Study Finds Skin Fungus Malassezia globosa May Cause Tumors
Washington DC (US), September 5: A recent study has revealed that Malassezia globosa, a common skin fungus, can penetrate deep tissues and potentially cause tumor formation. The findings were published in the American Society for Microbiology’s open-access journal, mBio.
Key Findings
Researchers, led by Qi-Ming Wang, Ph.D., a professor at Hebei University in China, discovered that M. globosa colonizes in breast fat pads, leading to tumor growth. The study involved injecting M. globosa into the mammary gland fat pad of mice with breast cancer cells and observing the tumor size and intertumoral M. globosa content.
Mechanisms Involved
The researchers found that the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17a/macrophage axis plays a key role in M. globosa-induced breast cancer acceleration. This highlights the importance of the tumor immune microenvironment in cancer development.
Implications
Wang emphasized the need to pay more attention to intertumoral microorganisms as factors promoting tumor growth. The study also noted that the imbalance of microbial homeostasis in tumors could be significant for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
Although the study found that M. globosa can promote tumor growth, the exact transmission route remains unclear.
Doubts Revealed
Malassezia globosa -: Malassezia globosa is a type of fungus that lives on our skin. It’s usually harmless but can sometimes cause problems.
Tumors -: Tumors are lumps that can form in the body when cells grow too much. Some tumors can be dangerous and cause diseases like cancer.
American Society for Microbiology -: The American Society for Microbiology is a group of scientists who study tiny living things like bacteria and fungi. They do research to understand how these tiny organisms affect our health.
Qi-Ming Wang -: Qi-Ming Wang is a scientist who works at Hebei University. He led the research team that studied the fungus Malassezia globosa.
Hebei University -: Hebei University is a school in China where people go to learn and do research. Scientists there study many different subjects, including health and medicine.
Breast fat pads -: Breast fat pads are areas in the breast that have a lot of fat. These areas can sometimes be places where tumors grow.
Intertumoral microorganisms -: Intertumoral microorganisms are tiny living things like bacteria and fungi that live inside tumors. Scientists are studying them to understand how they affect tumor growth.