Fungal Infection, Food Mycology, Environmental Mycology, Medical Mycology, Fungal Pathogen
Keyword
Fungus, Mold, Yeast, Fungal infection, Mycotoxin, Antifungal, Drug resistance
Introduction
The key word of my research is “fungi.” Although it may not sound familiar to non-experts, it's the general term for molds, yeasts, mushrooms and certain other organisms around us. Molds, yeasts and mushrooms are indispensable for our lives, especially for our diet. Bad fungi harm humans and animals by causing diseases or producing toxins (mycotoxins). Such fungi have been the main subject of my research. While various fungi cause infections and produce mycotoxins, I currently focus on the Aspergillus fumigatus mold, which causes aspergillosis in animals and humans. Much remains unknown about how this mold cause that disease. In our research, we've found that A. fumigatus uses host serum components to efficiently form a bio-film structure. Bio-film formation gives microbes immunity and resistance to antimicrobial drugs. We believe that bio-film formation by A. fumigatus contributes to the persistence of infection, and we hope to find a new treatment strategy for aspergillosis by elucidating its mechanism of action. Azole antifungal drugs are used for treating A. fumigatus. The emergence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus is a global issue. Our research has found that this fungus also exists in Japan. We're still continuing investigations and research, and we intend to provide information on the status of fungi in Japan. Through these research projects, we aim to contribute to the clarification of the disease-causing mechanism and treatment of aspergillosis. We're also conducting a wide range of other research projects with many joint researchers, including projects on the mechanism of toxicity of a mycotoxin called deoxynivalenol, adiaspiromycosis in animals caused by mold, and fungi that are involved in food production.
List of current research topics
Elucidation of the mechanism of biofilm formation by Aspergillus fumigatus
Drug resistance of Aspergillus fumigatus
Infectious mechanism of the causative agent of adiaspiromycosis
The Japanese Society for Medical Mycology, Japanese Society of Mycotoxicology, International Society for Human & Animal Mycology, Japanese Society for Bacteriology, The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, Japanese Society of Chemotherapy
Academic degree
Ph. D. in Medicine
License
Pharmacist
Self introduction
I was born in Chiba Prefecture. I started out researching the drug resistance and pathogenicity of bacteria, but I've been conducting research on the drug resistance and pathogenicity of fungi and on fungal toxins and diseases since 2005. I've recently come to enjoy strolling the streets in Japan and overseas.
obihiro.ac.jp 
