Description:
Every day we inhale hundreds of fungal spores but these in healthy individuals are efficiently eliminated by specialist immune cells called phagocytes which engulf and kill them. However, some human illnesses interfere with this defence mechanism, increasing susceptibility to fungal diseases.
A specialist lung tissue called the epithelium is the first line of contact between the inhaled spores and us, the host. We are working to understand how the lung epithelium interacts with the spores of a common mould called Aspergillus fumigatus.
We have generated fluorescent Aspergillus and combined this with fungal and host specific dyes to directly visulaise this interaction. We have discovered that epithelial cells ingest fungal spores and kill them.
This might provide a critical defence mechanism which is acting while we breathe, and before even phagocytes arrive at the site of the infection.
We are now trying to work out how epithelial cells grab and ingest fungal spores, by using fluorescent fungal mutants and targeted elimination of host proteins.
Once we understand this process in detail we can design new therapies to assist a quicker elimination of the dangerous fungal spores we all inhale on a daily basis.
Dr Margherita Bertuzzi works in Dr Elaine Bignell’s lab at the University of Manchester
Medical and Patient education videos
-
Title
Description
-
Nasal Aspergillosis destroys the bone in and around the nose. Unfortunately this case could not be treated and the dog had to be euthanised.
-
Nasal aspergillosis with moderate turbinate destruction and fungal plate on left frontal sinus mucosa. Biopsy was performed and 10% clotrimazole cream was applied through endoscope.
[Aspergilosis nasal con moderada destrucción de cornete etmoidal izquierdo y placa micótica sobre mucosa de seno frontal. Se realizó la biopsia y se aplicó una crema de clotrimazol al 10% mediante el endoscopio.]
-
This video depicts removal of superficial fungal infection involving the right ear canal by using suctioning technique
-
More examination & analysis of lung specimens from a patient with aspergillosis
-
A histological tour of the signs of aspergillosis in lung specimens
-
A collection of short video’s hosted by the Aspergillus Website showing various aspects of the cell biology of Aspergillus and how parts of our immune system fights the infection.
-
Sir David Attenborough and the Planet Earth team discover the weird world of the Cordyceps; killer fungi that invades the body of an insect to grow and diminish the insect population. Fascinating animal and wildlife video from the BBC epic natural world masterpiece ‘Planet Earth’.
-
This video was kindly provided with permission from Lariontsev Nikolay.
-
A patient describes her experience of living with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and treatment with itraconazole.
