Elizabeth Lee Hazen (1885–1975), Rachel Fuller Brown (1898–1980)
Fungi such as Candida are normal inhabitants of the skin, intestines, and mucous membranes of the mouth and vagina. They rarely cause any health problems because their growth is limited by bacteria that share the same neighborhood. However, fungal infections can occur after certain antibiotics are taken, such as the broad-spectrum tetracyclines that affect a wide range of microbes. When the delicate balance between bacteria and fungi is disrupted, Candida grows unchecked, which can result in candidiasis (yeast infection) or thrush when the infection is in the mouth. Fungal overgrowth is also seen in individuals whose immune system is depressed, such as AIDS patients, cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, and organ transplant patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs.
Working for the New York State Department of Health, chemist Rachel Fuller Brown, in Albany, and microbiologist Elizabeth Lee Hazen, in New York City, shared samples of potential antifungal antibiotics found in the soil. This long-distance scientific collaboration was made possible through the U.S. mail. In 1949, nystatin was isolated from the soil bacterium Streptomyces and named after their employer.
In the Petri dish, nystatin (Mycostatin, Nilstat), the first antifungal antibiotic, was found to be active against a wide range of fungi. Clinically introduced in 1954, it is effectively and safely used to treat fungal infections of the skin, mouth, and vagina. However, its usefulness for the treatment of systemic infections is limited because nystatin is poorly absorbed and does not enter the blood after being taken orally. Brown and Hazen turned down the $13.4 million in royalties from the sales of Squibb’s Mycostatin, assigning half this money to the Research Corporation of New York for grants to support scientific research. The other half was used to establish the Brown-Hazen Fund, which from 1957 until 1978 supported research programs, with emphasis on microbiology, and encouraged women to embark on careers in science.
SEE ALSO Streptomycin (1944), Tetracyclines (1948), Amphotericin B (1956), Griseofulvin (1958), Cyclosporine/Ciclosporin (1983).
This digital illustration shows Candida albicans, a frequent cause of yeast infections and thrush. Fungi such as Candida are distinct from plants, animals, and bacteria, but they are more closely related to animals than plants.