Fifteen years research has led Associate Professor Bob Ashman to believe he may be in sight of a cure for severe oral and vaginal thrush.
However, the answer lies in the complicated field of gene therapy, so Dr Ashman, from the University of Queensland, says he will be delighted if it becomes a reality within the next 10 years.
Dr Ashman, who joined the University in March as reader in oral biology at the School of Dentistry, teaches third-year dentistry students immunology and molecular biology.
He recently received the rare honour of being elected to the American Academy of Microbiology. There are only nine such members in the whole of Australia, three of whom are now at the University of Queensland.
It is from this background and perspective that Dr Ashman has been researching fungal infections, in particular the common yeast infection Candida albicans.
"Candida is one of the most successful parasites and occurs in almost everyone. It is picked up in early childhood and lives in the gut but is harmless to the vast majority of people although it can be a real nuisance," Dr Ashman said.
"The ideal sites for Candida growth are warm, wet and subject to some abrasion which is why it primarily infects areas such as the mucous membrane lining of the mouth and vagina."
Dr Ashman said Candida was found in the mouths of about 40 percent of the population but infections were most common in older people with dentures.
Also vulnerable were patients whose immune systems were low such as those with AIDS, those receiving chemotherapy for cancer and those on immuno-suppressive drugs to prevent transplant rejection.
He said oral infections were much more prevalent in smokers and Candida was also associated with pre-cancerous sores on the mouth and lips.
Burns victims were also vulnerable to Candida infection as were hospital patients requiring intravenous catheters which could allow the yeast into the blood stream.
Dr Ashman said Candida was carried round in the blood until it lodged in capillaries and grew through the blood vessel into the body tissue. He hoped his research would hand doctors another weapon in their fight against fungal infections.
Women with vaginal thrush could be other beneficiaries of the research. Dr Ashman estimated that 70 percent of women contracted this condition at some time in their lives but it was easily treated and usually cured.
"But between 1 and 3 percent of women have chronic vaginal candidiasis which translates into a huge social and economic problem," he said.
"These women, primarily between the ages of 15 and 50, suffer severe inflammation, itching and discharge which has a major impact on their personal lives."
Collaborations with Professor John Greenspan at the University of California, who is working with AIDS patients, and Professor Robert Clancy at the University of Newcastle, who is studying vaginitis, meant there was a coordinated three-pronged attack on different aspects of the disease.
Dr Ashman said Candida was a very complicated infection and that susceptibility was influenced by a number of genes.
"Identification of the genes would give us a huge boost towards successful treatment. The ultimate aim of my research is gene therapy.
"Both the mouth and the vagina are very suitable sites for this approach, and even if it did not provide a complete cure, it might give long-term relief for severe cases of oral and vaginal candidiasis," he said.
Dr Ashman said this stage might still be some years away, but when he looked at the molecular technology now available he was encouraged and confident that it would happen.
For further information, contact Dr Bob Ashman (telephone 3365 3039).
