| survey and analysis of simple sequence repeats in the laccaria bicolor genome, with development of microsatellite markers. | it is becoming clear that simple sequence repeats (ssrs) play a significant role in fungal genome organization, and they are a large source of genetic markers for population genetics and meiotic maps. we identified ssrs in the laccaria bicolor genome by in silico survey and analyzed their distribution in the different genomic regions. we also compared the abundance and distribution of ssrs in l. bicolor with those of the following fungal genomes: phanerochaete chrysosporium, coprinopsis cinerea, ... | 2010 | 21132299 |
| [cryptococcal meningitis successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin b and voriconazole in an elderly patient]. | abstract an 81-year-old woman who had microscopic polyangiitis that was being treated with corticosteroids for 2 months was admitted to our department because of fever and clouding of consciousness. neurological examination showed disturbance of consciousness and nuchal stiffness. analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (csf) revealed pleocytosis, low glucose level, and elevated protein levels. on the basis of the presence of cryptococcus neoformans in csf, the patient was diagnosed with cryptococcal me ... | 2010 | 21139187 |
| echinocandin and triazole antifungal susceptibility profiles for candida spp., cryptococcus neoformans, and aspergillus fumigatus: application of new clsi clinical breakpoints and epidemiologic cutoff values to characterize resistance in the sentry antimicrobial surveillance program (2009). | the sentry antimicrobial surveillance program monitors global susceptibility and resistance rates for newer and established antifungal agents. the echinocandins displayed excellent potency against both candida spp. and aspergillus fumigatus in 2009 samples. using the new clinical and laboratory standards institute breakpoint values for the echinocandins when testing candida spp., we demonstrate low but measurable rates of resistance to all 3 echinocandins (anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafun ... | 2011 | 21146713 |
| fitc-lectin avidity of cryptococcus neoformans cell wall and capsular components. | flow cytometry and confocal microscopy were used to quantify and visualize fitc-lectin binding to cell-surface carbohydrate ligands of log and stationary phase acapsular and capsular cryptococcus neoformans strains. cell populations demonstrated marked avidity for terminal α-linked mannose and glucose specific fitc-con a, mannose specific fitc-gnl, as well as n-acetylglucosamine specific fitc-wga. exposure to other fitc-lectins specific for mannose, fucose and n-acetylgalactosamine resulted in l ... | 2004 | 21148821 |
| the tetraspanin cd82 is specifically recruited to fungal and bacterial phagosomes prior to acidification. | cd82 is a member of the tetraspanin superfamily, whose physiological role is best described in the context of cancer metastasis. however, cd82 also associates with components of the class ii major histocompatibility complex (mhc) antigen presentation pathway, including class ii mhc molecules and the peptide-loading machinery, as well as cd63, another tetraspanin, suggesting a role for cd82 in antigen presentation. here, we observe the dynamic rearrangement of cd82 after pathogen uptake by imagin ... | 2010 | 21149584 |
| a fatal case of aids-defining meningoencephalitis by c. neoformans, sensitive to antifungal therapy. | cryptococcus neoformans is the most common cause of life threatening meningoencephalitis in hiv-infected patients. diagnosis is based on tests for cryptoccocal antigen in serum and cerebrospinal fluid, and on culture of the organism. we present a case of aids-related cryptococcal meningoencephalitis unresponsive to antifungal combination therapy, despite of evidence of fungal susceptibility in vitro. significant decreases in cryptococcal antigen titers in serum and cerebrospinal fluid did not co ... | 2010 | 21159575 |
| most cases of cryptococcal meningitis in hiv-uninfected patients in vietnam are due to a distinct amplified fragment length polymorphism-defined cluster of cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii vn1. | cryptococcal disease most commonly occurs in patients with an underlying immune deficit, most commonly hiv infection, and is due to cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii. occasionally disease due to this variety occurs in apparently immunocompetent patients. the relationship between strains infecting immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients is not clear. amplified fragment length polymorphism (aflp) analysis was used to characterize the relationship between strains infecting hiv-infected and ... | 2010 | 21159929 |
