Is there a connection between the grapes on your plate and fungus infections?
Professor Frank-Michael Mueller from the Center for Children’s and Youth Medicine in Heidelberg discovered a disconcerting connection between antifungal chemicals found in grapes and fungus infections found in humans.
Certain fungi are so resistant to treatment that they, just like bacteria, can replicate inside the human body and lead to serious illnesses that almost defy treatment.
People blessed with good immune systems are able to kill fungi that invade the body, but for people who suffer from cancer or AIDS—those with weakened immune systems—such fungal invasions pose a serious threat. Fewer and fewer people are responding to antifungal medication.
“Certain fungi take advantage of a weakened immune system. … The resulting symptoms mask infections that one finds with bacteria or viruses. Infections from yeast or mold are the most difficult to treat, especially the latter,” Professor Mueller explained.
“Overuse of toxic antifungal preparations in agriculture, especially those of the azole group, poses a high … risk for humans, resulting in the development and transfer of these fungal illnesses and their resistance to treatment. …” Professor Mueller continued.
Chemical fungicides on plants lead to fungi in humans, which are immune to medical treatment.
Dr. Mueller’s research group is hoping to find an explanation for this increased resistance to antifungal treatments.
Swabs taken from the mouths of several HIV-positive patients afflicted with a fungal disease were tested to determine which treatment, using substances from the azole group, would kill the fungus. To their surprise, they found that various fungi are no longer eliminated with this medication.
Since the fungicides used in agriculture are similar to those used in humans, the research team did additional studies and made a discovery. The fungus phyla from the above-cited patients are the same ones that resist treatment in agriculture.
Once a fungus has been treated with a fungicide over a long period of time, most fungi die. But a few fungi, perhaps through mutation, develop immunity to these toxic substances, become resistant, and survive.
From a chemical standpoint, antifungal treatments with azoles in agriculture are quite similar to those used in medical treatment on humans. Now, neither treatment is effective.
Modern agricultural practices have ramifications for patients who have become severely ill with fungal infections. This has prompted the current emphasis on a good diet and a well-balanced lifestyle. By consuming well-washed organic products, one’s consumption of toxic antifungal substances in agriculture can be greatly reduced.
Professor Frank-Michael Mueller from the Center for Children’s and Youth Medicine in Heidelberg discovered a disconcerting connection between antifungal chemicals found in grapes and fungus infections found in humans.
Certain fungi are so resistant to treatment that they, just like bacteria, can replicate inside the human body and lead to serious illnesses that almost defy treatment.
People blessed with good immune systems are able to kill fungi that invade the body, but for people who suffer from cancer or AIDS—those with weakened immune systems—such fungal invasions pose a serious threat. Fewer and fewer people are responding to antifungal medication.
“Certain fungi take advantage of a weakened immune system. … The resulting symptoms mask infections that one finds with bacteria or viruses. Infections from yeast or mold are the most difficult to treat, especially the latter,” Professor Mueller explained.
“Overuse of toxic antifungal preparations in agriculture, especially those of the azole group, poses a high … risk for humans, resulting in the development and transfer of these fungal illnesses and their resistance to treatment. …” Professor Mueller continued.
Chemical fungicides on plants lead to fungi in humans, which are immune to medical treatment.
Dr. Mueller’s research group is hoping to find an explanation for this increased resistance to antifungal treatments.
Swabs taken from the mouths of several HIV-positive patients afflicted with a fungal disease were tested to determine which treatment, using substances from the azole group, would kill the fungus. To their surprise, they found that various fungi are no longer eliminated with this medication.
Since the fungicides used in agriculture are similar to those used in humans, the research team did additional studies and made a discovery. The fungus phyla from the above-cited patients are the same ones that resist treatment in agriculture.
Once a fungus has been treated with a fungicide over a long period of time, most fungi die. But a few fungi, perhaps through mutation, develop immunity to these toxic substances, become resistant, and survive.
From a chemical standpoint, antifungal treatments with azoles in agriculture are quite similar to those used in medical treatment on humans. Now, neither treatment is effective.
Modern agricultural practices have ramifications for patients who have become severely ill with fungal infections. This has prompted the current emphasis on a good diet and a well-balanced lifestyle. By consuming well-washed organic products, one’s consumption of toxic antifungal substances in agriculture can be greatly reduced.
Friends Read Free