Patients prescribed antibiotics in hospital are more likely to get fungal infections because of disruption to the immune system in the gut, according to a new study from the University of Birmingham and National Institutes of Health.
Using immune-boosting drugs alongside the antibiotics could reduce the health risks from these complex infections say the researchers.
The life-threatening fungal infection invasive candidiasis is a major complication for hospitalised patients who are given antibiotics to prevent sepsis and other bacterial infections that spread quickly around hospitals (such as C. diff). Fungal infections can be more difficult to treat than bacterial infections, but the underlying factors causing these infections are not well understood.
