Article
Microbiology
Sophie Philips, Frederik Van Hoecke, Emmanuel De Laere, Steven Vervaeke, Roos De Smedt, Jerina Boelens, Deborah De Geyter, Denis Pierard, Katrien Lagrou
Summary: A comparison study was conducted on two colorimetric broth microdilution antifungal susceptibility tests, Sensititre YeastOne and MICRONAUT-AM, showing differences in susceptibility results for different antifungal agents. The choice of commercial system may affect the judgment of drug susceptibility.
Article
Microbiology
Marie Desnos-Ollivier, Olivier Lortholary, Stephane Bretagne, Francoise Dromer
Summary: Invasive yeast infections are a global public health issue with limited antifungal treatment options. Antifungal susceptibility profiles of 9,319 clinical isolates in France over 17 years showed high susceptibility of common species like Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis to azoles, while Candida glabrata and Pichia kudriavzevii exhibited decreased susceptibility. Furthermore, the study provided valuable information on azole susceptibility of rare and emerging yeast species like Clavispora lusitaniae, Saprochaete clavata, and others.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Wenqian Chang, Fangfang Bao, Zhenzhen Wang, Hong Liu, Furen Zhang
Summary: The Sensititre YeastOne (R) shows poor essential agreement with the reference method for dermatophytes, indicating that the M38-A2 should remain the standard procedure for antifungal susceptibility testing against dermatophytes.
Article
Pathology
Catriona L. Halliday, Kerry Weeks, Katarina Farac, Helen Alexiou, Wendy Green, Ronald Lopez, Yunus Sarun, Gerhard F. Weldhagen, Robyn Hardiman, Sharon C-A Chen, Sarah E. Kidd
Summary: This study validated the performance of the SYO microdilution plate in susceptibility testing of clinically relevant yeast and mould species. The results demonstrated that the SYO AUSNMRC1 plate provides a reliable means to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of isavuconazole with high reproducibility.
Article
Immunology
Eun Jeong Won, Min Ji Choi, Mi-Na Kim, Dongeun Yong, Wee Gyo Lee, Young Uh, Taek Soo Kim, Seung Ah Byeon, Seung Yeob Lee, Soo Hyun Kim, Jong Hee Shin
Summary: The study investigated clinical outcomes and molecular mechanisms of fluconazole-resistant Candida glabrata bloodstream infections. Results showed that high mortality rates in patients infected with isolates carrying Pdr1p mutations may be related to the resistance mechanism. Appropriate antifungal therapy was identified as the crucial factor in improving patient survival rates.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Maria Siopi, Ilektra Peroukidou, Maria-Ioanna Beredaki, Bram Spruijtenburg, Theun de Groot, Jacques F. Meis, Georgia Vrioni, Athanasios Tsakris, Spyros Pournaras, Joseph Meletiadis
Summary: There is significant variation in minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for amphotericin B (AMB) and C. auris depending on the antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) method. The Sensititre YeastOne (SYO) method, which is widely used in routine laboratory testing, has limited data regarding its performance for the AFST of C. auris. In this study, SYO overestimated AMB resistance in C. auris isolates when colorimetric MICs were used.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Sergio Alvarez-Perez, Blanca Anega, Juan A. Diaz-de-Tuesta, Juan Gonzalez-Martin, Mercedes Riesgo-Martinez, Marta E. Garcia, Jose L. Blanco
Summary: The study found that azoles showed good sensitivity while amphotericin B showed lower sensitivity in susceptibility testing of Prototheca bovis isolates. There was a high essential agreement in the sensitivity testing of azoles between the CLSI and Sensititre methods, but further optimization is needed for testing amphotericin B.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Min Zhang, Ziyi Zhou, Dongjiang Wang, Aiping Zhou, Guobin Song, Xingchun Chen, Jian Guo, Wenjuan Wu
Summary: This study evaluated the consistency between SYO and VITEK 2 for antifungal susceptibility testing of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. The results showed that SYO and VITEK 2 can be used for susceptibility testing of C. neoformans and C. gattii against fluconazole, voriconazole, and flucytosine. However, VITEK 2 has limitations in categorizing fluconazole resistance in C. neoformans.
