Principal investigator: Volker Rickerts

Diverse fungi are widely spread in the environment. While permanently exposed to fungi, most humans are protected against invasive fungal infections by their defense systems. However, a growing number of immunocompromised hosts are susceptible for deep fungal infections.

The identification of the causative agents of invasive fungal infections is increasingly relevant for treatment decisions. Antifungal therapy is more likely to be effective when guided by the knowledge of the underlying pathogen. However, determining the etiology of invasive fungal infections by the cultivation of causative fungi is frequently not successful in clinical practice.

We use molecular biological methods, including PCR with sequencing and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to identify the etiologic agents of invasive mycoses from tissue biopsies of patients with proven invasive fungal infections and respiratory secretions. This approach allows for a sensitive identification of fungal DNA by PCR and the localization to the infectious process by FISH, a prerequisite to inferring a causal relationship between the fungus and the disease.

The combination of molecular techniques to identify the causative agents of deep fungal infections may lead to an improved knowledge of the etiology of invasive mycoses. In this way antimycotic therapies may be used in the best possible manner and hence the prognosis of these infections may be improved.

Co-worker:

• Ilka McCormick Smith
• Jasmin Gerkrath
• Dunja Wilmes

Sub-projects:

• rRNA-FISH for the identification of fungi in bronchoalveolar lavage
• Identification of fungi in formalin-fixed tissue sections by broad-range PCR and sequencing
• Molecular detection of pathogens in sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis