Scientists of the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered a new species of Schmer that is able to push the legs of other species that may be dangerous to health; The scientists named the new species after Dr. Chaim Weizman
Humans and yeast have a complex relationship - they leaven our cakes and bread, ferment alcohol, are used in industry and research, but in some cases can cause life-threatening fungal infections. These infections are one of the main causes of death for immunocompromised patients hospitalized. Now it is possible that the solution to these infections will also come from yeasts: Weizmann Institute of Science scientists have discovered a yeast from a new species that seems to be able to push the legs of a yeast from another species that is the main cause of fungal infections in humans. The new findings are published today in the scientific journal Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Millions of species of microorganisms, including various species of yeast belonging to the kingdom of fungi, live in our bodies and on our skin; Most of them are not harmful to us, and some are beneficial and even necessary for our health. Also Candida albicans yeast (Candida albicans) are a common and familiar guest in the intestine or other mucous tissues of our body. For the most part, their presence is not harmful, but sometimes they may rear their head, thrive excessively and lead to the development of fungus, for example in the genitals or on the tongue. Under certain circumstances, candida may even penetrate the intestinal barrier, move into the bloodstream and internal organs and lead to a life-threatening multisystem infection. This emergency, known as invasive fungal infection or candidiasis, commonly occurs in clinics and hospitals, especially in immunocompromised patients, and mortality rates in these conditions are up to 25%.
Without intending to do so - what is sometimes called in the world of science an accidental discovery or serendipity - they noticed the group of Prof. Stephen Jung in the Department of Immunology and Biological Regeneration that some of their laboratory mice are immune to infection with Candida albicans species, and that these mice actually happily host another, unfamiliar species of yeast. "Since we knew that candida could cause life-threatening infections, we decided to deviate from the path and continue to investigate the matter," says Prof. Jung. "This unexpected research direction has proven itself."
According to the findings of the new study, conducted under the leadership of Dr. Yarmila Skrasova Karlova and Catalina Donic from Prof. Jung's group, the new yeast - a relative of leavening yeast - competes very successfully with Candida albicans yeast and significantly reduces their presence in the mouse intestine. In addition, it seems that this yeast does not pose a threat to its hosts, not even when it comes to mice with a weakened immune system; While Candida albicans can cross the gut barrier and spread to other organs in immunocompromised mice, exposure to the new yeast significantly delayed the onset of invasive fungal infections in these mice.
The researchers chose to call the new and promising Shimr Kazakhstania weizmannii Named after the first president of the State of Israel and founder of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, and it is quite possible that not only mice benefit from its virtues. Prof. Jung and his colleagues also identified this yeast in human intestinal samples, and preliminary tests show that they also had the upper hand: when this yeast was present in the sample, there was no corresponding presence of different Candida species.
"We showed that the ability of these yeasts to successfully compete with Candida albicans reduces the chance of immunocompromised mice developing an invasive fungal infection," says Prof. Jung. "This competition between the species may prove to be of great therapeutic value in humans as well, and it may be possible to harness it to prevent life-threatening fungal infections originating from Candida."
Sebastian Trezvansky and Dr. Siglit Bora-Halfon from Prof. Jung's laboratory in the Department of Immunology and Biological Regeneration participated in the study; Dr. Ilana Levitan, Dr. Liane Naronsky-Haziza, Prof. Eran Segal and Prof. Ravid Straussman from the Department of Molecular Biology of the Cell; Dr. David Zaevi from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences; Omer Asraf and Prof. Yitzhak Falal from the Department of Molecular Genetics; Dr. Barkat Desa, Dr. Shafra Ben Dor, Dr. Lena Fidel and Dr. Gil Yona from the Department of Life Science Research Infrastructures; Dr. Uri Brenner, Dr. Hagit Dafni and Dr. Noa Stettner from the Department of Veterinary Resources; Dr. Neta Schlesinger from the Hebrew University; Paul Matthias Jensen, Dr. Sascha Brunke and Prof. Bernhard Hobe from the Leibniz Institute for Natural Materials and Infection Biology - Hans Knoll Institute, Jena, Germany and Prof. Petra Bacher from the University of Kiel, Germany.
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