Cryptococcus is the fungus that causes meningitis and it is hard to treat. This is due to the fungus being genetically similar to people. This means that any drug administered is as likely to affect human cells as fungal ones, meaning that the risk of toxic side effects is high.
The fungus is found in soil and the disease is most commonly contracted through the inhalation of fungal spores. The biggest risk is with people who have weak or compromised immune systems (the fungus is an opportunistic pathogen with people who have HIV, as an example. Here Patients who have AIDS and cryptococcal meningitis account for more than 80 percent of patients with cryptococcosis.) The primary infection is meningitis, an infection of the meninges, the tissue covering the brain.
To overcome the risk of toxicity, scientists have identified 18 candidate proteins that affect how the fungus produces spores and how the spores germinate. The proteins were screened for using high-precision spectrophotometry. It is hoped that the information can be used to combat the spread of the disease in an infected person by blocking the germination of spores.
Spores are a mechanism by which a fungus spreads and reproduces. Most spores are hardy and able to tolerate more extreme environmental conditions than vegetative forms.
When spores enter the blood stream they spread and germinate. The idea behind the project is to find ways to block proteins and to prevent the infection from spreading through the administration of a medication. The process of screening for candidate drugs is underway.
The research was performed at University of Wisconsin-Madison and the findings are published in the journal PLOS Genetics. The research paper is titled “Protein Composition of Infectious Spores Reveals Novel Sexual Development and Germination Factors in Cryptococcus.”