| fungal pathogen recognition by scavenger receptors in nematodes and mammals. | macrophages are important cells in the host resistance to fungal infections, and fungal recognition by macrophages triggers phagocytosis, intracellular killing, induction of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and initiation of the adaptive immune response. all of the receptors that mediate binding and engulfment of fungal pathogens and the signaling pathways triggered by fungal pathogens that regulate anti-fungal immunity are not fully understood. using an rnai screen we recently demonstrate ... | 2010 | 21178411 |
| methods for using galleria mellonella as a model host to study fungal pathogenesis. | the facile inoculum delivery and handling of the insect galleria mellonella make it a desirable model for the study of fungal pathogenesis. here we present methods to study fungal virulence, filamentation and fungal cell associates with insect hemocytes using candida albicans and cryptococcus neoformans to illustrate the use of this model. the two types of fungi cause distinct infections thus we compare and contrast the infection characteristics observed in g. mellonella. the protocols presented ... | 2010 | 21178491 |
| glucuronoxylomannan, galactoxylomannan, and mannoprotein occupy spatially separate and discrete regions in the capsule of cryptococcus neoformans. | the capsular polysaccharides of cryptococcus neoformans have historically been divided into three components namely, glucuronoxylomannan (gxm), galactoxylomannan (galxm), and mannoprotein (mp) but their relative spatial-geographical relationship in the capsule is unknown. to explore this problem would require the capacity for visualizing these components in the capsule. prior studies have reported serological reagents to gxm and galxm but no antibodies are available against mps. consequently, ... | 2010 | 21178496 |
| antimicrobial activity and biodiversity of endophytic fungi in dendrobium devonianum and dendrobium thyrsiflorum from vietman. | endophytic fungi are rich in orchids and have great impacts on their host plants. 53 endophytes (30 isolates from dendrobium devonianum and 23 endophytic fungi from d. thyrsiflorum) were isolated, respectively, from roots and stems of dendrobium species. all the fungi were identified by way of morphological and/or molecular biological methods. 30 endophytic fungi in d. devonianum were categorized into 11 taxa and 23 fungal endophytes in d. thyrsiflorum were grouped into 11 genera, respectively. ... | 2010 | 21181405 |
| massive cryptococcal disseminated infection in an immunocompetent cat. | | 2010 | 21182547 |
| perilla frutescens seed agar, a new medium for identification of the cryptococcus species complex: evaluation for all major molecular types. | here we present a new and simple medium made by perilla frutescens seed as a tool for identification of the cryptococcus species complex, namely cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii. its usefulness was evaluated for all major molecular types within the cryptococcus species complex. as a result, this medium is better for identification of the species complex compared with guizotia abyssinica or helianthus annuus seed medium. | 2010 | 21182875 |
| first environmental isolations of cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii in tunisia and review of published studies on environmental isolations in africa. | cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii are pathogenic yeasts that cause cryptococcosis. these fungi were commonly associated with pigeon droppings and plant materials. the habitat of these pathogens has not been yet studied in tunisia, although the ecology of these yeasts must be elucidated in order to establish surveillance programs and to prevent infections. the aim of this survey was to recover c. neoformans and c. gattii environmental isolates from pigeon droppings and plant materia ... | 2011 | 21197581 |
| role of sphingomyelin synthase in controlling the antimicrobial activity of neutrophils against cryptococcus neoformans. | the key host cellular pathway(s) necessary to control the infection caused by inhalation of the environmental fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans are still largely unknown. here we have identified that the sphingolipid pathway in neutrophils is required for them to exert their killing activity on the fungus. in particular, using both pharmacological and genetic approaches, we show that inhibition of sphingomyelin synthase (sms) activity profoundly impairs the killing ability of neutrophils b ... | 2010 | 21203393 |
| evidence for branching in cryptococcal capsular polysaccharides and consequences on its biological activity. | the encapsulated fungus cryptococcus neoformans is a common cause of life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals. its major virulence determinant is the polysaccharide (ps) capsule. an unsolved problem in cryptococcal biology is whether the pss composing the capsule are linear or complex branched polymers, as well as the implications of this structural composition in pathogenesis. in this study we approached the problem by combining static and dynamic light scattering, viscosity an ... | 2011 | 21208301 |
