Prof. Nathanael JIN Ling, Member of the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC), and Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Health Technology and Informatics, has recently published a pioneering research in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, shedding light on the public health risks posed by airborne Candida species in densely populated urban areas.
The key findings of the study are as follows:
• Drug-Resistant Candida in Urban Air: The study detected viable, drug-resistant strains of Candida parapsilosis, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis in city air samples—strains that were notably absent in coastal environments.
• Genetic Similarity to Clinical Strains: Airborne isolates exhibited a high degree of genetic similarity to those found in clinical settings, suggesting that community-acquired infections could occur through inhalation or skin contact.
• Multidrug Resistance: Of particular concern was the discovery of multidrug resistance in C. parapsilosis, raising questions about the role of urban pollution and climate change in driving antifungal resistance.
Candida species are classified as WHO fungal priority pathogens due to their severe health impacts. Prof. Jin’s research highlights the urgent need to recognise urban air as a significant medium for the spread of antifungal-resistant strains. Looking ahead, his research team plans to expand their work to larger, multi-site studies to better understand fungal transmission pathways, investigate urban reservoirs of drug-resistant fungi and strengthen One Health approach to combat the global threat of fungal resistance.
未來食品研究院、可持續城市發展研究院及精神健康研究中心成員兼土木及環境工程學系及醫療科技及資訊學系助理教授金靈，近日在《Environmental Science & Technology Letters》發表了開創性研究，揭示了念珠菌可在人口稠密的城市裡通過空氣傳播，構成公共衛生風險。
研究的主要發現如下：
• 城市空氣中存有抗藥性念珠菌：研究在城市空氣樣本中檢測到具有活性及抗藥性的近平滑念珠菌、白色念珠菌及熱帶念珠菌菌株，而這些菌株在沿海環境中並未發現。
• 與臨床菌株的基因相似性：從空氣中提取的菌株與臨床菌株具有高度基因相似性，顯示社區傳染可能通過吸入或皮膚接觸所引起。
• 多重抗藥性問題：值得關注的是，在近平滑念珠菌中發現了多重抗藥性，這惹來推測城市污染和氣候變化在促進抗菌素耐藥性形成的作用。
念珠菌嚴重危害健康，被世界衛生組織列為重點真菌病原體。金教授的研究提出，列明城市空氣是傳播抗菌素耐藥性菌株的重要媒介已經刻不容缓。展望未來，他的研究團隊計劃擴大研究規模，進行更大型的多地研究，以更全面了解真菌傳播途徑，研究城市裡的抗藥性真菌宿主，並加強以「健康一體化」概念，應對真菌抗藥性所帶來的全球威脅。
閱讀研究全文: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00795 (只有英文)
