Monash researchers reveal how a deadly fungal infection shape-shifts into an invasive monster

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Monash researchers have shed new light on just how the fungal infection Candida albicans shape-shifts into a deadly version with hyphae or filaments that help it break through human tissues and into the bloodstream. Understanding this process is key to the development of drugs against this fatal infection.

Fungal infections, such as those from C. albicans, are a common form of bloodstream infections in hospitals, particularly in very sick or immunocompromised patients. They can also lead to sepsis-like disease. Fungi cause untold harm, largely because they are so similar to mammalian cells that very few antifungal therapies are available.