Article
Critical Care Medicine
Daniele Roberto Giacobbe, Silvia Dettori, Vincenzo Di Pilato, Erika Asperges, Lorenzo Ball, Enora Berti, Ola Blennow, Bianca Bruzzone, Laure Calvet, Federico Capra Marzani, Antonio Casabella, Sofia Choudaly, Anais Dartevel, Gennaro De Pascale, Gabriele Di Meco, Melissa Fallon, Louis-Marie Galerneau, Miguel Gallego, Mauro Giacomini, Adolfo Gonzalez Saez, Luise Haensel, Giancarlo Icardi, Philipp Koehler, Katrien Lagrou, Tobias Lahmer, P. Lewis White, Laura Magnasco, Anna Marchese, Cristina Marelli, Mercedes Marin-Arriaza, Ignacio Martin-Loeches, Armand Mekontso-Dessap, Malgorzata Mikulska, Alessandra Mularoni, Anna Nordlander, Julien Poissy, Giovanna Russelli, Alessio Signori, Carlo Tascini, Louis-Maxime Vaconsin, Joel Vargas, Antonio Vena, Joost Wauters, Paolo Pelosi, Jean-Francois Timsit, Matteo Bassetti
Summary: This study describes the characteristics of ICU patients undergoing diagnostic workup for PJP, and finds that PJP is most common in non-HIV patients. The results also suggest that combining serum BDG with respiratory Pneumocystis PCR can improve the accuracy of PJP diagnosis.
Article
Microbiology
Angel Moreno, David Epstein, Indre Budvytiene, Niaz Banaei
Summary: Pneumocystis jirovecii plasma cell-free DNA PCR can noninvasively detect Pneumocystis pneumonia, especially suitable for patients who cannot tolerate bronchoscopy.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Willy W. Y. Ng, Yolanda I. I. Ho, Ann H. Wong, Eddie C. M. Leung, Alfred L. H. Lee, Viola C. Y. Chow
Summary: Both PneumID PCR and Amplex eazyplex LAMP assay enable accurate diagnosis of definite Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP). PneumID assay was more sensitive than eazyplex assay for detection of P. jirovecii. However, differentiation between probable PJP from colonization was not feasible.
Article
Immunology
Magdalena Szydlowicz, Barbara Krolak-Olejnik, Sergio L. Vargas, Zaneta Zajaczkowska, Dorota Paluszynska, Anna Szczygiel, Olga Matos, Andrzej B. Hendrich, Marta Kicia
Summary: The study revealed the prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii in mother-infant pairs of very low birth weight newborns, with Pneumocystis DNA detected in both newborns and mothers. The finding of Pneumocystis detection immediately after birth suggests the possibility of its transplacental transmission, and colonized infants were more likely to develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia, indicating a potential clinical importance of this pathogen in abnormal lung development.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Flora Marzia Liotti, Brunella Posteraro, Giulia De Angelis, Riccardo Torelli, Elena De Carolis, Domenico Speziale, Giulia Menchinelli, Teresa Spanu, Maurizio Sanguinetti
Summary: In the study, a PCR assay targeting the Pneumocystis jirovecii DHFR gene was developed and showed good analytical performance. Testing BAL fluid samples from suspected PCP patients with the PCR assay provided more accurate determination of PCP compared to the IFA method.
Article
Microbiology
Corrie R. Belanger, Kerstin Locher, Billie Velapatino, Philippe J. Dufresne, Eric Eckbo, Marthe Charles
Summary: This study compared two commercial real-time PCR assays for the detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii. The results showed good concordance between the two methods for positive and negative samples, but discordant results occurred mainly in samples with low fungal loads.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Debora Raysa Teixeira de Sousa, Joao Ricardo da Silva Neto, Roberto Moreira da Silva, Katia Santana Cruz, Sven Poppert, Hagen Frickmann, Joao Vicente Braga Souza
Summary: This study evaluated a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay compared to Grocott's staining and real-time PCR. The results showed that the FISH assay had high sensitivity in lung tissue, but lacked specificity in paraffin-embedded biopsies. In respiratory secretions, the FISH assay demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for diagnostic application.
