LAUSR

Fungi are a group of living organisms that includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Like bacteria, fungi normally live on the skin and inside the gastrointestinal tract of humans, but certain forms and overgrowths can cause disease (2). For fungal infections, a number of antifungal drugs have been developed; these tend to have more side effects than antibacterial drugs (see “risks” section below). In 2006, a physician specializing in hematology and oncology named William K. Reid filed a patent for use of antifungal drugs in multiple neurologic diseases including ALS (3). He reported that he treated patients with ALS (see “cases”) with antifungals (usually voriconazole), sometimes in combination with other methods (3,4). More recently, a research group in Spain has reported finding evidence of fungal infection in the central nervous system (CNS) of patients with ALS (reviewed in Refs. (5–7); see “mechanism”).