Glycans within human mucous inhibit the yeast Candida albicans from changing shapes from a short, round type (right) to a filamentous type (left), which is more most likely to result in infections.Julie TakagiThe average body has more than 100 genera of fungis in and on it. The tiny hitchhikers arent visible many of the time, however sometimes fungal populations fall out of balance and infection occurs. Candida albicans is a yeast found in numerous locations around the body. Most of the time, it exists as short, round shapes that are safe, but can morph into long filaments which are more infectious. In a study published Monday (June 6) in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers recommend that glycans, sugar particles discovered in mucus, naturally hinder the yeast and aid keep it constrained to its innocuous type. The scientists state that this discovery might result in brand-new therapeutics to deal with Candida infections.
