How a Fungus can Cripple your Immune System
February 8, 2019
Source: Science Daily: Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190208095614.htm
Summary:
In this article the scientists conduct a study about how the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is able to turn off an enzyme that is used by immune cells to communicate between each other. Healthy individuals are not very affected by the fungus, but it is dangerous to individuals who are immune difficient, such as individuals who suffer from AIDs.
Connection:
This does connect to when we were explaining what makes a microorganism. We discussed that fungi are covered under microorganisms, but we haven’t touched on fungus too much. This is a special adaptation specific to this type of microorganisms.
Critical Analysis:
I found this article very interesting in the fact that we often tell people that breathing in a certain fungus can “take years off your life’ and this fungus actually can. I learned to the extent that fungus can actually do this, I think people often assume that the air they breathe is healthy as long as it looks and smells pure, but this fungus has spores that can float through the air and be completely undetectable. I did not realize how potentially dangerous fungi can be, and it kind of opens your eyes to how vigilant people who have immune difficiencies have to be about their health.
Question:
How can we protect people who have immune defficiencies from these type of problems?
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