More than 30 million Americans rely on implanted medical devices like prosthetic joints, pacemakers and more to improve their quality of life. But implanting any foreign object into the body also carries risk of introducing deadly fungal infections.

New research from University of Georgia scientists uncovers how a transcription regulator protein for the fungal pathogen Candida albicans coordinates a diverse set of genes to infect medical devices in the human body.

Candida albicans is typically a harmless yeast commonly found in the human body. But overgrowth of the fungus can lead to yeast infections, thrush or even potentially life-threatening invasive candidiasis that can lead to organ failure.

The medical devices that can potentially harbor infections include catheters, pacemaker

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