For a long time, the fungus Candida albicans was considered a harmless resident of the airways in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The study showed that this common fungus can act as an active pathogen in CF lungs, where it is capable of damaging host tissue and worsening disease. By analyzing Candida albicans strains isolated from the sputum of CF patients, it was demonstrated that these fungi display strong disease-causing potential. Also, a new CF infection model was developed using zebrafish, which revealed how well Candida albicans can adapt and cause harm under CF-like conditions. These findings highlight that Candida albicans could be an important target for future antifungal and anti-virulence treatments. 

The work is part of the thesis of Nataša Radaković, who is pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Aleksandar Pavić, and it was carried out in collaboration with Mother and Child Health Institute of Serbia "Dr. Vukan Čupić", Institute of Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, and Department of Chemistry, Fribourg University.