This study shows that the fungus Candida albicans uses a family of protein transporters called ATO to absorb acetate, a fatty acid produced by gut bacteria. When mice were treated with antibiotics that killed their beneficial bacteria, C. albicans could colonize their guts better if it had working ATO transporters. The research reveals that fungi have evolved special systems to take advantage of nutrients left behind when the normal gut bacteria are disrupted, which helps explain why fungal infections are more common after antibiotic use.