Article
Microbiology
Ting-Shu Wu, Jung-Fu Lin, Chun-Wen Cheng, Po-Yen Huang, Jeng-How Yang
Summary: The relationship between antifungal susceptibility and treatment outcomes in patients with cryptococcus meningitis (CM) is not well understood. This study aimed to determine the antifungal susceptibility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) isolates using YEASTONE colorimetric broth microdilution and identify risk factors for mortality. The results showed high rates of resistance to fluconazole and flucytosine, while voriconazole had the lowest resistance rate. Factors such as concurrent cryptococcemia, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score, and CSF cryptococcus burden were independent predictors of poor prognosis.
Article
Dermatology
Mohammad Javad Najafzadeh, Somayeh Dolatabadi, Vania Aparecida Vicente, Gerrit Sybren de Hoog, Jacques F. Meis
Summary: This study investigated the in vitro activities of eight antifungal drugs against 126 clinical and environmental isolates of Exophiala species, revealing that posaconazole, itraconazole, and micafungin showed the best overall activity, while fluconazole was not considered an effective treatment choice. No significant difference was found in antifungal drug activities between different species of Exophiala, highlighting the importance of antifungal susceptibility data for managing this occasionally fatal infection.
Article
Microbiology
Jack D. Sobel, Robert Akins
Summary: Antifungal drug susceptibility tests (AST) are increasingly needed for women with refractory or recurrent Candida vaginitis due to fluconazole resistance. It is proposed that the AST be performed at pH 4.5 instead of the recommended pH 7.0, as testing at only pH 7.0 is likely to miss a significant number of clinically relevant azole-resistant C. albicans vaginal isolates.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Tsidiso G. Maphanga, Ruth S. Mpembe, Serisha D. Naicker, Nelesh P. Govender
Summary: The study investigated the susceptibility of South African Candida auris bloodstream surveillance isolates to manogepix and other registered antifungal agents, showing that manogepix exhibited potent activity against all isolates, including those resistant to multiple antifungal agents and in different clades. The data support manogepix as a promising candidate for the treatment of C. auris infections.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Xin-Fei Chen, Han Zhang, Xin-Miao Jia, Jin Cao, Li Li, Xin-Lan Hu, Ning Li, Yu-Ling Xiao, Fei Xia, Li-Yan Ye, Qing-Feng Hu, Xiao-Li Wu, Li-Ping Ning, Po-Ren Hsueh, Xin Fan, Shu-Ying Yu, Jing-Jing Huang, Xiu-Li Xie, Wen-Hang Yang, Ying-Xing Li, Ge Zhang, Jing-Jia Zhang, Si-Meng Duan, Wei Kang, Tong Wang, Jin Li, Meng Xiao, Xin Hou, Ying-Chun Xu
Summary: Candida duobushaemulonii, a closely related species to Candida auris, can cause invasive and non-invasive infections in humans. It shows high resistance to amphotericin B and some resistance to 5-flucytosine.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Xin-Fei Chen, Wei Zhang, Xin Fan, Xin Hou, Xiao-Yu Liu, Jing-Jing Huang, Wei Kang, Ge Zhang, Han Zhang, Wen-Hang Yang, Ying-Xing Li, Jin-Wen Wang, Da-Wen Guo, Zi-Yong Sun, Zhong-Ju Chen, Ling-Gui Zou, Xue-Fei Du, Yu-Hong Pan, Bin Li, Hong He, Ying-Chun Xu
Summary: Diutina catenulata, a commonly used yeast species, exhibits high resistance to certain antifungal drugs, which may present a challenge in clinical treatment.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Tsidiso G. Maphanga, Serisha D. Naicker, Stanford Kwenda, Jose F. Munoz, Erika van Schalkwyk, Jeannette Wadula, Trusha Nana, Arshad Ismail, Jennifer Coetzee, Chetna Govind, Phillip S. Mtshali, Ruth S. Mpembe, Nelesh P. Govender
Summary: A study on Candida auris isolates from South African hospitals revealed a high prevalence of multidrug resistance, particularly to azoles. Even phenotypically susceptible isolates showed mutations in resistance genes, indicating a complex pattern of antifungal resistance in this fungal pathogen.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Textiles
Flavio De Maio, Giulia Santarelli, Valentina Palmieri, Giordano Perini, Alessandro Salustri, Ivana Palucci, Giovanni Delli Carpini, Alberto Augello, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Marco De Spirito, Michela Sali, Giovanni Delogu, Massimiliano Papi
