What mold causes gliotoxin?

Aspergillus fumigatus produces the immunosup- pressive agent Gliotoxin. Gliotoxin is a well- studied mold toxin and has long been fingered as the main chemical player contributing to the vir- ulence of A.

Where do you find gliotoxin?

Gliotoxin has been detected in the lung tissue and sera of mice with invasive aspergillosis and sera of cancer patients (Lewis et al, 2005a). The percentage of Aspergillus isolates from cancer patients produced gliotoxin as follows: fumigatus (93 %), niger (75 %), terreus (25 %) and flavus (4 %). (Lewis et al, 2005b).

What causes gliotoxin?

Occurrence. The compound is produced by human pathogens such as Aspergillus fumigatus, and also by species of Trichoderma and Penicillium. Gliotoxin has also been reported from yeasts of the genus Candida, but results from other studies have cast doubt on the production of this metabolite by Candida fungi.

What does gliotoxin do?

Gliotoxin is secreted by newly established hyphae, and its role is to inhibit the immune system of the host. Gliotoxin suppresses the phagocytic defenses, which is done by interfering with PtdIns (3,4,5) P3 production. This impairs the macrophages’ abilities to recognize, take up, and destroy invading pathogens.

What kind of metabolite is gliotoxin produced by?

Gliotoxin is a sulfur-containing metabolite produced by several fungal species belonging to genera including Aspergillus, Gliocladium, Thermoascus, and Penicillium. Gliotoxin is primarily isolated from Gliocladium fimbriatum ( Johnson et al., 1943 ).

What kind of gliotoxin does Candida albicans produce?

You can download my free Candida Report here if you haven’t yet. A study* published in 2010 revealed that candida could produce a substance called a gliotoxin (GT), an immunosuppressive toxin. It is now believed that GT’s immune-suppressing activity contributes to the survival of candida albicans in the blood stream during infections.

When do gliotoxins become a hidden problem?

A hidden problem surfaces when there is a large amount of toxic metabolites like gliotoxin and mannan present in the body, with more being continually produced along with the large amount of yeast and bad bacteria already present.

How does the immunosuppressive property of gliotoxin work?

The immunosuppressive properties of gliotoxin are due to the disulfide bridge within its structure. Interactions occur between sulfur molecules that make up the disulfide bridge and thiol groups contained in cysteine residues. Gliotoxin acts by blocking thiol residues in the cell membrane.