Article
Microbiology
Bram Spruijtenburg, Cynthea C. S. Z. Baqueiro, Arnaldo L. Colombo, Eelco F. J. Meijer, Joao N. de Almeida, Indira Berrio, Norma B. Fernandez, Guilherme M. Chaves, Jacques F. Meis, Theun de Groot
Summary: Candida tropicalis is a common opportunistic pathogen causing infections in Latin America, and the rise of antifungal-resistant isolates is becoming a concern. This study utilized short tandem repeat (STR) genotyping and antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) to investigate the population genomics and resistance patterns of 230 C. tropicalis isolates. The results revealed outbreak events, the presence of anidulafungin-resistant isolates, and azole resistance-associated substitutions. The findings highlight the importance of this STR genotyping scheme for identifying outbreaks and understanding the spread of antifungal-resistant C. tropicalis isolates.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Gina P. Rodriguez-Castano, Frank Rosenau, Ludger Staendker, Carolina Firacative
Summary: Expanding the antifungal drug arsenal is crucial for treating Candida infections, which are increasing in prevalence and often resistant to existing treatments. This review provides a comprehensive summary of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with anti-Candida activity that have undergone successful preclinical or clinical trials. The source, mode of action, and animal model of infection or clinical trial for these AMPs are presented. The advantages of combination therapy using AMPs and other drugs to fight Candida infections are also discussed.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Shinichi Morishita, Kazuki Ichikawa, Eugene W. Myers
Summary: This study presents an efficient algorithm that utilizes the characteristics of repetitive sequences to address the issue of high error rates in long-read sequencing technologies. The algorithm first estimates regions that may contain tandem repeats, and then assembles the k-mers of these regions into a consensus repeat unit by greedily traversing a de Bruijn graph. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the widely used Tandem Repeats Finder in terms of sensitivity.
Article
Microbiology
Tilman E. Klassert, Martin Hoelzer, Cristina Zubiria-Barrera, Julia Bethge, Esther Klaile, Mario M. Mueller, Manja Marz, Hortense Slevogt
Summary: Neutrophils exhibit distinct transcriptional profiles and stress-related pathways in response to different fungal pathogens compared to bacterial pathogens, highlighting their functional diversity and adaptability. The transcriptional response is largely redundant across all pathogens in immune-relevant categories and cytokine pathway activation, but differences in the magnitude of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are observed, with Aspergillus fumigatus inducing a lower transcriptional effect. Specific gene signatures associated with cell death are differentially regulated by fungal pathogens, potentially increasing neutrophil susceptibility to autophagy, pyroptosis, and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. These findings provide valuable insights into the complex immunological responses of neutrophils during fungal infections.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Simon D. P. Baugh, Anna Chaly, Damian G. Weaver, Jeffrey C. Pelletier, Sandeep Thanna, Katie B. Freeman, Allen B. Reitz, Richard W. Scott
Summary: The research team has developed a series of non-peptide antifungal analogs through chemical optimization, resulting in highly potent, broad-spectrum compounds with low mammalian cell cytotoxicity. These compounds have the potential to become new antifungal agents.
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Ana Carolina Ewbank, Aricia Duarte-Benvenuto, Roberta Zamana-Ramblas, Pedro Enrique Navas-Suarez, Marco Aurelio Gattamorta, Priscilla Carla Dos Santos-Costa, Jose Luiz Catao-Dias, Carlos Sacristan
Summary: This study investigated the occurrence of mycoses in free-ranging Magellanic penguins wintering in southeastern Brazil, confirming their susceptibility to fungal diseases. Fungal infections may be influenced by poor body condition, impaired immunity, and challenges related to migration.
BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Badre Eddine Lmimouni, Christophe Hennequin, Richard O. S. Penney, David W. Denning
Summary: This study estimated for the first time the incidence and prevalence of serious fungal diseases in Morocco, indicating that fungal diseases may be common in the country but there is limited epidemiological research in this area.
