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How ‘Friendly Fungi’ Help Fight Off Infections

After recently publishing an eyebrow-raising study in Cell Reports about a symbiotic relationship between commensal fungi and the immune system of the intestine, a team of Cincinnati Children’s scientists led by Sing Sing Way, MD, PhD, has provided more perspective on the discovery in the journal Trends in Immunology.

“In this Opinion, we propose that resistance to fungal infection among the majority of colonized individuals reflects, at least in part, colonization-induced activation of protective immune responses. Reciprocally, transplantation, cancer, and other immune-compromising conditions that override these colonization-induced benefits allow C. albicans to transition from beneficial commensal to invasive pathogen.”

Publication Information
Original title: Friendly fungi: symbiosis with commensal Candida albicans
Published in: Trends in Immunology
Publish date: Aug. 9, 2022
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