Our research is focused on understand the interaction between the Trichoderma fungi and the mammalian immune system. How do some Trichoderma species cause disease, how can they modulate the immune system, and how can this modulation impact the development of the disease? To answer this question, we use in vitro randomized models.
We show that Trichoderma species modulates macrophages and neutrophils by targeting receptors involved in the phagocytosis process. These receptors include toll-like receptors and lectin receptors. When there is a decrease in phagocyte capacity of immune cells, susceptibility to pathogens, especially intracellular pathogens does increase.
Ongoing, have many invasion mechanism to survive in the host. This include avoiding phagocytosis and survive inside macrophage. Pathogenic species use macrophage as Trojan horses to survive in disseminating the host.
Here, we propose that to know if Trichoderma can survive inside macrophage, and for how long they survive.
