Guest guest Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 Unlikely cousins? Montana State University - United States http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=6569 Humans and fungus are genetically very similar, which creates problems when scientists design antifungal drugs, says Cramer, assistant professor of veterinary molecular biology at MSU. Since fungus and humans have many of the same genes, drugs that can kill fungi often have detrimental side effects on humans. It's a different story with bacteria and viruses, however. The genetic makeup of bacteria and viruses is different enough from humans' that drugs to fight them are usually less threatening to humans. That explains in part why more drugs are available to fight bacteria and viruses than fungi, Cramer said. Cramer discussed the close relationship between humans and fungi after publishing a recent paper about a gene that regulates the resistance of a common disease- causing mold to antifungal drugs. Boswell, (406) 994-5135 or evelynb@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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