Does Fungus Cause Cystic Fibrosis?

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Researchers at The University of Illinois recently published that yeast is helping to tackle the root cause of cystic fibrosis (CF). What? Have they come to their senses? I’ve long believed that yeast is the cause of cystic fibrosis, so I was thrilled to read this. But, like most things in medicine, they took a very simple concept and made it difficult to follow.

The Illinois researchers proved that the antifungal drug, Amphotericin B, is helping patients with CF. Once again, I totally agree. With that said, however, my conclusion and theirs differed immensely. It may now take them decades to confirm this original paper, and while doing so, CF sufferers will continue to suffer in lieu of being prescribed Amphotericin B. Where the story should have ended, however, it just began. After all, it took researchers just like these many decades to discover that fungus was the cause of many cases of another lung disease called asthma.
The researchers apparently don’t understand the relevancy of their own discovery!

I say that their work proves that fungus causes cystic fibrosis, otherwise how would a prescriptive antifungal medication have positively affected the outcome of a disease that doctors do not know the cause of? What isn’t reported in their research is the fact that many these “ions” have potent fungicidal (kills fungus) properties! Why is that important? In their own words, the antifungal drug Amphotericin B restores the type of ion channel function that is missing in people with CF! Since Amphotericin B also happens to be a potent antifungal drug, what then might any researcher conclude actually causes channel blockage-giving rise to CF? FUNGUS!

One day soon, every CF patient will be handed a prescription for Amphotericin B, but the other great news here is that physicians will one day learn to steer children away from molds and mycotoxins, like antibiotics and those found in moldy homes, that might be mutating their DNA and mimicking a disease called Cystic Fibrosis. Eventually, some may even discover that one of the most proliferative environments, in which mold thrives is the very hospital where the child with CF may have been born! In 2011, there were about 2 million cases of hospital acquired (nosocomial) infections, (these include fungal infections) and an estimated 100,000 patients died from them.
If you or a loved one suffers from CF, please know how relevant this paper is in finally confirming a cause.

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