Mycoses
Invasive aspergillosis (IA) presents a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma for the physicians who take care of the patients with severe underlying diseases and immunosuppression. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of serum galactomannan (GM) measurements in the routine practice and surveillance of IA along with possible caveats in diagnosis and treatment. Adult patients with high‐risk haematological...
Here, a microdilution technique based on the M27‐A2 protocol (NCCLS, 2002) was employed to compare the susceptibilities of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis to essential oils extracted from plants used as spices. The chemical compositions of the essential oils were defined based on the analysis of retention indices obtained by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. Taken together, the results...
Fusarium infections are increasingly being encountered in immunocompromised patients. Fusarium solani accounts for nearly half of these infections. A specific nested PCR (nPCR) assay has been developed by using DNA isolated from several Fusarium species and other common fungi. Furthermore, DNA samples isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and serum samples from mice infected intravenously with...
Candida and Aspergillus species are the most common causes of invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised patients. The introduction of new antifungal agents and recent reports of resistance emerging during treatment have highlighted the need for in vitro susceptibility testing. For some drugs, there is a supporting in vitro–in vivo correlation available from studies of clinical efficacy. Both...
Eighteen fungi isolated from soil by hair bating method were tested against soil inhabiting Microsporum equinum, Microsporum fulvum, Microsporum gypseum and Microsporum racemosum for their antagonistic interactions. Colony inhibition during dual cultures showed inhibition of all the four Microsporum species. The maximum inhibition of M. equinum, M. fulvum, M. gypseum and M. racemosum was caused by...
Among fungi, Curvularia inaequalis is a rare pathogen. We report the first case of non‐invasive fungal rhinosinusitis caused by this species. Endoscopic sinus surgery revealed massive polyposis and the presence of viscous eosinophilic mucus that allowed the growth of the fungus. We diagnosed eosinophilic fungal rhinosinusitis based on the histological findings of fungal hyphae in association with...
The molecular characterization of Malassezia spp. isolates from animals and humans has not been thoroughly studied. We have analysed the DNA profile by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)–PCR to compare the genetic diversity between isolates from the external ears of cattle, dogs and humans. The analysis of electrophoretic profiles on 8% polyacrylamide gel and their phenograms showed genetic heterogeneity...
The aim of this study was to find the optimal bioassay parameters for the quantitative analysis of an amphotericin B nasal spray solution as the bioassay conditions recommended by the Ph. Eur. 6. were less sensitive and were only applicable for the measurement of a narrow concentration range, which makes the method unsuitable in case of a stability test. We evaluated five commonly used assay media...
A total of 124 Cryptococcus isolates, including 84 clinical strains obtained from cerebrospinal fluid from AIDS patients and 40 environmental isolates from pigeon excreta and from Eucalyptus trees, were studied. The varieties, serotypes, phospholipase activity and molecular profile of these isolates were determined. Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii serotype A was identified in 120 isolates and...
This study compared the enzymatic activity of clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans, Cryptococcus gattii, environmental isolates of C. neoformans and non‐neoformans Cryptococcus. Most of the cryptococcal isolates investigated in this study exhibited proteinase and phospholipase activities. Laccase activity was detected from all the C. neoformans and C. gattii isolates, but not from the non‐neoformans...
We report two cases of invasive zygomycoses occurring in severely immunocompromised patients with haematological malignancies that were successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin B and surgical debridement, followed by oral administration of posaconazole. These cases demonstrated that an early instituted, aggressive and combined therapeutic approach results in a recovery from invasive fungal...
Candida albicans has become an important cause of nosocomial infections in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The aim of the present study was to compare C. albicans strains isolated from neonates (NN) suffering from systemic candidosis and from nurses in order to determine the relatedness between NN and health workers’ strains. Thirty‐one C. albicans strains were isolated from 18 NN admitted...
Fungal leuconychia defines the clinical manifestations of white changes in onychomycosis. This uncommon clinical aspect is mostly seen, although not exclusively, in immunosuppressed patients. The principal isolated organism is Trichophyton spp. but the entity can also be caused by non‐dermatophyte moulds. The mechanism of infection is unclear; it could be acquired through the proximal nail fold, or,...
Naturally acquired disseminated dual infection caused by Candida famata and Candida catenulata was observed in a group of albino rats bred in an animal house for sale at Jabalpur, India. Out of 200 rats examined, 40 (20%) revealed disseminated infection from which 10 (5%) exhibited infection of the brain. Mixed colonies of C. famata and C. catenulata were isolated in culture from brain, heart, lungs,...
We have developed a two‐step PCR assay that amplifies a region of the ceja‐1 sequence that is specific for virulent strains of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. An internal region of the ceja‐1 sequence was chosen for designing primers that were utilised in a single tube heminested PCR protocol to amplify DNA from six virulent strains. PCR specificity was determined by the absence of amplified products...
Considerable changes in the dermatophyte spectrum have been observed in the past century. Hence, many authors point out the necessity of performing periodical overviews of the mycological flora producing mycoses in humans in a given area. Analysis of dermatophyte species was performed, which were isolated from the lesions in patients suspected of superficial mycosis and referred to the Department...
In the patients with HIV infection, fungal diseases may cause ulceration in the oral cavity; however, there have been few studies on oral ulcerative lesions associated with Candida in the patients without HIV infection. Our study included six patients with chronic oral ulcer of unknown origin; these patients were referred to our department after topical steroid therapy to the lesion was ineffective...
The present study was carried out to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of essential oils (EO) of Cymbopogon martini, Chenopodium ambrosioides and of their combination against dermatophytes and some filamentous fungi in vitro as well as in vivo using a guinea pig model. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of EOs and of their combination were found between 150 and 500 ppm, while those of known antifungal...