Indian study shows drug-resistant fungus turning more deadly, spreading globally

The drugresistant fungal species Candida auris is turning more deadly and is also spreading globally according to a study led by Indian researchersCandida auris is a multidrugresistant fungal pathogen that has a unique ability to grow and persist on human skinThe study by researchers from the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute University of Delhi in collaboration with the team at the National Institutes of Health in the US showed that invasive fungal infections are spreading across the globe and gaining in virulence affecting about 65 million people per yearThese infections are frequently associated with high mortality rates often exceeding 50 per cent even with antifungal therapyldquoC auris has developed wily cellular strategies to survive including morphogenesis in its ability to switch from yeast growth to filamentdriven spread as well as forming multicellular aggregates and also switching its phenotypic genetic expression in response to its changing environmentrdquo said the team in the paper published in the journal Microbiology and Molecular Biology ReviewsThe fungus is also extremely successful in colonising human skin with the molecular evidence showing so far that the proteins of the cell wall attach like a kind of glue to mammalian cells and even nonliving surfacesLongterm skin colonisation by C auris is a significant medical concern because colonised patients may facilitate inter and intrahospital transmission of C auris to other patientsFurthermore C auriscolonised patients are at risk of developing more serious systemic infections the team saidWhile the host develops mechanisms to battle C auris the science so far indicates the germ can develop proactive ways to evade the immune responseDiagnostics also remain a challenge since most conventional lab tests lead to misidentification as other related yeasts which delays and complicates treatmentBut awareness of the burden of this relatively new scourge is growing and research is now proliferating to catch up to clinical needsTaken together these data underscore the need to develop novel antifungal agents with broadspectrum activity against human fungal pathogens to improve diagnostic tests and to develop immune and vaccinebased adjunct modalities for the treatment of highrisk patients the researchers writeThe study also called for efforts to raise awareness about fungal disease through developing better surveillance mechanisms especially in resourcepoor countriesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever