A yeast fungus by the name of Candida parapsilosis has been on an outbreak in Berlin, Germany. The fungus can colonize the skin and digestive tract of humans. This is typically harmless but it can cause severe wound and tissue infections like life threatening septicemia in immunocompromised individuals. The fungus is typically treated with antifungal agents but new strains are appearing which are resistant to these typical drugs and it is becoming more difficult to treat. Dr. Amelia Barber from Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Dr. Grit Walther from the National Reference Centre for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZMyk) are investigating the outbreak of the drug resistant fungus. The team discovered the genetic relationships and transmission dynamics of the C. parapsilosis strains and developed a new identification (typing) strategy for it called Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST).
MLST sequences multiple short DNA regions to genetically
distinguish the different strains of the C. parapsilosis. It is a cheap and
faster alternative to whole genome sequencing which normally takes a long time
and makes it difficult to follow the outbreak. The new method differentiates
and tracks the fungi strains in order to react quickly to new outbreaks and
effectively subdue the, more often than not, drug resistant strains.
While I’m not affected by the fungi itself, this new method
of short DNA sequencing can be important for other outbreaks that may arise
which affect my livelihood. Bacteria and fungi are becoming increasingly
resistant to our modern cures, and it makes it hard to track the outbreak. An
example is our covid outbreak in which new strains would arise frequently. It
was hard to follow and distinguish these new strains but this method could be
useful for doing just that if another pandemic arises again.
Links:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-molecular-method-tracks-outbreak-drug.html
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25154-candida-parapsilosis
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