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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Health & Science

US study reveals mechanism enabling deadly fungus to persist on skin

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A new U.S. study reveals a mechanism by which the fungus Candida auris evades the skin's immune defenses, making it difficult to clear.
  • C. auris can hide in hair follicles and alter its cell wall to expose chitin, which suppresses the skin's antifungal responses.
  • This fungal persistence on the skin increases the risk of invasive infections, particularly in healthcare settings.

A recent U.S. study has uncovered a specific mechanism that allows the fungus Candida auris to persist on human skin, posing a significant threat in healthcare environments. This opportunistic pathogen, which can cause life-threatening infections when it enters the bloodstream, is responsible for approximately 3,000 patient deaths annually in U.S. hospitals and long-term care facilities.

The research, published in the journal Science, compared C. auris with the more common skin fungus Candida albicans in mouse models. While C. albicans is typically cleared quickly by the immune system, C. auris demonstrated a remarkable ability to evade elimination. The study found that C. auris retreats into hair follicles, effectively hiding from immune responses.

The research team stated that chitin is very common in nature, so human skin is not entirely unexposed to it, but Candida auris actively uses its own chitin to turn the skin into a perfect 'nest'.

— Study researchersResearchers explained how Candida auris utilizes chitin to establish a persistent presence on the skin.

Furthermore, C. auris actively manipulates its outer cell wall to expose more chitin. This exposure triggers a specific immune response in the skin that produces interferon gamma. Interferon gamma, in turn, suppresses crucial antifungal defense mechanisms, including those mediated by IL-17, which are normally responsible for clearing fungal infections and promoting skin renewal.

Researchers explained that while chitin is a common molecule, C. auris strategically utilizes its own chitin to create a favorable environment within the skin's hair follicles. This enhanced ability to colonize the skin makes C. auris more dangerous, especially for individuals with weakened immune systems, as it can more easily invade deeper tissues. The study suggests potential strategies to combat this persistence, such as redirecting the immune response or blocking the chitin exposure on the fungus's cell wall.

For most people, Candida auris staying on the skin does not cause any problems; it only becomes dangerous when it enters the body's deep tissues.

— Study researchersResearchers clarified the conditions under which Candida auris poses a health risk.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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