Silva, R.C. et al./Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
Microscopic images of the fungus Candida albicans: enolase enzyme (red) facilitates adhesion to the intestineSilva, R.C. et al./Frontiers in Cellular and Infection MicrobiologyA study by Brazilian researchers has identified an important mechanism that allows the fungus Candida albicans, present in 80% of the human population without causing major health problems, to adhere to the intestine. It is through this organ that the microorganism enters the bloodstream, where it becomes an aggressive agent and causes candidemia, a type of infection with a 50% mortality rate, even in patients treated with antifungal drugs. A team from the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), the Butantan Institute and the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) discovered that C. albicans expels an enzyme called enolase from its cells. This enzyme is present in the biofilms produced by the fungus and is essential for its adhesion to the intestinal epithelium (Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, June 2, 2014). The fungus needs enolase in order to produce energy. “The discovery will allow us to develop new treatments for candidemia,” says biologist Marcelo Briones, UNIFESP, the first author of the article. “We can use enolase as a target for various compounds that will inhibit adhesion of the fungus and block its infectivity.”
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