About
Matthew Fisher’s research has shown that fungal pathogens are rapidly increasing in their impact worldwide owing to unique epidemiological features that allow them to behave as “Perfect Pathogens” that can drive entire species to extinction and emerge as novel human pathogens.
Fisher’s approach melds genomic epidemiology, modelling, macroecological analysis and experimentation to understand the biology underpinning the global emergence of fungal disease. His research group used genomics to determine the origins of the most aggressive pathogen known to date – the “doomsday fungus” Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis – and has ignited widespread interest in the worldwide emergence of antifungal resistance.
Awards
- Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London - 2013 – present
- Berkeley Award, British Mycological Society, 2006
- Wellcome Trust Biodiversity Fellow 2001-2004
Relevant Publications
Fisher MC, Hawkins NJ, Sanglard D, Gurr S. Worldwide emergence of resistance to antifungal drugs challenges human health and food security (2018) Science doi.org/10.1126/science.aap7999
O’Hanlon SJ, Rieux A, Rhys A. Farrer, Gonçalo M. Rosa, Bruce Waldman, Arnaud Bataille, Tiffany A. Kosch, Kris Murray, Balázs Brankovics, Matteo Fumagalli, Michael D. Martin, Nathan Wales, Mario Alvarado-Rybak, Kieran A. Bates, Lee Berger, Susanne Böll, Lola Brookes, Frances Clare, Elodie A. Courtois, Andrew A. Cunningham, Thomas M. Doherty-Bone, Pria Ghosh, David J. Gower, William E. Hintz, Jacob Höglund, Thomas S. Jenkinson, Chun-Fu Lin, Anssi Laurila, Adeline Loyau, An Martel, Sara Meurling, Claude Miaud, Pete Minting, Frank Pasmans, Dirk Schmeller, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Jennifer M. G. Shelton, Lee F. Skerratt, Freya Smith, Claudio Soto-Azat, Matteo Spagnoletti, Giulia Tessa, Luís Felipe Toledo, Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, Ruhan Verster, Judit Vörös, Rebecca J. Webb, Claudia Wierzbicki, Emma Wombwell, Kelly R. Zamudio, David M. Aanensen, Timothy Y. James, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Ché Weldon, Jaime Bosch, François Balloux, Trenton W. J. Garner, Fisher MC. Recent Asian origin of chytrid fungi causing global amphibian declines (2018) Science doi.org/10.1126/science.aar1965
Fisher MC. (2017) In peril from a perfect pathogen Nature 544, 300–301 doi:10.1038/544300a
Farrer RA, Martel A, Verbrugghe E, Abouelleil A, Ducatelle R, Longcore JE, James TE, Pasmans F*, Fisher MC*, Cuomo CA* (joint senior authors) (2017) Genomic innovations linked to infection strategies across emerging pathogenic chytrid fungi. Nature Communications doi:10.1038/ncomms14742
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 doi:10.1038/nature10947 PMCID: PMC83821985