A disturbing new study found that the common fungus Candida albicans (C. albicans) can enter the brain and trigger a cascade of events that may lead to Alzheimer's disease. Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine reveal that as the brain endeavors to clear the fungus,...
A disturbing new study found that the common fungus Candida albicans can enter the brain and trigger a cascade of events that may lead to Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine reveal that as the brain endeavors to clear the fungus, toxic protein fragments known as amyloid beta -like peptides are generated. These fragments are key players in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our lab has years of experience studying fungus, so we embarked on the study of the connection between C. albicans and Alzheimer’s disease in animal models,” said study author Dr. David B. Corry, a professor of pathology, immunology and medicine at Baylor in a news release. “In 2019 we reported that C. albicans does get into the brain where it produces changes that are very similar to what is seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
C. albicans also produces a protein called candidalysin that binds to the microglia through a different receptor called CD11b that is critical in removing Candida from the brain. If that pathway is disturbed, fungi are no longer effectively cleared in the brain.
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