Scientists at the University of British Columbia have mapped the genome of a fungus that causes meningitis, which could lead to better treatments. People with AIDS and others with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to the Cryptococcus fungus. The research could eventually lead to better anti-fungal drugs, vaccines for fungal meningitis and faster diagnostic tests, said UBC microbiologist Jim Kronstad, the lead researcher on the project. Kronstad said 10 to 30 per cent of AIDS patients contract a fungal infection, about 45 million cases around the world. Current anti-fungal drugs must be taken over several months to be effective. Cryptococcus spores are found in soil contaminated with pigeon droppings and in trees. A person can become infected by inhaling the spores. The study sequencing the genetic code of two forms of the Cryptococcus fungus has been going on for three years. It’s part of a five-part project that began nine years ago. The team of scientists has almost finished sequencing the genome of a third form of the fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans gattii, the form that has caused disease recently in Canada.