| postoperative cryptococcus neoformans endocarditi. | | 1996 | 21208336 |
| automated analysis of cryptococcal macrophage parasitism using gfp-tagged cryptococci. | the human fungal pathogens cryptococcus neoformans and c. gattii cause life-threatening infections of the central nervous system. one of the major characteristics of cryptococcal disease is the ability of the pathogen to parasitise upon phagocytic immune effector cells, a phenomenon that correlates strongly with virulence in rodent models of infection. despite the importance of phagocyte/cryptococcus interactions to disease progression, current methods for assaying virulence in the macrophage sy ... | 2010 | 21209844 |
| the role of exon shuffling in shaping protein-protein interaction networks. | physical protein-protein interaction (ppi) is a critical phenomenon for the function of most proteins in living organisms and a significant fraction of ppis are the result of domain-domain interactions. exon shuffling, intron-mediated recombination of exons from existing genes, is known to have been a major mechanism of domain shuffling in metazoans. thus, we hypothesized that exon shuffling could have a significant influence in shaping the topology of ppi networks. | 2010 | 21210967 |
| loss-of-function mutation of reduced wall acetylation2 in arabidopsis leads to reduced cell wall acetylation and increased resistance to botrytis cinerea. | nearly all polysaccharides in plant cell walls are o-acetylated, including the various pectic polysaccharides and the hemicelluloses xylan, mannan, and xyloglucan. however, the enzymes involved in the polysaccharide acetylation have not been identified. while the role of polysaccharide acetylation in vivo is unclear, it is known to reduce biofuel yield from lignocellulosic biomass by the inhibition of microorganisms used for fermentation. we have analyzed four arabidopsis (arabidopsis thaliana) ... | 2011 | 21212300 |
| clinicopathologic and ultrastructural study of non-hiv-related primary pulmonary cryptococcosis in china: report of 43 cases. | to clarify the clinicopathologic and ultrastructural features of primary pulmonary cryptococcosis (pc). | 2011 | 21214404 |
| synthesis and antifungal activity of furo[2,3-f]quinolin-5-ols. | furo[2,3-f]quinolin-5-ol derivatives were synthesized and tested for in vitro antifungal activity against candida,aspergillus species, and cryptococcus neoformans. among them tested, many furo[2,3-f]quinolin-5-ols showed good antifungal activity. the results suggest that furo[2,3-f]quinolin-5-ols would be promising antifungal agents. | 2010 | 21215618 |
| the pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis exports extracellular vesicles containing highly immunogenic α-galactosyl epitopes. | exosome-like vesicles containing virulence factors, enzymes, and antigens have recently been characterized in fungal pathogens, such as cryptococcus neoformans and histoplasma capsulatum. here, we describe extracellular vesicles carrying highly immunogenic α-linked galactopyranosyl (α-gal) epitopes in paracoccidioides brasiliensis. p. brasiliensis is a dimorphic fungus that causes human paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm). for vesicle preparations, cell-free supernatant fluids from yeast cells cultivat ... | 2011 | 21216942 |
| invasive bacterial and fungal infections among hospitalized hiv-infected and hiv-uninfected adults and adolescents in northern tanzania. | few studies describe patterns of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) co-infections in african hospitals in the antiretroviral therapy (art) era. | 2011 | 21217181 |
| transmission of cryptococcus neoformans by organ transplantation. | this article describes transmission of cryptococcus neoformans by solid organ transplantation. | 2011 | 21220771 |
| chemokine receptor 2-mediated accumulation of fungicidal exudate macrophages in mice that clear cryptococcal lung infection. | clearance of pulmonary infection with the fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans is associated with the accumulation and activation of lung macrophages. however, the phenotype of these macrophages and the mechanisms contributing to their accumulation are not well-defined. in this study, we used an established murine model of cryptococcal lung infection and flow cytometric analysis to identify alveolar macrophages (ams) and the recently described exudate macrophages (exms). exudate macrophages a ... | 2010 | 21224057 |
| cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii - pathogenicity of environmental isolates correlated to virulence factors, susceptibility to fluconazole and molecular profile. | the pathogenicity of cryptococcus neoformans is heterogeneous and is associated with the expression of virulence factors. this study aimed to correlate the pathogenicity of c. neoformans var. grubii in balb/c mice with in vitro virulence factors, fluconazole minimal inhibitory concentrations (mics) and molecular profiles, before and after animal passage. ten environmental isolates and one atcc strain of c. neoformans var. grubii mating type α were evaluated. most isolates (91%) killed 50% or mor ... | 2010 | 21225196 |
