Article
Microbiology
Chris Kosmidis, Akan Otu, Caroline B. Moore, Malcolm D. Richardson, Riina Rautemaa-Richardson
Summary: Isavuconazole shows promising pharmacokinetic and safety profiles in patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. Lower daily doses may be sufficient to maintain adequate drug levels and lead to better tolerability, enabling long-term therapy continuation.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Armani M. Hawes, Nitipong Permpalung
Summary: This article describes the current diagnostic landscape of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) and reviews the existing literature on antifungal prophylaxis. There is inconsistency in the definitions of CAPA and limitations in the performance of diagnostic tests, making diagnosis challenging. There are limited studies on antifungal prophylaxis for CAPA, with small sample sizes and inherent bias in retrospective studies. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, it becomes more important to recognize fungal-after-viral complications among immunocompromised patients. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to better understand the role of antifungal prophylaxis.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Kazuhito Nomura, Sonoko Sakawaki, Eiji Sakawaki, Ayumu Yamaoka, Wakiko Aisaka, Hiroyuki Okamoto, Yoshihiro Takeyama, Shuji Uemura, Eichi Narimatsu
Summary: Malignant catatonia (MC) is a movement disorder syndrome characterized by immobility, rigidity, and consciousness disorders that develops in association with mental and physical diseases. It differs from NMS in that treatment with gamma-aminobutyric acid A agonists is more effective. Benzodiazepines are ineffective for most patients with schizophrenia, but propofol and quetiapine can be effective in facilitating diagnosis and treatment.
Article
Microbiology
Ali Nuh, Newara Ramadan, Anand Shah, Darius Armstrong-James
Summary: This study evaluated the utility of sputum galactomannan antigen testing in the diagnosis of chronic forms of pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with respiratory diseases. The results showed satisfactory agreement between sputum galactomannan and clinical diagnosis, Aspergillus culture, and Aspergillus IgG tests. The cut-off value of sputum galactomannan was determined to be 0.71, with a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 71% in diagnosing pulmonary aspergillosis.
Review
Microbiology
Aleksandra Barac, Ankica Vujovic, Ana Drazic, Goran Stevanovic, Bianca Paglietti, Katarina Lukic, Maja Stojanovic, Mihailo Stjepanovic
Summary: Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis is a lung disease with a poor prognosis and challenges in diagnosis due to non-specific symptoms and lack of awareness. Serological tests play a significant role but need to be combined with other diagnostic methods.
Article
Mycology
Inderpaul Singh Sehgal, Sahajal Dhooria, Shivaprakash M. Rudramurthy, Kuruswamy Thurai Prasad, Valliappan Muthu, Ashutosh Nath Aggarwal, Mandeep Garg, Pulkit Rastogi, Ritesh Agarwal
Summary: This study investigates the diagnostic performance of serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). The results show that both ESR and CRP have limited sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing CPA, and their trends also vary following treatment.
Article
Microbiology
Andres F. Henao-Martinez, Daniel B. Chastain, George R. Thompson III
Summary: Despite advancements in diagnosing and treating invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), limited knowledge of real-world treatment pathways and medication switches exists. A study on 5,410 IPA patients found that the most common initial treatments were voriconazole (49%), fluconazole (11%), and posaconazole (7%). The majority of patients remained on voriconazole (80%) or isavuconazole (78%) throughout treatment, while switches were more frequent for those initially treated with fluconazole, echinocandins, or posaconazole.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Chris Kosmidis, Holly Smith, Guy Mollett, Chris Harris, Suha Akili, Rohit Bazaz
Summary: Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is associated with significant mortality. Inflammatory markers and Aspergillus IgG are predictors of mortality in CPA. Early optimized treatment of CPA may lead to improved outcomes.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Bogdan Moldoveanu, Alessandra Morello Gearhart, Bilal A. Jalil, Mohamed Saad, Juan J. Guardiola
Summary: Aspergillus species are commonly found in the environment and can cause various lung diseases when inhaled. Clinical syndromes of pulmonary Aspergillosis depend on the interaction between Aspergillus and the host's immune status and prior lung conditions.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Yunjoo Im, Byung Woo Jhun, Eun-Suk Kang, Won-Jung Koh, Kyeongman Jeon
Summary: For patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), extending antifungal therapy beyond 12 months can significantly reduce the recurrence rate.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Yoojin Nam, Seong Mi Moon, Beomsu Shin, Nak Gyeong Ko, Junho An, Yu Mi Wi, Kyung Soo Lee
Summary: This study investigated the clinical and CT findings of CCPA patients receiving antifungal therapy. The results showed that cavity wall thickness decreased with antifungal therapy. Additionally, the initial cavity size and concurrent NTM infection were found to be related to poor response to antifungal therapy.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
John A. Belperio, Faisal Shaikh, Fereidoun G. Abtin, Michael C. Fishbein, S. Samuel Weigt, Rajan Saggar, Joseph P. Lynch
Summary: Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory granulomatous disease that affects 2 to 160 people per 100,000 worldwide and can involve any organ. Approximately 10% to 30% of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis develop progressive disease, and over 60% of deaths are due to advanced pulmonary sarcoidosis.
