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Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has identified a fungus that is a key factor in Crohn’s disease. There is hope that this discovery, along with their finding of a new bacterium that is linked to the previous bacteria associated with the disease, will lead to new treatments and a cure.

From Science Daily: 

“We already know that bacteria, in addition to genetic and dietary factors, play a major role in causing Crohn’s disease,” said the study’s senior and corresponding author, Mahmoud A Ghannoum, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center “Essentially, patients with Crohn’s have abnormal immune responses to these bacteria, which inhabit the intestines of all people. While most researchers focus their investigations on these bacteria, few have examined the role of fungi, which are also present in everyone’s intestines. Our study adds significant new information to understanding why some people develop Crohn’s disease.

The research found that the combined presence of the two bacteria, Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescens, and the fungi Candida tropicalis was much higher in fecal samples of people with Crohn’s compared to those without the disease. 

Test-tube research by the Ghannoum-led team found that the three work together (with the E. coli cells fusing to the fungal cells and S. marcescens forming a bridge connecting the microbes) to produce a biofilm – a thin, slimy layer of microorganisms found in the body that adheres to, among other sites, a portion of the intestines – which can prompt inflammation that results in the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

To learn more about the first time a fungus has been linked to Crohn disease in humans, read more at Science Daily or find the research here through Case Western.