Nature子刊：科学家发现毛霉菌病发病的分子途径

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一项发表在今天的《自然通讯》的文章对毛霉菌目真菌的演化提供了新的见解，该菌会造成患者致命的感染，多个分子途径可能被用来作为诊断的目标或潜在的疗法。

毛霉菌目会侵入免疫系统低下的人的细胞，引起毛霉菌病的致命感染。研究人员识别了病人身上几种毛霉菌病开发所需的路径。

“我们的研究为识别和靶向毛霉菌病发展所需的特定通路打开了一扇大门。”Ashraf S. Ibrahim博士说。“生成的数据可以根据预防，治疗和毛霉菌病的早期诊断来设计新策略。”

研究人员针对肺上皮细胞记录了30个隔离的毛霉菌目的序列并研究了引起毛霉菌病的三个最常见的原因。他们发现了一些毛霉菌病发病机制的通路。

难以控制的糖尿病酮症酸中毒患者，代谢性酸中毒，糖皮质激素治疗，器官或骨髓移植，嗜中性白血球减少症、创伤和烧伤（如在伊拉克和阿富汗战争中受伤的士兵），遭受恶性血液疾病和经去铁胺治疗的接受血液透析的患者等都是患毛霉菌病的高危人群。

健康人皮肤坏死性软组织也会引起毛霉菌病侵袭，自然灾害也会导致毛霉菌病疫情的爆发。“目前没有疫苗或有效的治疗方法可阻止高度致命的毛霉菌病感染。”Ibrahim博士说。“现在迫切需要更多的研究开发治疗方法以保护免疫系统低下的患者。”（生物谷Bioon.com）

Study discovers molecular pathways for the development of mucormycosis

Research published today in the journal, Nature Communications, provides new insights into the evolution of Mucorales fungi, which cause a fatal infection in ever-increasing segments of patient population, and several molecular pathways that might be exploited as potential therapeutic or diagnostic targets.  Mucorales invades the cells of people with weakened immune systems and causes the deadly infection, mucormycosis.

The study, conducted by LA BioMed and the University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers, identified several pathways that are required for mucormycosis to develop in a patient. "Our research opens the door for identifying and targeting the specific pathways that are required for the development of mucormycosis," said Ashraf S. Ibrahim, PhD, an LA BioMed lead researcher and a contributing author for the study. "The generated data could then be exploited to design novel strategies to pursue treatment, prevention and/or early diagnosis of mucormycosis." The researchers reported on the sequencing of 30 isolates of Mucorales and the study of the transcriptomes of three most common causes of mucormycosis, in response to lung epithelial cells. They identified several pathways that are required for mucormycosis pathogenesis.

Those most at risk of mucormycosis are patients with uncontrolled diabetes ketoacidosis, other forms of metabolic acidosis, treatment with corticosteroids, solid organ or bone marrow transplantation, neutropenia, trauma and burns, such as those suffered by wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, malignant hematological disorders and deferoxamine therapy in patients receiving hemodialysis.