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Paul E. Verweij, Roger J. M. Bruggemann, Elie Azoulay, Matteo Bassetti, Stijn Blot, Jochem B. Buil, Thierry Calandra, Tom Chiller, Cornelius J. Clancy, Oliver A. Cornely, Pieter Depuydt, Philipp Koehler, Katrien Lagrou, Dylan de Lange, Cornelia Lass-Florl, Russell E. Lewis, Olivier Lortholary, Peter-Wei Lun Liu, Johan Maertens, M. Hong Nguyen, Thomas F. Patterson, Bart J. A. Rijnders, Alejandro Rodriguez, Thomas R. Rogers, Jeroen A. Schouten, Joost Wauters, Frank L. van de Veerdonk, Ignacio Martin-Loeches
Summary: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is increasingly reported in severe COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU. The diagnosis and management of COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) are challenging, with bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage as key diagnostic tools. Treatment includes antifungal therapy tailored to the individual patient's clinical condition.
INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Qian He, Min Li, Jiaqi Cao, Ming Zhang, Chunlai Feng
Summary: The study found that plasma Dectin-1 and IL-17 levels are significantly elevated in bronchiectasis patients with IPA, and the sensitivity of Dectin-1 and IL-17 in plasma is superior to GM for diagnosing IPA in patients with bronchiectasis.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Xiaoxu Ma, Suping Zhang, Haizhou Xing, Huiling Li, Jiajun Chen, Haijun Li, Mengfan Jiao, Qingmiao Shi, Aiguo Xu, Lihua Xing, Weijie Cao
Summary: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of using peripheral blood metagenomic next-generation sequencing for the rapid and non-invasive diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Anne Bergeron, Malgorzata Mikulska, Julien De Greef, Louise Bondeelle, Tomas Franquet, Jean-Louis Herrmann, Christoph Lange, Isabel Spriet, Murat Akova, J. Peter Donnelly, Johan Maertens, Georg Maschmeyer, Montserrat Rovira, Delia Goletti, Rafael de la Camara
Summary: Mycobacterial infections, including tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial infections, are more prevalent in patients with haematological malignancies and haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients than in the general population. The management of these infections is challenging due to drug-drug interactions and the need to consider the effect of delaying haematological management.
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Mycology
Tristan Born, Marion Aruanno, Eleftheria Kampouri, Matteo Mombelli, Pierre Monney, Piergiorgio Tozzi, Frederic Lamoth
Summary: Aspergillus endocarditis is a rare infection that may affect immunocompetent patients following heart valve replacement or heart surgery. This case report highlights the favorable outcome following surgery and prolonged antifungal therapy. Antifungal susceptibility testing showed good activity of amphotericin B, voriconazole, and echinocandins against planktonic cells of the A. tubingensis isolate. However, only amphotericin B displayed significant anti-biofilm activity. Our review of the literature found a high mortality rate for endocarditis caused by Aspergillus, emphasizing the importance of surgical management.
Article
Virology
Antonios Kritikos, Sophie Gabellon, Jean-Luc Pagani, Matteo Monti, Pierre-Yves Bochud, Oriol Manuel, Alix Coste, Gilbert Greub, Matthieu Perreau, Giuseppe Pantaleo, Antony Croxatto, Frederic Lamoth
Summary: This study assessed the correlation between the anti-SARS-CoV-2 serological response and COVID-19 outcome. The results showed that antibody titers gradually increased and were significantly higher in patients requiring invasive ventilation. Serum testing at admission may be a good predictor for identifying severe COVID-19 patients who will require invasive mechanical ventilation.
Article
Immunology
Johan Maertens, Tom Lodewyck, J. Peter Donnelly, Sylvain Chantepie, Christine Robin, Nicole Blijlevens, Pascal Turlure, Dominik Selleslag, Frederic Baron, Mickael Aoun, Werner J. Heinz, Hartmut Bertz, Zdenek Racil, Bernard Vandercam, Lubos Drgona, Valerie Coiteux, Cristina Castilla Llorente, Cornelia Schaefer-Prokop, Marianne Paesmans, Lieveke Ameye, Liv Meert, Kin Jip Cheung, Deborah A. Hepler, Juergen Loeffler, Rosemary Barnes, Oscar Marchetti, Paul Verweij, Frederic Lamoth, Pierre-Yves Bochud, Michael Schwarzinger, Catherine Cordonnier
Summary: In high-risk neutropenic patients, a preemptive antifungal strategy based on diagnostic screening is as effective as a fever-driven empiric approach, with improved safety.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Dimitri Durr, Tapio Niemi, Jeremie Despraz, Selin Tusgul, Fabrice Dami, Rachid Akrour, Pierre-Nicolas Carron, Marie-Annick Le Pogam, Thierry Calandra, Sylvain Meylan
Summary: In emergency department patients with suspected sepsis, NEWS score had higher sensitivity while qSOFA score had higher specificity and positive predictive values.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Antigone Kotsaki, Peter Pickkers, Michael Bauer, Thierry Calandra, Mihaela Lupse, W. Joost Wiersinga, Sylvain Meylan, Frank Bloos, Tom van der Poll, Marleen A. Slim, Niels van Mourik, Marcella C. A. Muller, Lonneke van Vught, Alexander P. J. Vlaar, Aline de Nooijer, Lieke Bakkerus, Sebastian Weis, Nikolaos Antonakos, Mihai G. Netea, Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis
Summary: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of precision immunotherapy on sepsis patients, focusing on the phenotypes of MALS and immunoparalysis. The study utilizes a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind design and stratifies patients using biomarkers. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.