Article
Microbiology
Francesco Alessandri, Giancarlo Ceccarelli, Giuseppe Migliara, Valentina Baccolini, Alessandro Russo, Carolina Marzuillo, Mariateresa Ceparano, Giovanni Giordano, Pierfrancesco Tozzi, Gioacchini Galardo, Giammarco Raponi, Claudio Mastroianni, Mario Venditti, Francesco Pugliese, Gabriella d'Ettorre
Summary: This study analyzed the incidence of bloodstream infections (BSI) due to Candida in COVID-19 patients supported with ECMO, and found that the incidence of candidemia was significantly higher in the ECMO group compared to the control group. This result was confirmed by survival analysis and multivariable analyses.
Review
Immunology
Chuting Liang, Ni Lian, Min Li
Summary: Fungal infections are significant global public health problems, and modulating the antifungal capacity of the host immune system through neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) is an effective way to combat these infections. This review summarizes the interactions between fungal pathogens and NETs, as well as the molecular mechanisms of fungi-induced NETs formation and defensive strategies used by fungi.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mikhail O. Maksimov, Cynthia Wu, David G. Ashbrook, Flavia Villani, Vincenza Colonna, Nima Mousavi, Nichole Ma, Lu Lu, Jonathan K. Pritchard, Alon Goren, Robert W. Williams, Abraham A. Palmer, Melissa Gymrek
Summary: We used whole-genome sequencing data for 152 recombinant inbred strains from the BXD family of mice to identify loci that modulate genome-wide patterns of new mutations at short tandem repeats (STRs). We found a locus on Chromosome 13 that affects STR expansions, with the C57BL/6J (B) haplotype having a higher rate than the DBA/2J (D) haplotype. The Msh3 gene, a known modifier of STR stability, is the strongest candidate gene at this locus.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ting Wu, Shi-di Wu, Ling-yun Zhang, Hai-hua Ye, Ye-hong Mao, Xin Lian, Juan Tao, Chang-zheng Huang, Jing-si Zeng
Summary: This study analyzed the fungal species of pathogens isolated from patients with superficial mucocutaneous mycosis from May 2007 to December 2018. The results showed that Candida slightly outnumbered dermatophytes, with Trichophyton rubrum complex being the most abundant species. Candida strains were mainly isolated from mucosal sites, while dermatophytes were mostly isolated from glabrous skin.
CURRENT MEDICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Terenzio Cosio, Roberta Gaziano, Guendalina Zuccari, Gaetana Costanza, Sandro Grelli, Paolo Di Francesco, Luca Bianchi, Elena Campione
Summary: Retinoids, derived from vitamin A, have shown potent antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Although lacking double-blind clinical trials, current evidence supports the efficacy, tolerability, and safety profile of retinoids against localized and systemic fungal infections.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jozef Sitarcik, Tomas Vinar, Brona Brejova, Werner Krampl, Jaroslav Budis, Jan Radvanszky, Maria Lucka
Summary: WarpSTR is a new method that characterizes both simple and complex tandem repeats directly from raw nanopore signals using a finite-state automaton and a search algorithm analogous to dynamic time warping.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Eun Ha Lee, Hyun Kim, Jung Hee Koh, Kwang Hyun Cha, Kiseok Keith Lee, Wan-Uk Kim, Cheol-Ho Pan, Yong-Hwan Lee
Summary: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with changes in the gut microbiome, including decreased abundance of Bifidobacterium and Blautia and increased abundance of Streptococcus. In addition, RA patients have a higher relative abundance of Candida and lower relative abundance of Aspergillus in their fecal fungal community compared to healthy controls.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Rok Tomazin, Tadej Plibersek, Anja Ostrbenk Valencak, Tadeja Matos
Summary: The study evaluated the suitability of different types of blood culture bottles for detecting various fungal species in non-blood samples. It was found that Mycosis bottles were superior in detecting Candida glabrata, Cryptococcus spp., and Aspergillus spp. If cryptococcosis or aspergillosis is suspected, the use of Mycosis bottles is recommended.
