An outbreak of cryptococcosis occurred in a breeding aviary in São Paulo, Brazil. Seven psittacine birds (of species Charmosyna papou, Lorius lory, Trichoglossus goldiei, Psittacula krameri and Psittacus erithacus) died of disseminated cryptococcosis. Incoordination, progressive paralysis and difficulty in flying were seen in five birds, whereas superficial lesions coincident...
During the first year of an ongoing surveillance program of invasive fungal infections (IFI) a total of 130 patients (56% male) with fungal strains isolated from blood and other sterile sites were reported from 13 hospitals in Chile. Significant yeast isolates were obtained from 118 patients, and molds affected 12 patients. The main patient groups affected were neonates, children...
Azure dye-impregnated sheep's wool keratin (keratin azure) was incorporated in a high pH medium and overlaid on a keratin-free basal medium. The release and diffusion of the azure dye into the lower layer indicated production of keratinase. Fifty-eight fungal taxa, including 49 members of the Arthrodermataceae, Gymnoascaceae and Onygenaceae (Order Onygenales), were assessed for...
Coccidioides is a fungal pathogen of humans which can cause a life-threatening respiratory disease in immunocompetent individuals. Recurrent epidemics of coccidioidal infections in Southwestern United States has raised the specter of awareness of this soil-borne microbe, particularly among residents of Arizona and Southern California, and has galvanized research efforts to...
Amphotericin B (AMB) intralipid (IL) admixtures (AMB-IL) are composed of components approved for clinical use and are commercially available at low cost. They are stable and exhibit in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy against Candida infections, as well as resulting in significantly reduced toxicity in comparison with that of conventionally administered amphotericin B. We examined the...
Mold growth within homes and other buildings has been associated to varying degrees with human health problems. These problems vary from allergenic disease to toxicosis. Case definitions for mold exposure have not been adequately defined to allow for a pathognomonic diagnosis of mold-caused disease following indoor exposure. Some important factors that may contribute to the...
Protothecosis is an infection caused by achlorophyllic algae of the genus Prototheca which rarely affects humans. Some 100 cases have been described in the medical literature, the majority caused by the species P. wickerhamii. The skin is the organ most frequently involved. Diagnosis is performed by isolation of the microorganism in culture or by histopathology. The ideal...
Sixty episodes of candidemia among hospitalized patients in the United Arab Emirates (0.77/1000 discharges) in 1995–2001 were identified through case retrieval. All patients had malignancy (65%) or serious non-malignant disease (35%). Candida albicans accounted for 45% of isolates. Non-C. albicans Candida species occurred more frequently than C. albicans in adults (67...
The number of immunocompromised patients and subsequent invasive fungal infections continues to rise. However, the education of future medical mycologists to engage this growing problem is diminishing. While there are an increasing number of publications and grants awarded in mycology, the time and detail devoted to teaching medical mycology in United States medical schools are...
We developed a standardized DNA sequence-based approach for the accurate and timely identification of medically important fungi by sequencing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products with a rapid automated capillary electrophoresis system. A simple DNA extraction method and PCR amplification using universal fungal primers was used to amplify ribosomal DNA from a range of clinical...
Cerebral phaeohyphomycosis is a rare fungal infection with a poor prognosis when using conventional antifungal therapy in the absence of neurosurgical intervention. We present a case of a pediatric patient with inoperable Cladophialophora bantiana cerebral abscesses. To our knowledge, this child's case is the first reported to be treated with the combination of the newer triazole...
CAY-1, a novel saponin from Capsicum frutescens (commercially known as cayenne pepper) was investigated to determine its in vitro antifungal activity, mechanism of action and mammalian cell cytotoxicity. CAY-1 was active against 16 different fungal strains, including Candida spp. and Aspergillus fumigatus [minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 4 to 16 µg ml−1], and...
In our previous research we studied the efficacy of amphotericin B (AMB)-Intralipid (AMB-IL) admixtures in the treatment of experimental systemic candidosis in naïve and compromised mice. In this study we evaluated the levels of AMB in blood and several organs (kidneys, liver, spleen, lungs and heart) at different times after injection (from 5 min to 14 days). Comparisons were...
The pathogenicity of several dematiaceous yeasts that have, to date, rarely been isolated in humans remains unclear. Because professional phagocytes are prominent in lesions caused by dematiaceous fungi, we address this issue by comparing phagocytosis, evoked oxidative burst and killing by human neutrophils of different black yeasts in vitro. Whereas phagocytosis of all black...
The biodiversity of fungi isolated from the nasal mucus of patients suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis and from healthy persons was monitored over 28 months. Mucus samples were obtained by flushing the noses of patients with saline or by endoscopic sinus surgery. Fungi from mucus were cultivated on agar plates. Identification was performed microscopically and by polymerase...
To enable future studies on host resistance factors and therapy, inbred and outbred mouse strains were tested for susceptibility to vaginal candidiasis. Groups of mice were given 0.5 mg estradiol 3 days before and 4 days after intravaginal challenge with a suspension of Candida albicans. On day 1 after challenge, a swab was used to quantitate infection in all groups and to assure...
Clinical and laboratory findings in 15 unreported cases of avian cryptococcosis from Australia were collated and contrasted with 11 cases recorded in the literature. Cryptococcus species produced localized invasive disease of the upper respiratory tract of captive parrots living in Australia. This resulted in signs referable to mycotic rhinitis or to involvement of structures...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility of dogs to develop paracoccidioidomycosis by experimental infection. Puppies were inoculated with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis by an intravenous route and two out of four died 1 week postinoculation, showing, at histopathological analysis, granulomas in the lungs, spleen and liver. P. brasiliensis was isolated from these...
We describe here the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 10 HIV-infected patients with paracoccidioidomycosis. All patients were adult males from small towns in Brazil and had a previous history of work or residence in a rural area. The two infections were diagnosed concomitantly in six of the ten patients, and for six of the patients, the mycosis was the first...
Use of a pulmonary model of histoplasmosis in CD4/CD8 lymphocyte depleted animals offers an opportunity to study pathogenesis in a setting resembling AIDS. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that administration of anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 antibodies reduced CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets in the lungs, lymph nodes and spleen. Depletion of these cells transformed the infection from a...
A case of primary cutaneous cryptococcal infection is presented and cases of primary cutaneous cryptococcosis in normal and immunocompromised hosts are reviewed. Cutaneous cryptococcosis can occur from local inoculation or dissemination from a distant site of infection. Risk factors associated with development of primary cutaneous cryptococcosis are those which affect cell...
Advances in molecular technology show great potential for the rapid detection and identification of fungi for medical, scientific and commercial purposes. Numerous targets within the fungal genome have been evaluated, with much of the current work using sequence areas within the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene complex. This section of the genome includes the 18S, 5·8S and 28S genes...
We report on a case of the chronic form of paracoccidioidomycosis with swelling and ulcerations of the mouth in a German legionnaire who also suffered from a chronic bronchitis. The patient had worked for many years in Brazil, an area endemic for the disease. Infection due to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis was diagnosed in Germany, more than 10 years after the patient' return...
Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) occurs in two distinct forms, the acute or juvenile form (JF), and the chronic or adult form (AF). To clarify the basis of this dichotomy, specific IgG subclasses, IgA and IgE anti-gp43 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in patients with different forms of PCM. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8...
Granuloma formation is a common response in the skin infection of sporotrichosis. The involvement of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the granuloma formation of sporotrichosis is less known. The aim of this study was to describe by immunohistochemistry the exact tissue distribution of IFN-γ-positive cells and iNOS-positive cells in the granuloma...