Pathogenicity &amp; virulence of <i>Histoplasma capsulatum</i> - A multifaceted organism adapted to intracellular environments.

Histoplasmosis is a systemic mycosis caused by the thermally dimorphic fungus <i>Histoplasma capsulatum</i>. Although healthy individuals can develop histoplasmosis, the disease is particularly life-threatening in immunocompromised patients, with a wide range of clinical manifestations depending on the inoculum and virulence of the infecting strain. In this review, we discuss the established virulence factors and pathogenesis traits that make <i>H. capsulatum</i> highly adapted to a wide variety of hosts, including mammals. Understanding and integrating these mechanisms is a key step toward devising new preventative and therapeutic interventions.