Nat Commun: New Study Helps Prevent Liver Fungal Infections

"Under a live microscope, we can see directly how KCs capture fungi in real time," Shi said"It's a protective mechanism that works once a fungus invades or enters the bloodstreamOur findings suggest a treatment strategy for the prevention of fungal infections, which can be used to treat or prevent multiple types of fungal infections because the mechanisms are similar in most fungal infections1.2 billion people worldwide are infected with fungi each yearIn his current paper, Professor Shi specializes in two fungi: new cryptococcal bacteria and white candidaIf these two fungi are transmitted to the target organ (hidden bacteria to the brain, candida to the kidneys), it can have fatal consequences"Hidden bacteria and candida are actually everywhere," Shi said"People with healthy immune systems are usually effectively controlled after infection with fungi, but once the fungus enters the bloodstream, any fungus can enter the target organ and cause death." This is especially severe for people with impaired immunityresearchers tend to study the target organs of fungal infections, such as the brain or kidneysAnd the liver is not being taken seriouslyBut our study shows the important role of the liver in removing fungal infections"The findings of this mechanism are not only beneficial to people with liver disease, but also important for the treatment of fungal infectionssource: New mechanism in the liver helps prevent fungal infectionsoriginal origin: Donglei Sun, Peng Sun, Hongmei Li, Mingshun Zhang, Gongguan Liu, Ashley BStrickland, Yanli Chen, Yong Fu, Juan Xu, Mohammed Yosri, Yuchen Nan, Zhang, Xi, Xi Fungal sblon is limited by liver macrophage sblin of the bloodNature Communications, 2019; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12381-5