Article
Dermatology
Margot Salse, Victor Mercier, Marie-Jose Carles, Catherine Lechiche, Milene Sasso
Summary: The study evaluated the performance of the RealStar(R) P jirovecii PCR kit for PCP diagnosis, showing excellent concordance with an in-house PCR. The kit performed well in samples from patients with proven and probable PCP, but had a lower percentage of positive samples in the possible PCP category.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Julien Senecal, Elizabeth Smyth, Olivier Del Corpo, Jimmy M. Hsu, Alexandre Amar-Zifkin, Amy Bergeron, Matthew P. Cheng, Guillaume Butler-Laporte, Emily G. McDonald, Todd C. Lee
Summary: The study systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the performance of minimally invasive PCP detection tests, highlighting induced sputum as highly sensitive and specific. Other testing modalities also showed diagnostic promise. Promising minimally invasive PCP diagnostic tests are available, potentially reducing the need for invasive respiratory sampling and improving clinical diagnosis of PCP.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Romain Lecuyer, Nahema Issa, Benoit Tessoulin, Rose-Anne Lavergne, Florent Morio, Frederic Gabriel, Emmanuel Canet, Celine Bressollette-Bodin, Aurelie Guillouzouic, David Boutoille, Francois Raffi, Raphael Lecomte, Paul Le Turnier, Colin Deschanvres, Fabrice Camou, Benjamin Jean Gaborit
Summary: Respiratory cytomegalovirus (CMV) coinfection at diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) is independently associated with increased 90-day mortality, specifically in HIV-negative patients. This suggests that CMV coinfection may have an adverse impact on the prognosis of PcP patients.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Iacopo Franconi, Alessandro Leonildi, Gianluca Erra, Roberta Fais, Marco Falcone, Emilia Ghelardi, Antonella Lupetti
Summary: This study compared the performance of microscopy, molecular assays, and beta-D-glucan diagnosis in bronchoalveolar-lavage fluids from patients with suspected Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. The results showed that molecular methods had higher sensitivity and shorter diagnostic time, which is important in diagnosing this rare but severe and rapidly progressive infection.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Sarah Delliere, Samia Hamane, Nesrine Aissaoui, Maud Gits-Muselli, Stephane Bretagne, Alexandre Alanio
Summary: Optimal sensitivity in detecting low Pneumocystis loads is crucial for preventing Pneumocystis pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. A new commercial RTqPCR was found to be more sensitive and faster in detecting Pneumocystis in respiratory samples compared to routine in-house qPCR assays in this study.
Article
Pathology
Shu Jin Tan, Todd Matthew Pryce, Erin Judith Haygarth, Peter Alan Boan
Summary: The study demonstrated the utility of a Pneumocystis jirovecii quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in distinguishing disease from colonization, with varying sensitivity and specificity in HIV and non-HIV patients. Standardization of methods and definitions is necessary for improving generalizability of results.
Article
Microbiology
Cristina Veintimilla, Ana Alvarez-Uria, Pablo Martin-Rabadan, Maricela Valerio, Marina Machado, Belen Padilla, Roberto Alonso, Cristina Diez, Patricia Munoz, Mercedes Marin
Summary: This study compared the performance of real-time PCR and immunofluorescence assay (IFA) in a large microbiology laboratory. The PCR test showed higher sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for diagnosing PJP compared to the IFA. Therefore, PCR is a robust and reliable method for diagnosing PJP.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tae-Ok Kim, Jae-Kyeong Lee, Yong-Soo Kwon, Yu-Il Kim, Sung-Chul Lim, Min-Seok Kim, Bo Gun Kho, Cheol-Kyu Park, In-Jae Oh, Young-Chul Kim, Ha Young Park, Hong-Joon Shin
Summary: This study compared the clinical characteristics and prognoses between patients with and without immunocompromised conditions who developed Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP). The findings revealed that patients without immunocompromised conditions had higher mortality rates and delayed anti-PCP treatment was associated with increased 90-day mortality.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
George R. Thompson III, Alex Soriano, Oliver A. Cornely, Bart Jan Kullberg, Marin Kollef, Jose Vazquez, Patrick M. Honore, Matteo Bassetti, John Pullman, Methee Chayakulkeeree, Ivan Poromanski, Cecilia Dignani, Anita F. Das, Taylor Sandison, Peter G. Pappas
Summary: This study compared the efficacy and safety of intravenous rezafungin with intravenous caspofungin in the treatment of candidaemia and invasive candidiasis. The results showed that rezafungin was non-inferior to caspofungin in terms of efficacy and safety.
