UCD team sheds light on deadly fungus

29 May 2009 01:27 PM

A deadly fungus, called Candida parapsilosis, can change its genetic make-up in response to changes or threats in its environment in order to ensure its survival.

This finding has resulted from research by a UCD team, working with collaborators at the Welcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK; and Harvard and MIT in the USA.

The international team found genetic differences in disease-causing Candida, and this was reported recently in the leading science journall Nature.

This new finding might provide a way to tackle Candida parapsilosis, which is drug resistant.

This strain can form a film that coats the inside of medical devices, such as implants, catheters or feeding tubes. This can prove fatal to transplant patients or premature babies.

The only current treatment is to remove infected medical devices, catheters or implants from the patient's body.

The UCD research team on this project is led by Professor Geraldine Butler, who is based at the Conway Institute & School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science.