Summary: Respiratory tract infections are the leading cause of death from infectious diseases globally, with COVID-19 adding to the burden of existing respiratory tract infections like tuberculosis. Graphene and curcumin can be used to create fabric coatings on cotton and polyester, providing personal protective equipment that is resistant to infectious agents.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Luca Masucci, Silvia D'Ippolito, Flavio De Maio, Gianluca Quaranta, Roberta Mazzarella, Delia Mercedes Bianco, Roberta Castellani, Annalisa Inversetti, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Antonio Gasbarrini, Giovanni Scambia, Nicoletta Di Simone
Summary: The incidence of Idiopathic Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL) is higher in patients with Celiac Disease (CD) and is associated with genetic components HLA-DQ2 and DQ8. This study evaluated the microbiota of endometrial and vaginal samples in RPL patients with and without HLA-DQ2/DQ8, as well as healthy pregnant women. The results showed significant differences in the composition of Lactobacillus species in the RPL groups compared to the controls.
Article
Immunology
Domenico Pascucci, Adriano Grossi, Alberto Lontano, Eleonora Marziali, Mario Cesare Nurchis, Vincenzo Maria Grassi, Matteo Raponi, Giuseppe Vetrugno, Giovanni Capelli, Giovanna Elisa Calabro, Domenico Staiti, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Gianfranco Damiani, Patrizia Laurenti
Summary: This study evaluates the duration of protection provided by the booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in healthcare workers and analyzes the factors associated with post-booster vaccination infections. The study found that the risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 increased over time, and it was significantly higher for females, younger patients, and individuals who received a hybrid immunity. The study highlights the importance of continuous monitoring of vaccine-induced immunogenicity.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Gennaro De Pascale, Gabriele Pintaudi, Lucia Lisi, Flavio De Maio, Salvatore Lucio Cutuli, Eloisa Sofia Tanzarella, Simone Carelli, Gianmarco Lombardi, Melania Cesarano, Veronica Gennenzi, Gabriella Maria Pia Ciotti, Domenico Luca Grieco, Brunella Posteraro, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Pierluigi Navarra, Massimo Antonelli
Summary: This study investigated the clinical use of high-dose aerosolized colistin for COS-AB VAP patients in the ICU. The results showed that this strategy was safe and effective, but its specific role and efficacy in this setting still need further investigation.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Delia Mercedes Bianco, Flavio De Maio, Giulia Santarelli, Ivana Palucci, Alessandro Salustri, Giada Bianchetti, Giuseppe Maulucci, Franco Citterio, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Enrica Tamburrini, Michela Sali, Giovanni Delogu
Summary: Despite being investigated as a host-directed therapy in treating tuberculosis, Everolimus showed no direct or indirect activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Even in an immunosuppressed patient, Everolimus did not affect the viability of Mtb and had minimal impact in host cells during infection. This case emphasizes the importance of careful drug repurposing and pre-clinical experimental studies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Flavio De Maio, Giacomo Grotti, Francesco Mariani, Danilo Buonsenso, Giulia Santarelli, Delia Mercedes Bianco, Brunella Posteraro, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Claudia Rendeli
Summary: It was previously believed that the human bladder is sterile, but recent advances in molecular biology have shown the presence of microorganisms in the urinary tract. Understanding the relationship between urobiota and urinary tract disorders has become a significant research focus. Patients with spina bifida (SB), a condition that can lead to neurogenic bladder and increased susceptibility to urinary tract infections, often undergo clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) for treatment. This study aims to investigate the urobiota composition in SB patients compared to healthy controls and explore the urobiota characteristics in relation to CIC.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eliza Kramarska, Flavio De Maio, Giovanni Delogu, Rita Berisio
Summary: This study used AlphaFold2.0 computations to model the polymorphic forms of the PE_PGRS33 protein. Through sequence distribution, phylogenetic and antigenic prediction analyses, the structural impact of the observed mutations was predicted. The results correlated well with the observed frequency and phenotypic features, and protein variants associated with bacterial evolution were identified.
