Ten million Brazilians face an uncertain future because of a killer fungus. Health Correspondent Barry Nelson talks to two North-East scientists who are determined to help them.

SOCCER star Juninho might be the North-East's most famous import from Brazil so far - but something more unpleasant is on its way.

Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis, to give it its proper name, is one of around a quarter of a million fungal species which scientists have so far identified.

Thankfully, only around 180 of these are known to cause disease in animals and humans, but the Brazilian fungus is one of them.

Now scientists from the North-East are about to fly out to Brazil to try to find new ways of combating this killer fungus.

Even though very few people in the UK will have heard of paracoccidiodes brasiliensis, it represents a major threat to millions of Latin Americans. The fungus, which thrives in the hot, sultry climate of Brazil, produces tiny spores which are breathed in by humans. Once the fungus is lodged in the lungs, it slowly colonises the surrounding tissue. Over time - sometimes it can take 20 years - it can destroy the lungs and even spread into surrounding tissue.

There are an estimated ten million people in Brazil infected with the fungus. Without treatment with a limited range of powerful drugs, it is usually fatal. But it tends to affect the poorest, most malnourished rural populations, people who can ill afford to pay for expensive drugs.

Large numbers of Brazilians and other Latin Americans die a slow and horrible death because they wait too long to seek treatment or can't afford drugs at all.

Scientists in Latin America only identified the Brazilian fungus in 1900 and since then there has been only limited research into ways of tackling the disease. Some critics says this reflects the priorities of major drug companies who appear to be more interested in producing new pharmaceutical products to treat illnesses more prevalent in the rich, developed world than infectious diseases in what used to be known as the third world.

So what has paracocciodiodes brasiliensis got to do with the North-East?

The answer lies with the unusual husband-and-wife scientific team which recently arrived in the region.

Durham University's new professor of infectious diseases, Professor Adrian Walmsley, has developed a particular interest in the Brazilian fungus thanks to his scientist wife, Dr Maria Ines Borges-Walmsley.

The two Stockton-based biochemists will shortly be heading out to Brazil to begin new research into the dangerous Latin American fungus.

And they will be bringing back samples for further examination under the microscope at the Wolfson Institute's special secure laboratories.

But before we break out the biohazard suits, Prof Walmsley points out that the fungus only thrives when there is a steady outside temperature of 26 degrees C. Until global warming is firmly established in the North-East, even if the Category Three laboratory filters fail to stop the escape of the Brazilian fungus, there is no chance of it becoming a danger to humans in the UK.

Dr Borges-Walmsley comes from near the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, where she studied infectious diseases. Unsurprisingly, she developed an interest in the fungal disease and was determined to do something about it. "People who are poor and are malnourished are the most vulnerable. At first people think they have TB but after a while it is to late to do anything about it," she says.

It was when she came to the UK to carry on her studies and met another young biochemist, Adrian Walmsley, that the opportunity arose.

Today, Prof Walmsley heads a splendidly-equipped new department of infectious diseases at Stockton and heads a six strong team of research scientists, including his wife.

One of the main projects his team are working on is finding new ways of combating the growth of drug-resistant superbugs in the UK, but his Brazilian connection means his interests go far wider. Prof Walmsley's regular visits to his wife's home country have increased his fascination for the little-known fungus.

"We were looking to do research on a pathogen that is prevalent in developing countries. Hopefully, we could do some important work in this area, which is something of an open playing field," says Prof Walmsley.

A recent grant from the Wellcome Foundation means he and his wife will soon travel to Brazil to meet scientists who are already working on research and bring back samples of the fungus for further examination on Teesside.

Even though it was identified 103 years ago, little is known about the fungus. "Because it seems to affect rural labourers more than any other group we think it lives in the soil, but we don't know for sure," says Prof Walmsley. "Finding out is one of reasons why we are going out to Brazil. While it affects humans, scientists have also found it in pigeons and even armadillos."

The Durham University scientists are particularly interested in the mechanism which allows the fungus to change from a harmless spidery network to dangerously active cells.

"We are interested in how the molecular genetics work at the DNA level. We know there are cell signalling pathways that tell the fungus to change from one form to another once it is inside the lungs. We want to stop it changing into the pathogenic cell form," the professor adds.

While the research is only funded for two years, the Durham University team is determined to make a difference before it is too late.

"The drugs used now to treat the fungus are very expensive and the long-term fear is that eventually they will no longer be effective," says Prof Walmsley. "It is going to be a problem for all fungi. There are simply not enough drugs that work."