Yeast - Tumblr Posts

new-to-me #553 - Yeast

Bread - Mama D's Italian Bread This Italian bread recipe is just flour, yeast, sugar, salt and water, in perfect proportion, for a basic, tasty bread to share or freeze for later.

MakeAhead Soft Yeast Rolls

Gluten-Free Kale and Butternut Squash Gratin - Casseroles This gratin recipe layers kale, onion, and butternut squash with a ricotta cheese, arrowroot flour, and almond milk white sauce.

if i could go back in time i’d go back to a couple specific people, look em dead in the eyes and go “i lived bitch. and i loved.” *middle finger as i slowly disintegrate back into my own time*

Could you tell me about candida aureus and alternaria solani? My friend studies them and they look so interesting

Hiii, I am so sorry for reacting so late, I have just been really busy with exams and stuff. Anyway, here is the post about Candida Aureus. I will also post about Alternaria solani, but at another time because I am still occupied with my exams.

This post will focus more on the fungus itself, rather than the effect it has on humans.

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Candida aureus

Candida auris is a type of fungus that grows a yeast and can cause candidiases in humans. It is most often contracted in hospitals by patients with a reduced immunity.¹ The fungus can enter the blood causing fungemia (the presence of yeast or fungi in the blood) and cause serious infections.² These infections affect the bloodstream, central nervous system and the internal organs.¹

C. auris has attracted attention because of its drug resistance. It was discovered in 2009 and has seemed to spread globally in the past 15 years.

Identification and microscopic features

C. auris was first described and identified in 2009 after being found in the ear canal of a 70-year-old Japanese woman at the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital in Japan. It is a species of ascomycetous fungus of the genus Candida that grows as a yeast. It forms smooth, shiny, whitish-grey, viscous colonies on growth media.¹

Microscopically, cells are ellipsoid in shape.¹ The cells are approximately 2.5–5.0 micrometres in size and are arranged singly, in pairs or even in groups. C. auris does not form hyphae or pseudohyphae. Although, if it is grown under high-salt stress and depletion of heat-shock proteins, it can result in production of pseudohyphae like forms.³

Candida auris-fungus. Picture by Christopher Paul

Origins and emergence of the species

DNA analysis of four distinct but drug-resistant strains of Candida auris indicate an evolutionary divergence taking place at least 4,000 years ago. The common leap among the four strains into drug-resistance might be linked to to widespread azole-type antifungal use in agriculture. However, explanations for its emergence remain speculative.¹

Proposed scheme for the emergence of C. auris

Another possible explanation for its origins and spread is suggested to revolve around seawater. Molecular biologist Auke de Jong explains the correlation: ‘Because this fungus has a very high tolerance for salt, which is a substance many fungi cannot cope with. The sea could be a plausible route for the global spread of Candida auris; it may have been spread across the globe by the currents.’ ⁴

Vaccine development and treatment

As of June 2024 there is no human vaccine against Candida auris, however experiments involving the NDV-3A vaccine have successfully immunized mice against the fungus. This vaccine also improved the protective efficacy of the antifungal drug micafungin against C. auris infection in the mouse bloodstream.¹

Treatment can be complicated because of its multiple drug resistance and it easily being misidentified as various other Candida species.¹

Highly adaptable

Molecular biologist Auke de Jong also talks about how C. auris is a highly adaptable fungus. Besides its high tolerance for salt, it can also survive relatively high temperatures and commonly used disinfectants. The actions of mankind have accelerated the fungus’ adaptive capacity. Through the large-scale use of fungicides in agriculture, we have accelerated the adaptation process in this fungus. This contributes to the development of an fungus that is rapidly building an increasingly stronger resistance to the substances with which we fight it.⁴

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References

1.

en.wikipedia.org

Candida auris - Wikipedia

2.

3.

PubMed Central (PMC)

Candida auris: An emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat

4.

Universiteit van Amsterdam

Drug-resistant fungus is on the rise worldwide

The Candida auris fungus is spreading across the globe at an ‘alarming’ speed. This species of fungus, which can cause fatal infections in r

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