Scientists Unlock Secrets of Protein Produced by Disease-Causing Fungus
A team that includes scientists from the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Johns Hopkins University and St. Mary's University reported the structure of a protein that helps a common fungus to infect the body.
The fungal pathogen Candida albicans causes yeast infections, diaper rashes and oral thrush, and is the most common fungal pathogen to infect humans. It can also cause a life-threatening infection of the blood called disseminated candidiasis.
"In this study, we determined the three-dimensional structure of a never-before-seen cell wall protein called SOD5 that the organism uses as a defense against the human immune system," says P. John Hart, PhD, the Ewing Halsell-President's Council Distinguished Professor of biochemistry at the UT Health Science Center and Research Scientist in the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.
"SOD5 is a copper-only protein that exhibits significant structural differences from copper/zinc superoxide dismutases (SODs)," Hart says. "Because SOD5 molecules are widespread throughout fungi, including C. albicans, but are not found in humans, the structural differences can be exploited to develop compounds that specifically target SOD5 to treat a number of widespread fungal infections."
Current conventional antifungal treatments such as fluconazole can be toxic to the liver in certain individuals, he notes.
"SOD5 is an unprecedented, very powerful antioxidant protein that enables C. albicans to ward off free radicals of the host immune response," said study senior author Valeria Culotta, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can cause oxidative damage.
The finding was published April 7 online ahead of print by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.
