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How a Fungus can Cripple the Immune System

Petri dish with Aspergillus fumigatus.
Credit: Jan-Peter Kasper/University of Jena

Research team clarifies the mechanism of gliotoxin, a mycotoxin from the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Scientists have now discovered how the fungus knocks out the immune defenses, enabling a potentially fatal fungal infection to develop. It is everywhere – and it is extremely dangerous for people with a weakened immune system. The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus occurs virtually everywhere on Earth, as a dark grey, wrinkled cushion on damp walls or in microscopically small spores that blow through the air and cling to wallpaper, mattresses and floors. Healthy people usually have no problem if spores find their way into their body, as their immune defence system will put the spores out of action...

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