Which of these is both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and boosts our immunity too ?

• Article • 22 November 2021 Mycobiota-induced IgA antibodies regulate fungal commensalism in the gut and are dysregulated in Crohn’s disease • • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4788-8794 • • • • • • • • • • • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3537-1245 • … • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0884-9749 Show authors Nature Microbiology volume 6, pages 1493–1504 ( 2021) Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) plays an important role in gut barrier protection by shaping the resident microbiota community, restricting the growth of bacterial pathogens and enhancing host protective immunity via immunological exclusion. Here, we found that a portion of the microbiota-driven sIgA response is induced by and directed towards intestinal fungi. Analysis of the human gut mycobiota bound by sIgA revealed a preference for hyphae, a fungal morphotype associated with virulence. Candida albicans was a potent inducer of IgA class-switch recombination among plasma cells, via an interaction dependent on intestinal phagocytes and hyphal programming. Characterization of sIgA affinity and polyreactivity showed that hyphae-associated virulence factors were bound by these antibodies and that sIgA influenced C. albicans morphotypes in the murine gut. Furthermore, an increase in granular hyphal morphologies in patients with Crohn’s disease compared with healthy controls correlated with a decrease in antifungal sIgA antibody titre with affinity to two hyphae-associated virulence factors. Thus, in addition to its importance in...

×Top Health Categories • Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 • Gastrointestinal Health • Artificial Intelligence • Heart Disease • Mpox • High Blood Pressure • Allergies • Lung Cancer • Alzheimer's & Dementia • Mental Health • Arthritis & Rheumatology • Pregnancy • Breast Cancer • Type 1 Diabetes • Cold, Flu & Cough • Type 2 Diabetes • Diet & Nutrition • Sexual Health • Eating Disorders • Sleep • Eye Health • By Sally Robertson, B.Sc. May 10 2021 Researchers in The Netherlands and Germany have warned that Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine induces complex reprogramming of innate immune responses that should be considered in the development and use of mRNA-based vaccines. Jorge Domínguez-Andrés and colleagues say that while the vaccine has been shown to be up to 95% effective in preventing infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and subsequent COVID-19, little is known about the broad effects the vaccine may have on the innate and adaptive immune responses. In the current study ( ), the research team from Radboud University Medical Center and Erasmus MC in the Netherlands, and the Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Hannover Medical School (MHH), and the University of Bonn, in Germany, confirmed Study: *Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated ...

• Article • • 22 May 2020 Intestinal fungi are causally implicated in microbiome assembly and immune development in mice • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5005-2835 • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7108-9562 • • • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4342-1839 • • • • • • • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9942-4775 • • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3900-9227 • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9560-1711 • … • ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4490-3370 Show authors Nature Communications volume 11, Article number: 2577 ( 2020) The gut microbiome consists of a multi-kingdom microbial community. Whilst the role of bacteria as causal contributors governing host physiological development is well established, the role of fungi remains to be determined. Here, we use germ-free mice colonized with defined species of bacteria, fungi, or both to differentiate the causal role of fungi on microbiome assembly, immune development, susceptibility to colitis, and airway inflammation. Fungal colonization promotes major shifts in bacterial microbiome ecology, and has an independent effect on innate and adaptive immune development in young mice. While exclusive fungal colonization is insufficient to elicit overt dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis, bacterial and fungal co-colonization increase colonic inflammation. Ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation reveals that bacterial, but not fungal colonization is necessary to decrease airway inflammation, yet fungi selectively promotes macrophage infiltration in the airway. Together, ou...

There are many types of antifungal drugs, some of which people can get over-the-counter and some of which doctors prescribe. Anyone who has a weakened immune system who thinks they may have a fungal infection should contact a doctor immediately. Molds, yeasts, and mushrooms are all types of fungi. Of the Fungi can cause a variety of conditions. Most of them affect the nails or skin, causing rashes or other skin conditions, but some can cause more serious infections. Fungi can cause This article will explore the different types of fungal infections, when to see a doctor, and which antifungal drugs are available to treat fungal infections. Antifungal medications Parts of the cell that the antifungal drugs target include the fungal cell membrane and the fungal cell wall. These are both protective parts of the cell that can cause the cell to leak and die when damaged. Human bodies do not have these structures, meaning antifungal drugs can target the fungi without harming the body’s cells. Antifungal drugs come in many forms depending on many factors. Specific drugs come in different forms. The type of infection a person has will impact how they receive the drugs. There are four main types of antifungal drugs. These are: • polyenes • azoles • allylamines • echinocandins Polyenes These work by altering the wall of the fungal cells to be more porous, thus making them more likely to burst. Examples of polyenes and the fungal conditions they treat include: • Nystatin: A topical and...

