Researchers from the University of Toronto tested combination therapies and found only a few strains of Candida albicans, which causes healthcare-acquired infections, develop resistance to drugs, and resistance also weakens the fungus.
“If we’re going to treat these infections with drug combinations, we need to know if they’ll readily become resistant,” Leah Cowen, the study’s lead researcher and a professor at University of Toronto’s Department of Molecular Genetics, said. “In Candida albicans, we found a trade-off: a few strains gain some resistance but they become less ‘fit’ or functional when the drug is not present.”
In other words, the strain that became resistant to drug combination therapy became weaker when they encounter oxidative stress and are vulnerable to immune cells called macrophages.
All of this means that drug combinations could minimize drug resistance, according to the University of Toronto report.
More articles on drug resistance:
Bacteria and big data collide in study of NYC subways
New silver solution proves effective in killing MRSA
Newly discovered antibiotic fights infection without bacteria developing resistance