Article
Microbiology
Alessandro Salustri, Flavio De Maio, Valentina Palmieri, Giulia Santarelli, Ivana Palucci, Delia Mercedes Bianco, Federica Marchionni, Silvia Bellesi, Gabriele Ciasca, Giordano Perini, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Michela Sali, Massimiliano Papi, Marco De Spirito, Giovanni Delogu
Summary: Graphene Oxide has been proposed as a potential adjuvant to improve anti-TB treatment by trapping mycobacteria and limiting their entry into macrophages. However, our findings show that graphene oxide is not effective in clearing Mycobacterium tuberculosis in human immune cells, possibly due to its toxic effects on monocytes and CD4+ lymphocytes.
Review
Microbiology
Davide Lo Porto, Andrea Cona, Francesca Todaro, Elena De Carolis, Francesca Cardinale, Neha Hafeez, Giuseppina Di Martino, Pier Giulio Conaldi, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Paolo Antonio Grossi, Alessandra Mularoni
Summary: Phaeohyphomycosis is a diverse infection caused by pigmented fungi, and solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk due to immunosuppression. In this study, three successful cases of phaeohyphomycosis in transplant recipients were treated with surgery and antifungal therapy. A literature review revealed a wide range of fungal species, with Alternaria being the most common. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial in preventing disease dissemination.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Margherita Cacaci, Damiano Squitieri, Valentina Palmieri, Riccardo Torelli, Giordano Perini, Michela Campolo, Maura Di Vito, Massimiliano Papi, Brunella Posteraro, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Francesca Bugli
Summary: The antimicrobial activity of graphene oxide (GO) and curcumin-graphene oxide (GO/CU) against C. parapsilosis was evaluated for the first time. The results showed that GO/CU has anti-planktonic, anti-adhesive, and anti-biofilm properties, with a 72% reduction in cell viability and an 85% decrease in extracellular substances (EPS) secretion after 72 hours of incubation.
Article
Pediatrics
Danilo Buonsenso, Piero Valentini, Francesco Mariani, Silvia Di Noi, Sofia Mazza, Ivana Palucci, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Michela Sali
Summary: The use of salivary swabs (SS) to detect SARS-CoV-2 in adults and children during the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely studied. However, the role of SS in detecting other respiratory viruses in children is not well investigated. This study found that SS has a relatively low sensitivity in detecting common respiratory viruses in children, especially in younger children or those with smaller amounts of saliva collected. New strategies to improve saliva collection are needed for testing on a larger study population.
Article
Plant Sciences
Silvia Rizzo, Maura Di Vito, Elena Mazzinelli, Ilaria Favuzzi, Riccardo Torelli, Margherita Cacaci, Alessandro Arcovito, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Stefania Garzoli, Giuseppina Nocca, Francesca Bugli
Summary: Researchers have created a delivery system for cinnamaldehyde (CIN) using PLGA microparticles (CIN-MPs) to combat antibiotic resistance of microorganisms. The conveyed CIN increased the antifungal effects, especially against antibiotic-resistant strains of Candida spp. The slow and prolonged release of CIN from the PLGA MPs ensured a constant and uniform concentration within the cells.
Editorial Material
Immunology
Flavio De Maio, Barbara Fiori, Delia M. Bianco, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Michela Sali
IMMUNITY INFLAMMATION AND DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Carla Bromuro, Brunella Posteraro, Rita Murri, Massimo Fantoni, Mario Tumbarello, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Rosanna Dattilo, Roberto Cauda, Antonio Cassone, Antonella Torosantucci, Floyd L. Wormley
Summary: In this retrospective study, antibody immunity in candidemia patients was evaluated by analyzing sera taken at candidemia diagnosis. The presence of IgG antibodies against Candida antigens Als3, Mp65, Hyr1, and Eno1 were observed in all patients at significantly higher levels compared to non-candidemia controls. Antibodies against Als3 and Mp65 were found to be associated with lower 30-day patient mortality. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the antibody response against Als3 and Mp65, along with other variables, could accurately predict candidemia outcome.