Gene May Hold Key For Curing Yeast Infections

WASHINGTON (February 26, 1998 4:06 p.m. EST http://www.nando.net) - A single gene helps the fungus responsible for "yeast" infections attack cells and may offer an easy target for treatment, researchers said Thursday.

The INT1 gene helps Candida albicans, which causes infections ranging from vaginitis to diaper rash, attach to the gastrointestinal tract, multiply, and spread through the body.

"Without that one gene ... it's severely handicapped in its ability to do those things," said Dr. Margaret Hostetter, senior author of the study published int he journal Science.

INT1's location on the surface of the thick-walled Candida cells makes it relatively easy to access and attack, Hostetter said in a telephone interview.

INT1 accounts for roughly 50 percent of Candida's stickiness, which keeps it from being flushed out with bodily waste, said Hostetter, who is a pediatrics professor at the University of Minnesota.

"If Candida can't attach, then it's kind of going to go down the hatch," she said.

About 80 percent of babies acquire Candida albicans cells within the first month of life. The cells lie in wait in the body until spotting an opportunity to attack, usually when the immune system has been weakened, which can be caused by something as simple as taking antibiotics.

Usually the results are mild -- an infection like thrush or diaper rash or, in adults, something like "yeast infection." But Candida can also cause serious problems.

When the immune system is further compromised by agents such as the HIV virus or chemotherapy, Candida can invade the bloodstream and attack organs such as the brain, kidneys, eyes and liver, Hostetter said.

Hostetter began testing INT1's actions when she noticed the similarities between its structure and and the structure of integrins, which are proteins in vertebrate cells that also serve attack and attach functions.