Pathogenesis
of the dimorphic fungus Penicillium marneffei: There is an increasing
prevalence of systemic infection due to dimorphic fungi, especially among
the
immunocompromised patients. The infection probably occurs after the micro-organism
invades the host in the mould form, and then followed by multiplication
of these organisms in the tissues as the yeast form. Experiments are being
conducted to correlate the two different stages in the process of infection
with the growth phase transition of these dimorphic organisms. In collaboration
with my colleague, attempt is made to characterize the genes involved in
this process. We expect this work will lead to the development of a new
approach to the diagnosis of infection by these organisms.
