FUNGAL INFECTION AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

Can fungal infection cause autoimmune disease?

Several autoimmune diseases have long been linked to viral and bacterial infections. In contrast, the possibility of fungal infections causing autoimmune diseases has received almost no attention. However, major fungal infections can cause severe autoimmune diseases, by decreasing T_REG cells and increasing production of interleukin-23, CD4 T_H17 T-cells, interleukin-17 and other cytokines, including interleukin-22. Several factors can cause fungal infections, including antibiotic usage.

 Antibiotic usage decreases bacteria and thereby favors fungal populations over bacterial populations. This leads to an explanatory hypothesis for the pathogenesis of severe autoimmune diseases by major fungal infections. The increase in fungal populations in individuals susceptible to major fungal infections can also explain the higher incidence of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and various types of arthritis.

However, one recent study concluded that in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, the triggering of the autoimmune process by pathogen activated autoreactive T-cells due to molecular mimicry of human peptides by fungal pathogen peptides had previously been underestimated and neglected

THE PLAGUE OF MOLD-- REVISITED

by

Alan "Cuz" McCann and Michael A. Frizzell

Check this story about mold- https://userpages.umbc.edu/~frizzell/mold.html

On the other hand, several species of Aspergillus mold are not only bothersome but also quite dangerous to man.  Certain Aspergillus species are known to cause infections, lung disease, and even cancer.  In fact, the species A. flavus (a mold occasionally found on raw peanuts) can produce an exceedingly potent carcinogen that is ranked with the most virulent substances on earth.