Contact details

Dr Matthew Fisher

Reader in Fungal Disease Epidemiology
School of Public Health

VC3
Norfolk Place
St Mary's Campus

Email: Email address for Dr Matthew Fisher

Dr Matthew Fisher

My research uses an evolutionary framework to investigate the biological and environmental factors that are driving emerging fungal diseases in both human, wildlife and plant species. Wildlife species play a key role in the emergence of human emerging infectious disease (EID) by providing a 'zoonotic pool' from which previously unknown pathogens emerge. Conversely, human action impacts on patterns of disease by perturbation of natural systems and the introduction of novel pathogens. Current projects focus on many human HIV-associated fungal pathogens, significantly Penicillium marneffei in southeast Asia and Cryptococcus neoformans worldwide. Recently, the emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in global amphibian populations has been recognised as a major driver of extinction. Our research group is focused on developing mechanistic, statistical and animal-based models to uncover the factors driving these EIDs. Major funders are the Wellcome Trust, NERC, BiodivERsA and the Leverhulme Trust.

SEASIA

I am the project leader of the BiodivERsA project RACE (Risk Assessment of Chytridiomycosis to European amphibian biodiversity). A Blog of our recent research on amphibian pandemic disease can be found at http://spatialepidemiology.blogspot.com/ and we have reviewed the field in Nature. A recent filmclip of our work on fungal (Penicillium) biodiversity can be found here.

Cover of Nature

Selected Publications

Journals

Henk DA; Shahar-Golan R; Devi KR; Boyce KJ; Zhan N; Fedorova ND; Nierman WC; Hsueh PR; et alYuen KY; Sieu TP; Kinh NV; Wertheim H; Baker SG; Day JN; Vanittanakom N; Bignell EM; Andrianopoulos A; Fisher MC. (2012). Clonality despite sex: the evolution of host-associated sexual neighborhoods in the pathogenic fungus Penicillium marneffei. PLoS Pathog. 8:e1002851. Author weblink DOI.
Fisher MC; Henk DA; Briggs C; Brownstein JS; Madoff L; McCraw SL; Gurr S. (2012). Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health. Nature. 484:186-194. Author weblink DOI.
Farrer RA; Weinert LA; Bielby J; Garner TW; Balloux F; Clare F; Bosch J; Cunningham AA; et alWeldon C; du Preez LH; Anderson L; Pond SL; Shahar-Golan R; Henk DA; Fisher MC. (15 Nov 2011). Multiple emergences of genetically diverse amphibian-infecting chytrids include a globalized hypervirulent recombinant lineage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 108:18732-18736. Author weblink DOI.
Henk DA; Eagle CE; Brown K; VAN DEN Berg MA; Dyer PS; Peterson SW; Fisher MC. (23 Sep 2011). Speciation despite globally overlapping distributions in Penicillium chrysogenum: the population genetics of Alexander Fleming's lucky fungus. Mol Ecol. Author weblink DOI.
Simwami SP; Khayhan K; Henk DA; Aanensen DM; Boekhout T; Hagen F; Brouwer AE; Harrison TS; et alDonnelly CA; Fisher MC. (Apr 2011). Low diversity Cryptococcus neoformans variety grubii multilocus sequence types from Thailand are consistent with an ancestral African origin. PLoS Pathog. 7:e1001343. Author weblink DOI Open Access copy.
Walker SF; Bosch J; Gomez V; Garner TW; Cunningham AA; Schmeller DS; Ninyerola M; Henk DA; et alGinestet C; Arthur CP; Fisher MC. (Mar 2010). Factors driving pathogenicity vs. prevalence of amphibian panzootic chytridiomycosis in Iberia. Ecol Lett. 13:372-382. Author weblink DOI.
James TY; Litvintseva AP; Vilgalys R; Morgan JAT; Taylor JW; Fisher MC; Berger L; Weldon C; et aldu Preez L; Longcore JE. (1 May 2009). Rapid Global Expansion of the Fungal Disease Chytridiomycosis into Declining and Healthy Amphibian Populations. PLOS PATHOGENS. 5. Author weblink DOI Open Access copy.
Fisher MC; Bosch J; Yin Z; Stead DA; Walker J; Selway L; Brown AJ; Walker LA; et alGow NA; Stajich JE; Garner TW. (Feb 2009). Proteomic and phenotypic profiling of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis shows that genotype is linked to virulence. Mol Ecol. 18:415-429. Author weblink DOI.
Fisher MC; Garner TW; Walker SF. (2009). Global emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and amphibian chytridiomycosis in space, time, and host. Annu Rev Microbiol. 63:291-310. Author weblink DOI.
Fisher MC. (11 Nov 2008). Molecular toolkit unlocks life cycle of the panzootic amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 105:17209-17210. Author weblink DOI.
Walker SF; Bosch J; James TY; Litvintseva AP; Oliver Valls JA; Pina S; Garcia G; Abadie Rosa G; et alCunningham AA; Hole S; Griffiths R; Fisher MC. (23 Sep 2008). Invasive pathogens threaten species recovery programs. CURRENT BIOLOGY. 18:R853-R854. Author weblink DOI.
Fisher MC; Hanage WP; de Hoog S; Johnson E; Smith MD; White NJ; Vanittanakom N. (1 Oct 2005). Low effective dispersal of asexual genotypes in heterogeneous landscapes by the endemic pathogen Penicillium marneffei. PLOS PATHOGENS. 1:159-165. Author weblink DOI Open Access copy.
Fisher MC; Rannala B; Chaturvedi V; Taylor JW. (25 Jun 2002). Disease surveillance in recombining pathogens: multilocus genotypes identify sources of human Coccidioides infections. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 99:9067-9071. Author weblink DOI.
Fisher MC; Koenig GL; White TJ; San-Blas G; Negroni R; Alvarez IG; Wanke B; Taylor JW. (10 Apr 2001). Biogeographic range expansion into South America by Coccidioides immitis mirrors New World patterns of human migration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 98:4558-4562. Author weblink DOI.