Scientists find new way to disarm deadly fungus
A molecule produced by bacteria could help scientists tackle dangerous fungal infections by disarming the fungus rather than simply killing it, researchers from Monash University and the University of Warwick have found, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The study, published in Nature Microbiology, examined gladiolin, a bacterial antibiotic whose effects against fungal infections had previously been poorly understood.
The researchers found that gladiolin can cause Candida albicans to switch from its aggressive, thread-like form, known as hyphae, back to its round yeast form. The hyphae allow the fungus to invade and damage human tissue and contribute to the formation of drug-resistant biofilms.
Instead of directly killing the fungus, gladiolin appears to interfere with its behavior. According to the researchers, the molecule changes how Candida albicans uses glucose, causing it to consume the available sugar more quickly. Because glucose is important for the fungus to grow in its invasive form, this pushes it back into the less harmful yeast state.
"This gives us a different way to think about controlling fungal infections, not just by killing the fungus, but by disarming it," said Professor Ana Traven of the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, the study's lead author.
The research also found that gladiolin can significantly increase the effectiveness of amphotericin B, an important antifungal medicine. The researchers said the combination could potentially help existing drugs work against difficult infections, including drug-resistant fungal growth on medical devices, while allowing lower doses of some antifungal medicines to be used.
Candida albicans normally lives harmlessly in the human body, but it can cause life-threatening infections in critically ill or immunocompromised people, particularly when it grows on devices such as catheters.
Fungal infections kill an estimated two million people worldwide each year, according to Professor Traven. Treatment options remain limited, with some available antifungal medicines being highly toxic, while there are currently no vaccines for fungal infections.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Indian scientists developed a ‘smart’ cancer drug designed to target tumor cells.