Editorial Material
Critical Care Medicine
Werner C. Albrich, Frederic Lamoth
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
David Haefliger, Catia Marzolini, Frederic Lamoth, Thomas Pabst, Thierry Buclin, Francoise Livio
Summary: In patients with leukemia, Midostaurin is frequently used together with azole antifungals for the prevention or treatment of aspergillosis. Midostaurin is extensively metabolized by CYP3A4 and can inhibit and induce various CYP enzymes at therapeutic concentrations. Therefore, Midostaurin has a high potential for drug-drug interactions, both as a substrate and as a perpetrator.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Frederic Lamoth
Summary: Invasive candidiasis (IC) caused by Candida remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitals. The emergence of drug-resistant Candida species raises concerns due to the limited number of antifungal drugs available. However, recent advances in antifungal drug development offer promising prospects for IC treatment. Three novel antifungal agents, Rezafungin, Ibrexafungerp, and Fosmanogepix, currently in Phase II/III clinical trials, are expected to play an important role in future IC treatment. This review discusses the pharmacological properties and preclinical and clinical data of these novel antifungal drugs.
INFECTION AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Francois Danion, Anne Coste, Coralie Le Hyaric, Clea Melenotte, Frederic Lamoth, Thierry Calandra, Dea Garcia-Hermoso, Vishukumar Aimanianda, Fanny Lanternier, Olivier Lortholary
Summary: Mucormycosis is a rare and life-threatening fungal infection caused by molds of the order Mucorales. It mainly affects the lungs, following the rhino-orbito-cerebral (ROC) areas and the skin. Risk factors for pulmonary mucormycosis (PM) include hematological malignancies and solid organ transplantation, while ROC infections are commonly associated with diabetes mellitus. The diagnosis of PM relies on CT scans, cultures, PCR tests, and histology, and treatment involves liposomal amphotericin B as the first-line therapy.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Frederic Lamoth
Summary: Invasive mucormycosis (IM) is a deadly fungal infection that is increasingly reported in immunocompetent individuals, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. This review discusses the current advances in the diagnosis and treatment of IM, including the use of Mucorales-specific PCR and lateral-flow immunoassays for early diagnosis, as well as targeting spore coat proteins and boosting immune response as potential therapeutic approaches.
CURRENT FUNGAL INFECTION REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Oriol Manuel, Mirjam Laager, Cedric Hirzel, Dionysios Neofytos, Laura N. Walti, Gideon Hoenger, Isabelle Binet, Aurelia Schnyder, Susanne Stampf, Michael Koller, Matteo Mombelli, Min Jeong Kim, Matthias Hoffmann, Katrin Koenig, Christoph Hess, Anne-Valerie Burgener, Pietro E. Cippa, Kerstin Huebel, Thomas F. Mueller, Daniel Sidler, Suzan Dahdal, Franziska Suter-Riniker, Jean Villard, Andrea Zbinden, Giuseppe Pantaleo, Nasser Semmo, Karine Hadaya, Natalia Enriquez, Pascal R. Meylan, Marc Froissart, Dela Golshayan, Thomas Fehr, Uyen Huynh-Do, Manuel Pascual, Christian van Delden, Hans H. Hirsch, Peter Jueni, Nicolas J. Mueller, Swiss Transplant Cohort Study STCS
Summary: This study examined the use of immune monitoring to individualize the duration of antiviral prophylaxis after transplantation. The results showed that immune monitoring led to a significant reduction in prophylaxis duration, but did not establish noninferiority in terms of the primary outcome of CMV infection.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Frederic Lamoth, Marcio Nucci, Ana Fernandez-Cruz, Elie Azoulay, Fanny Lanternier, Jens Bremerich, Hermann Einsele, Elizabeth Johnson, Thomas Lehrnbecher, Toine Mercier, Luciana Porto, Paul E. Verweij, Lewis White, Johan Maertens, Alexandre Alanio
Summary: (1→3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) can be used as an adjunctive tool for diagnosing invasive mold infections (IMI) in immunosuppressed patients, with a sensitivity of around 80%. Its positivity often precedes conventional diagnostic methods in detecting IF and IS. Combining BDG and galactomannan testing may improve differentiation between different types of IMI.
Correction
Immunology
Frederic Lamoth, Russell E. Lewis, Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)