Article
Surgery
Anne E. Friedland, Eileen K. Maziarz, Cameron R. Wolfe, Chetan B. Patel, Priyesh Patel, Carmelo A. Milano, Jacob N. Schroder, Mani A. Daneshmand, Richard J. Wallace Jr, Barbara D. Alexander, Arthur W. Baker
Summary: This study retrospectively reviewed cases of non-tuberculous mycobacteria infections in orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) and ventricular assist device (VAD) recipients at our hospital from 2013 to 2016. The results showed that despite aggressive medical and surgical management, these patients had a low survival rate.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jigar Desai, Dhaneshwar Kumar, Tilo Freiwald, Daniel Chauss, Melissa D. Johnson, Michael S. Abers, Julie M. Steinbrink, John R. Perfect, Barbara Alexander, Vasiliki Matzaraki, Brendan D. Snarr, Marissa A. Zarakas, Vasileios Oikonomou, Lakmali M. Silva, Raju Shivarathri, Emily Beltran, Luciana Negro Demontel, Luopin Wang, Jean K. Lim, Dylan Launder, Heather R. Conti, Muthulekha Swamydas, Micah T. McClain, Niki M. Moutsopoulos, Majid Kazemian, Mihai G. Netea, Vinod Kumar, Jorg Kohl, Claudia Kemper, Behdad Afzali, Michail S. Lionakis
Summary: Systemic candidiasis, a common and high-mortality nosocomial fungal infection, can be a complication of anti-complement C5-targeted monoclonal antibody treatment, which highlights the important role of C5 in antifungal immunity. Transcription of complement system genes was found to be the top biological pathway induced in candidemic patients and predictive of candidemia. Mechanistically, C5a-C5aR1 promotes fungal clearance and host survival in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis by enhancing phagocyte effector function and ensuring survival in infected tissues. Local production of C5 by phagocytes provides a crucial substrate for antifungal protection.
Article
Pediatrics
Jane E. Brumbaugh, Betty R. Vohr, Edward F. Bell, Carla M. Bann, Colm P. Travers, Elisabeth C. Mcgowan, Heidi M. Harmon, Waldemar A. Carlo, Andrea F. Duncan, Susan R. Hintz
Summary: This study aims to analyze the relationship between social determinants of health (SDOH) and outcomes for extremely preterm infants. The results showed that infants born to mothers with public/no insurance had older postmenstrual age (PMA) at discharge and were more likely to be readmitted. Children exposed to multiple risk-associated SDOH at birth had higher rates of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) and death postdischarge compared to those not exposed.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Matthew E. Mead, Patricia Alves L. de Castro, Jacob L. Steenwyk, Jean-Pierre Gangneux, Martin Hoenigl, Juergen Prattes, Riina Rautemaa-Richardson, Helene B. Guegan, Caroline B. Moore, Cornelia Lass-Floerl, Florian Reizine, Clara Valero, Norman J. Van Rhijn, Michael J. Bromley, Antonis H. Rokas, Gustavo H. Goldman, Sara Gago, ECMM CAPA Study Grp
Summary: Secondary infections caused by Aspergillus fumigatus are a major cause of death in severe COVID-19 patients. Genomic analysis of 11 A. fumigatus isolates from CAPA patients in Europe revealed that CAPA isolates do not cluster based on geographic origin. Phenotypically, CAPA isolates are more similar to the A1160 reference strain, but differ from the Af293 strain in infection-relevant stresses. Further research is needed to understand the molecular epidemiology of CAPA and identify genetic factors contributing to copathogenicity and antifungal resistance in COVID-19 patients.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Liyanage Shamithra Madhumali Sigera, David W. Denning
Summary: Over 95,000 renal transplantation procedures were completed in 2021. Invasive aspergillosis (IA) affects about 1 in 250 to 1 in 43 renal transplant recipients. Major risk factors for IA include old age, diabetes mellitus, delayed graft function, acute graft rejection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cytomegalovirus disease, and neutropenia. Typical pulmonary features of IA include fever, dyspnea, cough, and hemoptysis. The fastest means of establishing the diagnosis is bronchoscopy for direct microscopy, fungal culture, and Aspergillus antigen testing.
Review
Biology
Bassey E. Ekeng, Asa E. Itam-Eyo, Iriagbonse I. Osaigbovo, Adilia Warris, Rita O. Oladele, Felix Bongomin, David W. Denning
Summary: This study compared the clinical presentation of gastrointestinal histoplasmosis (GIH) in individuals with and without HIV infection. The findings showed that while GIH is more common in individuals with HIV infection, it also affects individuals without HIV infection who exhibit similar clinical manifestations.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Dima Ibrahim, Jennifer Byrns, Eileen Maziarz, Barbara D. D. Alexander, Jennifer L. L. Saullo
Summary: Retrospective study indicates that the use of Letermovir for prophylaxis against cytomegalovirus infection in abdominal organ transplantation is feasible, but its effectiveness as secondary prophylaxis is limited. Further clinical trials are needed to assess the safety and efficacy of Letermovir prophylaxis in solid organ transplant recipients.
JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Zhaolun Li, David W. Denning
Summary: Corticosteroids have a complex relationship with fungal diseases, posing risks for some and benefits for others. This systematic review examines the impact of corticosteroids on mortality and visual outcome in various fungal diseases. The findings show that corticosteroids increase the risk and worsen outcomes in aspergillosis, candidemia, mucormycosis, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, and early fungal keratitis.
CURRENT FUNGAL INFECTION REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Farnaz Daneshnia, Amir Arastehfar, Lisa Lombardi, Ulrike Binder, Jakob Scheler, Roya Vahedi Shahandashti, Ferry Hagen, Cornelia Lass-Floerl, Michael K. Mansour, Geraldine Butler, David S. Perlin
Summary: Candida parapsilosis is a significant cause of candidemia worldwide. Mutations in the FKS1 gene outside the hotspot regions can result in a higher level of echinocandin tolerance, potentially leading to the development of echinocandin resistance. This study supports the cataloging of these mutations for better understanding and management of Candida parapsilosis infections.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Sybren de Hoog, Thomas J. Walsh, Sarah A. Ahmed, Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo, Barbara D. Alexander, Maiken Cavling Arendrup, Esther Babady, Feng-Yan Bai, Joan-Miquel Balada-Llasat, Andrew Borman, Anuradha Chowdhary, Andrew Clark, Robert C. Colgrove, Oliver A. Cornely, Tanis C. Dingle, Philippe J. Dufresne, Jeff Fuller, Jean-Pierre Gangneux, Connie Gibas, Heather Glasgow, Yvonne Graeser, Jacques Guillot, Andreas H. Groll, Gerhard Haase, Kimberly Hanson, Amanda Harrington, David L. Hawksworth, Randall T. Hayden, Martin Hoenigl, Vit Hubka, Kristie Johnson, Julianne V. Kus, Ruoyu Li, Jacques F. Meis, Michaela Lackner, Fanny Lanternier, Sixto M. Leal Jr, Francesca Lee, Shawn R. Lockhart, Paul Luethy, Isabella Martin, Kyung J. Kwon-Chung, Wieland Meyer, M. Hong Nguyen, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Elizabeth Palavecino, Preeti Pancholi, Peter G. Pappas, Gary W. Procop, Scott A. Redhead, Daniel D. Rhoads, Stefan Riedel, Bryan Stevens, Kaede Ota Sullivan, Paschalis Vergidis, Emmanuel Roilides, Amir Seyedmousavi, Lili Tao, Vania A. Vicente, Roxana G. Vitale, Qi-Ming Wang, Nancy L. Wengenack, Lars Westblade, Nathan Wiederhold, Lewis White, Christina M. Wojewoda, Sean X. Zhang
Summary: The rapid pace of name changes of medically important fungi creates challenges for clinical laboratories and clinicians. Suggestions are made to reduce the number of name changes and provide diagnostic markers. It is recommended to maintain stability at the genus level and report both overarching species and molecular siblings. An open access online database of all medically important fungi names is essential, and new name changes should be reviewed routinely by a standing committee.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Miriam Govrins, Cornelia Lass-Floerl
Summary: This review summarizes the important yeast species, representatives of the Candida parapsilosis complex, which cause a wide range of human infections, including candidaemia. The complex shows high minimal inhibitory concentrations for antifungal drugs and clonal outbreaks of drug-resistant strains have emerged. The review provides the latest medical data on epidemiology, diagnosis, resistance, and treatment approaches for the complex, as well as comparing the three sister species and highlighting new treatment options.
NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
M. Hong Nguyen, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Peter G. Pappas, Thomas J. Walsh, Joseph Bubalo, Barbara D. Alexander, Marisa H. Miceli, Jeanette Jiang, Yi Song, George R. Thompson
Summary: This study assessed the real-world use of mold-active triazoles (MATs) for the prevention of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) and found that MATs were effective in preventing IFDs and had a low discontinuation rate due to adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Letter
Immunology
David W. Denning
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cornelia Lass-Floerl, Stephan Steixner
Summary: Invasive fungal diseases are common and concerning complications in critically ill patients and those with imbalanced immune systems. The incidence of fungal co-, and/or super-infections is increasing, with different dominant pathogens observed in different regions. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant rise in the occurrence of invasive fungal diseases among hospitalized patients.
MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF MEDICINE
(2023)