Pathogens don’t always work against drug treatments. Sometimes, they can strengthen them, according to a new University of Maine study.
Diseases caused by a combination of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites — also known as polymicrobial infections — are challenging to treat because scientists don’t fully understand how pathogens interact during infection and how these interactions impact the drugs used to treat them.
In a study published in the journal Infection and Immunity, researchers in the Molecular & Biomedical Sciences Department looked at two pathogens that often occur at similar sites, particularly in cystic fibrosis and mechanically ventilated patients: Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
