Injecting mice with simple baker’s yeast protects against the fatal fungal infection, aspergillosis, according to research published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology. The work could lead to the development of a human vaccine that protects immunocompromised people against a range of life-threatening fungal infections, for which current therapy often fails. Researchers from the California Institute for Medical Research, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and Stanford University gave mice three injections of killed Saccharomyces (baker’s yeast), one week apart. Vaccinated mice were able to survive high doses of Aspergillus -- the fungus that causes aspergillosis. Mice that survived also showed a reduced infection load in their organs.