Term Meaning Pathogen A disease-causing organism, including bacteria, Antigen Molecule that stimulates an immune response Innate immune system Non-specific immune system Adaptive immune system Antigen-specific immune system Antibody Specialized Y-shaped protein that tags antigens for destruction B cells White blood cells that produce antibodies and aid in immunological memory T cells White blood cells specialized to assist B cells (helper T) and others directly kills infected cells (killer T) Humoral immunity Adaptive immune defense depending on the action of antibodies Cell-mediated Immunity Adaptive immune defense in which foreign cells are destroyed by T cells Virus Nonliving particle containing protein and DNA/RNA that can infect a living cell Vaccine A killed or weakened form of a pathogen that produces immunity when injected into the body An inflammatory response begins when a pathogen stimulates an increase in blood flow to the infected area. Blood vessels in that area expand, and white blood cells leak from the vessels to invade the infected tissue. These white blood cells, called phagocytes engulf and destroy bacteria. The area often becomes red, swollen, and painful during an inflammatory response. Specific immune responses are triggered by antigens. Antigens are usually found on the surface of pathogens and are unique to that particular pathogen. The immune system responds to antigens by producing cells that directly attack the pathogen, or by producing special ...

Babita Rana 1, Malini Bhattacharyya 2, Babita Patni 2, Mamta Arya 1 and Gopal K. Joshi 1 * • 1Department of Biotechnology, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar, India • 2High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Centre, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar, India Colors are added to food items to make them more attractive and appealing. Food colorants therefore, have an impressive market due to the requirements of food industries. A variety of synthetic coloring agents approved as food additives are available and being used in different types of food prepared or manufactured worldwide. However, there is a growing concern that the use of synthetic colors may exert a negative impact on human health and environment in the long run. The natural pigments obtained from animals, plants, and microorganisms are a promising alternative to synthetic food colorants. Compared to animal and plant sources, microorganisms offer many advantages such as no seasonal impact on the quality and quantity of the pigment, ease of handling and genetic manipulation, amenability to large scale production with little or no impact on biodiversity etc. Among the microorganisms algae, fungi and bacteria are being used to produce pigments as food colorants. This review describes the types of microbial food pigments in use, their benefits, production strategies, and associated challenges. Introduction The world cannot be imagined without colors and this is equally true for the...

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change and can fight off the antibiotic medicines that typically kill them. Antibiotic resistance greatly limits treatment options and is a worldwide health problem. Some strains of bacteria are now superbugs, which means they don’t respond to several different antibiotics. What is antibiotic resistance? Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change so that Antibiotic resistance is a type of Your body doesn’t develop antibiotic resistance — bacteria do. When antibiotic resistance happens, fewer antibiotics are effective against a particular bacterium. Other antibiotics often help, but it is important to have as many treatment options available as possible. Why is antibiotic resistance a problem? When antibiotic resistance happens, we don’t know it has happened until we treat someone. The antibiotic that had previously been successful suddenly stops working or becomes less effective. It takes time to realize what is happening, and meanwhile, you get sicker. An infection that previously could be treated at home may require a hospital admission. Close to 3 million Americans will develop a drug-resistant infection this year. More than 35,000 of them will die. Why do healthcare providers use antibiotics? You can find bacteria just about everywhere: in water, food and soil. Bacteria live on people’s skin (and animal fur) and inside bodies, too. Most bacteria don’t cause problems. In fact, some are beneficial. Healthy bacteria in the...

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. • The clinical relevance of fungal diseases has increased markedly in the past 50 years because of an increasing population of immunocompromised hosts. • The nature and extent of the impairment of host defence mechanisms influence the manifestation and severity of fungal infections, such that the clinical forms of the disease depend on a patient's immune response. • Host defence mechanisms against fungi involve innate immunity and adaptive immunity. The two systems are intimately linked and controlled by sets of molecules and receptors that act to generate a highly coordinate and unitary process for protection against fungal pathogens. • Dendritic cells (DCs) are uniquely adept at decoding fungus-associated information and translating it into qualitatively different adaptive T helper (T H)-cell immune responses. Experimental evidence indicates the use of DCs for fungal vaccines. • Diverse effector functions are required for the eradication of different fungal infections. A dominant T H1-cell response mediated by interleukin-12 (IL-12) is required for protective immunity to fungi. Through production of the signature cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) ...