Pneumonia-causing fungus evolves resistance to immunosuppressive drug

A study published in Science Translational Medicine revealed that Pneumocystis jirovecii fungi have evolved resistance mutations against mycophenolic acid, an immunosuppressive drug given to organ transplant recipients.

Researchers analyzed 163 fungal samples across multiple countries and found that 86% of samples from transplant recipients carried gene mutations in the IMPDH enzyme compared to 13% in control samples.

The findings demonstrate that human-targeted therapies can unintentionally exert selective pressure on pathogens, prompting calls to reevaluate infection control strategies.