We’ve all been told that the thousands of carved pumpkins (also known as Jack-o’-lanterns) that will be displayed around the world tomorrow night will keep away the ghosts and ghouls that come out each year at Halloween. But did you know that the same pumpkins might also be able to scare away fungal infections?

A Korean team have found that pumpkin skin contains an antifungal protein that has not been found elsewhere before. Publishing in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, the team led by Kyung-Soo Hahm and Yoonkyung Park at Chosun University, also report that this protein inhibits the growth of 10 species of harmful pathogenic fungi including Candida albicans that causes human skin infections. These tests have only been carried out on a petri dish so far, but the team is predicting the protein could be developed as a natural antifungal agent. Something else to think about when you are carving your pumpkin tomorrow!

Happy Halloween!

Nina Notman

Picture credit: Wikimedia Commons