Establishing Predicative Podiatric fungal markers of infection: Insights from Onychomycoses and implication in COVID-19 outcomes

Title: Establishing Predicative Podiatric fungal markers of infection: Insights from Onychomycoses and implication in COVID-19 outcomes

PIs: Dr. Mark Dalman (Podiatric Medicine) and Dr. Helen Piontkivska (Biological Sciences)

This pilot study aims to test the overarching hypothesis that the presence of specific pathogenic fungi within patients' mycobiome will be associated with particular genetic variants in genes involved in the immune response. To identify variants that contribute to susceptibility, Dr. Dalman and Dr. Piontkivska will examine the association between mycobiome composition and genetic variants in patients with fungal onychomycoses fungal infections and evaluate the co-colonization impact of firmicute bacteria, such as S. aureus/ S. epidermidis presence. Identifying relationships between genetic variants and specific fungal infections will lead to the development of biomarkers to inform treatment strategies and provide mechanistic insights into the complex etiology of chronic fungal infections and potential targets for novel therapeutic approaches.