| [case of pulmonary cryptococcosis which developed in a patient receiving abatacept therapy for rheumatoid arthritis]. | a 59-year-old woman who had been receiving abatacept therapy for rheumatoid arthritis was noted to have multiple nodules in both lungs on routine chest x-ray films. chest computed tomography (ct) revealed multiple nodules with small cavities in both lung fields. the cryptococcus neoformans antigen was detected from her serum and bronchial lavage fluids, indicating a diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis. abatacept was discontinued, and antifungal treatment with fluconazole was started. the lung ... | 2010 | 21226309 |
| evaluation of cryptococcus neoformans galactoxylomannan-protein conjugate as vaccine candidate against murine cryptococcosis. | galactoxylomannan (galxm) is a complex polysaccharide produced by the human pathogenic fungus cryptococcus neoformans that mediates profound immunological derangements in murine models. galxm is essentially non-immunogenic and produces immune paralysis in mice. previous studies have attempted to enhance immunogenicity by conjugating galxm to a protein carrier, but only transient antibody responses were elicited. here we report the generation of two galxm conjugates with bovine serum albumin (bsa ... | 2011 | 21238568 |
| role of glucose in the expression of cryptococcus neoformans antiphagocytic protein 1, app1. | the cryptococcus-specific protein antiphagocytic protein 1 (app1) regulates cryptococcus neoformans virulence by controlling macrophage-driven fungal phagocytosis. this is accomplished through complement receptors (cr), specifically cr3. when inhaled, c. neoformans can cause a life-threatening meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised patients. because glucose starvation can significantly change the gene expression and virulence of c. neoformans and because app1 is critical for phagocytosis in th ... | 2011 | 21239626 |
| fungal bloodstream infections in tertiary care hospitals in colombia. | fungal infections have increased in critical care patients, causing high morbidity and mortality. | 2011 | 21241818 |
| antifungal activity of xanthones: evaluation of their effect on ergosterol biosynthesis by high-performance liquid chromatography. | the increasing resistance of pathogenic fungi to antifungal compounds and the reduced number of available drugs led to the search for therapeutic alternatives among natural products, including xanthones. the antifungal activity of 27 simple oxygenated xanthones was evaluated by determination of their minimal inhibitory concentration on clinical and type strains of candida, cryptococcus, aspergillus and dermatophytes, and their preponderance on the dermatophytic filamentous fungi was observed. fu ... | 2011 | 21244637 |
| process analysis of variables for standardization of antifungal susceptibility testing of nonfermentative yeasts. | nonfermentative yeasts, such as cryptococcus spp., have emerged as fungal pathogens during the last few years. however, standard methods to measure their antifungal susceptibility (antifungal susceptibility testing [ast]) are not completely reliable due to the impaired growth of these yeasts in standard media. in this work, we have compared the growth kinetics and the antifungal susceptibilities of representative species of nonfermentative yeasts such as cryptococcus neoformans, cryptococcus gat ... | 2011 | 21245438 |
| hyrtioseragamines a and b, new alkaloids from the sponge hyrtios species. | two novel alkaloids with a furo[2,3-b]pyrazin-2(1h)-one moiety and a guanidino group, hyrtioseragamines a (1) and b (2), have been isolated from an okinawan marine sponge hyrtios species. the structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical conversions. compounds 1 and 2 are the first natural products possessing a furo[2,3-b]pyrazine-related moiety. | 2011 | 21247076 |
| prevalence of yeast-like fungi and evaluation of several virulence factors from feral pigeons in seoul, korea. | studies of pigeon-borne yeasts have tended to focus on species, such as cryptococcus neoformans and candida albicans, with scant attention to feral pigeons in korea. we studied the prevalence of yeasts from faecal samples of feral pigeons obtained in various public places in seoul, korea, and assessed their potential capacity as human pathogens. | 2011 | 21251028 |
| cutaneous cryptococcal infection as a manifestation of disseminated disease. cryptococcus neoformans. | | 2011 | 21251522 |
| in vitro antifungal susceptibility pattern and ergosterol content in clinical yeast strains. | absence or severe reduction in the amount of ergosterol in the fungal membrane and its replacement with other sterols have been described as potential antifungal resistance mechanisms in fungi. | 2011 | 21251996 |
