Shahzeb Khan8 months ago

Antifungal found at sea.

Fungal infections are a nightmare for people with suppressed or compromised immune systems. They can be people suffering from cancer, transplant patients, diabetes, or people suffering from AIDS. In pediatrics, they can affect premature babies. Candida auris is a fungus which causes candidiasis in humans and is common in health care setting often leading to outbreaks. The worst part of C. auris is that it has developed drug resistance with some strains being resistant to all available classes of antifungals. A research team lead by David Andes has discovered a compound in bacteria that live in squirts. This compound targets the Sec14p protein in fungi which no other antifungal targets so it can be used to treat even multi-resistant fungus infections. They are currently trying to develop a compound for clinical use and to test the toxicity of the drug for humans due to the similarities between fungus and human cells. References:- 1. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2260392-potent-new-antifungal-discovered-in-the-microbiome-of-marine-animals/ 2. Image credit:- KATERYNA KON / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY