According to available data, it is estimated that there are about 350,000 people in the US who are regular methamphetamine abusers. The drug’s ability to impact the central nervous system as a stimulant might do more harm than what is known. Recent studies have shown that injecting methamphetamine accumulates greatly in the lungs. This information, combined with a fungus, Crytptococcus neoformans, can lead to a lethal combination.
A study was conducted using mice models where they were injected with methamphetamine for three weeks and exposed to the fungus afterwards. As a result, all methamphetamine-treated mice died compared to half of the control mice. This experiment demonstrated that methamphetamine accelerates the process of C. neoformans which affects humans in the lungs and the blood-brain barrier. Access to the blood-brain barrier can lead to meningitis.
Researchers believe that the fungus releases a capsular polysaccharide which allows it to thrive in the lung. When methamphetamine enters the body, it aids in colonizing C. neoformans in greater amounts and biofilm formation which was seen in the lung tissue of the methamphetamine-treated mice using fluorescent microscopy. The stimulation received from using methamphetamine can alter the blood-brain barrier which can make methamphetamine users more susceptible to pathogens.