis. The oxidative burst critical for effective pathogen elimination by monocytes is impaired, and both a quantitative & qualitative defect in T cell lymphocyte immunity develops