| environmental isolation of cryptococcus gattii serotype b, vgi/matα strains in southern italy. | until recently, cryptococcus gattii was believed to be endemic in tropical and subtropical regions. to date, it has unexpectedly emerged as primary pathogen in temperate climate indicating that it has evolved and adapted to new environmental conditions including those existing in the mediterranean area. earlier attempts to isolate c. gattii from our environment were unsuccessful but this time, 18 years after the last environmental screening for c. neoformans, we isolated c. gattii from eucalyptu ... | 2011 | 21253853 |
| the endocytic adaptor proteins of pathogenic fungi: charting new and familiar pathways. | intracellular transport is an essential biological process that is highly conserved throughout the eukaryotic organisms. in fungi, adaptor proteins implicated in the endocytic cycle of endocytosis and exocytosis were found to be important for growth, differentiation, and/or virulence. for example, saccharomyces cerevisiae pan1 is an endocytic protein that regulates membrane trafficking, the actin cytoskeleton, and signaling. in cryptococcus neoformans, a multi-modular endocytic protein, cin1, wa ... | 2011 | 21254965 |
| pulmonary cryptococcus infection after mono-chemotherapy with gemcitabine. | mono-chemotherapy with gemcitabine (difluorodeoxycytidine) is an effective cancer chemotherapy, and is often used instead of a more effective but more toxic combination chemotherapy regimen. infection associated with gemcitabine is very rare. we present a case of cryptococcus neoformans pneumonia that developed after 5 courses of gemcitabine for advanced bladder carcinoma. lung biopsy and antigens demonstrated c. neoformans. the pneumonia resolved after antifungal therapy. | 2011 | 21255489 |
| characterization of inositol phospho-sphingolipid-phospholipase c 1 (isc1) in cryptococcus neoformans reveals unique biochemical features. | in this work, we biochemically characterized inositol phosphosphingolipid-phospholipase c (isc1) from the pathogenic fungus cryptococcus neoformans. unlike isc1 from other fungi and parasites which hydrolyze both fungal complex sphingolipids (ipc-plc) and mammalian sphingomyelin (sm-plc), c. neoformans isc1 only exerts ipc-plc activity. genetic mutations thought to regulate substrate recognition in other isc1 proteins do not restore sm-plc activity of the cryptococcal enzyme. c. neoformans isc1 ... | 2011 | 21256847 |
| endogenous excess cortisol production and diabetes mellitus as predisposing factors for pulmonary cryptococcosis: a case report and literature review. | pulmonary cryptococcosis usually occurs as an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients. endogenous cushing's syndrome is associated with cortisol excess and can predispose to development of cryptococcal infections. we report a case of diabetic patient with acth secreting pituitary tumour who developed a cavitating lung mass. computed tomography-guided biopsy of the lesion revealed mucicarminophilic budding forms of cryptococcus. broncheoalveolar lavage culture grew cryptococcus neof ... | 2008 | 21264083 |
| plant production of anti-ß-glucan antibodies for immunotherapy of fungal infections in humans. | there is an increasing interest in the development of therapeutic antibodies (ab) to improve the control of fungal pathogens, but none of these reagents is available for clinical use. we previously described a murine monoclonal antibody (mab 2g8) targeting ß-glucan, a cell wall polysaccharide common to most pathogenic fungi, which conferred significant protection against candida albicans, aspergillus fumigatus and cryptococcus neoformans in animal models. transfer of this wide-spectrum, antifung ... | 2011 | 21265996 |
| comparative genomics allowed the identification of drug targets against human fungal pathogens. | the prevalence of invasive fungal infections (ifis) has increased steadily worldwide in the last few decades. particularly, there has been a global rise in the number of infections among immunosuppressed people. these patients present severe clinical forms of the infections, which are commonly fatal, and they are more susceptible to opportunistic fungal infections than non-immunocompromised people. ifis have historically been associated with high morbidity and mortality, partly because of the li ... | 2011 | 21272313 |
| disseminated cryptococcus neoformans infection and crohn's disease in an immunocompetent patient. | cryptococcus neoformans is a human pathogen ubiquitously present in the environment. it primarily affects immunocompromised patients, but individuals with no underlying disease or immunodeficiency can also be affected. we herein describe the case of a patient found to have crohn's disease and disseminated cryptococcosis simultaneously. she had no predisposing underlying cause for impaired immunity. our patient showed signs that would have make it hard to discriminate between an inflammatory bowe ... | 2010 | 21272807 |
