Washington, Dec 26 (IANS) Some 10,000 Americans die every year, out of the 25,000 who develop severe fungal infections, despite use of drugs. Now, scientists have developed novel drugs that exhibit powerful anti-fungal properties.
The most virulent fungus is Candida albicans, which is carried by about 75 percent of the public. Typically, the fungus is harmless but in individuals with HIV or otherwise compromised immune systems, it can cause candidiasis, which has a high mortality rate.

The fungi can also form biofilms that attach to surfaces and are up to 1,000 times more resistant to anti-fungals.

“These new furanones have the potential to control such infections and save lives,” says Dacheng Ren, assistant professor of biomedical and chemical engineering at Syracuse University (SU) Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science.

“In our tests, they reduced fungal growth by more than 80 percent, and we hope to improve on that going forward,” Ren said, according to an SU release.

Furanone compounds inhibit infections by derailing bacterial communications (molecular signalling) with which these bugs outwit the immune system.

Ren and his collaborator, chemistry professor Yan-Yeung Luk, have filed a non-provisional patent application.

These results were published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.