Fungal Infection News and Research

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Weak immune status, and not HIV infection affects cavity prevalence in children

Recent studies indicate HIV infection heightens the risk of dental cavities - but a Rutgers researcher has found evidence that the risk of cavities comes not from HIV itself but from a weakened immune system, which could be caused by other diseases.

16 Jul 2020

Immune modulation can cure severe and often fatal fungal infection in children

In the June 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of UCLA physicians and scientists describes the first case of immune modulation being used to cure a severe and often fatal fungal infection.

11 Jun 2020

IL-6 blocker use in severe COVID-19 increases risk of secondary infections

With many hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is a rush to find an effective vaccine or drug against the virus. A new study on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 shows that the use of some biologically plausible drugs may be counterproductive, and care should be taken when trying out unproven therapies.

22 May 2020

Study sheds new light on the immune system’s ability to deal with co-infection

The body’s immune response to fungal infections changes when a patient is also infected by a virus, according to new research which investigated the two types of infection together for the first time.

26 Feb 2020

UAB nurse practitioner reveals how to stay fit while avoiding the dirtiest places at the gym

During the colder months, many exercise routines transition indoors, especially in gyms. However, the gym may be one of the dirtiest places you walk into.

2 Jan 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism to resist fungal infection in cells

Indiana University researchers have identified a mechanism involving the body's ability to resist fungal infection. The work could help advance research on cancer therapies that use the body's own immune system to fight disease.

18 Nov 2019

Brazilian plant extract fights Candidiasis

There are many fungi that live in the body that make up the normal body microbial flora. One type, Candida, a type of yeast, normally thrives in small amounts in areas such as the skin, abdomen, and mouth, without causing any problem. But, when the body’s environment is altered, the yeast can uncontrollably proliferate and cause disease.

17 Sep 2019

Range of Valley fever expected to increase substantially, say UCI scientists

Valley fever is endemic to hot and dry regions such as the southwestern United States and California's San Joaquin Valley, but scientists at the University of California, Irvine predict that climate change will cause the fungal infection's range to more than double in size this century, reaching previously unaffected areas across the western U.S.

17 Sep 2019

Climate change likely to accelerate spread of valley fever

Valley fever is endemic to hot and dry regions like the southwestern United States and California's San Joaquin Valley, but a new study predicts climate change will cause the fungal infection's range to more than double in size this century, reaching previously unaffected areas across the western U.S.

16 Sep 2019

ATS publishes clinical guideline on laboratory diagnosis of fungal infections

The American Thoracic Society has published an official clinical guideline on laboratory diagnosis of fungal infections in pulmonary and critical care medicine in the Society's Aug. 30 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

30 Aug 2019

Antibody may help the immune system fight sepsis-related fungal infections

An antibody that blocks the "programmed cell death" pathway may help the immune system fight off sepsis-related fungal infections, according to animal studies reported in SHOCK: Injury, Inflammation, and Sepsis: Laboratory and Clinical Approaches, Official Journal of the Shock Society.

12 Aug 2019

BIDMC podiatric surgeon shares simple tips for keeping the feet healthy

It's no surprise that healthy feet are important for feeling good and staying active. With 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments, the foot is one of the most complex parts of the skeletal system.

6 Aug 2019

Fungal infection study identifies specific genetic vulnerability among Hmong people

Ten years ago, in Marathon County, Wisconsin, 55 people were sickened by an uncommon fungal infection called blastomycosis. Thirty patients were hospitalized. Two people died.

16 Jul 2019

Starving the fungus could help fight drug-resistant fungal infections

How do you fight a fungal infection that is becoming increasingly resistant to medicine? By starving it, found a team of University at Buffalo and Temple University researchers.

26 May 2019

Bronchiectasis patients often display high sensitivity to airborne allergens

An international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found that patients with the lung disease bronchiectasis also often display sensitivity to airborne allergens, and has highlighted the particular role that fungi appear to play.

4 Apr 2019

Bacteria-killing glass offers hope to combat deadliest hospital infections

Scientists at Aston University have discovered a technique similar to medieval stained glass-making that can completely eradicate the deadliest hospital infections within hours.

5 Mar 2019

When genomic sequencing fails to diagnose a rare disease

Routine sequencing has given unprecedented insight into the genetics of rare diseases, but genomics fails to diagnose up to half of patients who are tested. That's the problem German scientists tackled in a recent study in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

11 Feb 2019

Researchers find how Aspergillus fumigatus knocks out immune defenses

Research team from the University of Jena clarifies the mechanism of gliotoxin, a mycotoxin from the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. The researchers present their findings in the current issue of the specialist journal Cell Chemical Biology

11 Feb 2019

Researchers develop mouse model to study consequences of fungal infection in the brain

Fungal infections are emerging as a major medical challenge, and a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has developed a mouse model to study the short-term consequences of fungal infection in the brain.

4 Jan 2019

Cloned antibodies show potential to treat, diagnose life-threatening fungal infections

Despite public health efforts, many people who get fungal infections in their blood streams die, even if they can be identified and treated with antifungal drugs. These therapies are often ineffective on their own and increasingly the infections are becoming resistant to treatment with some of the front line antifungal drugs.

11 Dec 2018