| [ocular complications of hiv infection: experience of the northern excellence pole of morocco]. | hiv infection is associated with a wide variety of ophthalmic manifestations. the objective of this study was to identify the ocular complications of hiv/aids in morocco. | 2011 | 21276636 |
| meningitis in korean patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: analysis of demographics, clinical features and outcomes; experience from affiliated hospitals of the catholic university of korea. | meningitis is a rare complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (sle), potentially leading to a fatal outcome. the demographic, clinical, and laboratory features, and the outcomes of meningitis were evaluated in korean patients with sle. in a retrospective medical record review of 1420 sle patients, 20 patients who had developed septic or aseptic meningitis were identified. in 11 patients, the causative microorganisms were identified ('septic meningitis'), and cryptococcus neoformans was the m ... | 2011 | 21282295 |
| surface localization of glucosylceramide during cryptococcus neoformans infection allows targeting as a potential antifungal. | cryptococcus neoformans (cn) is a significant human pathogen that, despite current treatments, continues to have a high morbidity rate especially in sub-saharan africa. the need for more tolerable and specific therapies has been clearly shown. in the search for novel drug targets, the gene for glucosylceramide synthase (gcs1) was deleted in cn, resulting in a strain (?gcs1) that does not produce glucosylceramide (glccer) and is avirulent in mouse models of infection. to understand the biology be ... | 2011 | 21283686 |
| cryptococcal osteomyelitis of the skull. | an otherwise healthy 65-year-old male from a rural area presented with a 1-month old non-tender scalp mass. he had a history of being stuck with a stone in the parietal region a year earlier but hadn't developed any complications. needle aspiration of the mass revealed numerous yeast cells, which were confirmed to be cryptoccus neoformans. this case describes a rare presentation of c. neoformans infection in a human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-negative patient. moreover, while osteomyelitis due ... | 2011 | 21284568 |
| cryptococcus neoformans infection in ulcerative colitis with immunosuppressants. | | 2011 | 21287669 |
| role of sphingosine-1-phosphate (s1p) and s1p receptor 2 in the phagocytosis of cryptococcus neoformans by alveolar macrophages. | the pathogenic fungus cryptococcus neoformans is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. infection of the human host occurs through inhalation of infectious propagules following environmental exposure. in the lung, c. neoformans can reside in the extracellular environment of the alveolar spaces or, upon phagocytosis, it can survive and grow intracellularly within alveolar macrophages (ams). in previous studies, we found that sphingosine kinase 1 (sk1) influence ... | 2011 | 21292747 |
| antibacterial and antifungal activities from siamese crocodile blood. | to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of the siamese crocodile blood against bacteria and fungi. | 2010 | 21294399 |
| insertional mutagenesis combined with an inducible filamentation phenotype reveals a conserved ste50 homologue in cryptococcus neoformans that is required for monokaryotic fruiting and sexual reproduction. | cryptococcus neoformans typically grows in a yeast-like morphology; however, under specific conditions the fungus can produce hyphae that are either dikaryotic or monokaryotic. in this study, we developed a simple method for inducing robust monokaryotic fruiting and combined the assay with agrobacterium tumefaciens insertional mutagenesis to screen for hyphal mutants. a c. neoformans homologue of the saccharomyces cerevisiae ste50 gene was identified and characterized. ste50 was found to be requ ... | 2011 | 21299652 |
| the marine sponge-derived polyketide endoperoxide plakortide f acid mediates its antifungal activity by interfering with calcium homeostasis. | plakortide f acid (pfa), a marine-derived polyketide endoperoxide, exhibits strong inhibitory activity against the opportunistic fungal pathogens candida albicans, cryptococcus neoformans, and aspergillus fumigatus. in the present study, transcriptional profiling coupled with mutant and biochemical analyses were conducted using the model organism saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate the mechanism of action of this compound. pfa elicited a transcriptome response indicative of a ca(2+) imbalanc ... | 2011 | 21300833 |
| bullous cellulitis with cryptococcus neoformans. | | 2011 | 21301925 |
| genome variation in cryptococcus gattii, an emerging pathogen of immunocompetent hosts. | cryptococcus gattii recently emerged as the causative agent of cryptococcosis in healthy individuals in western north america, despite previous characterization of the fungus as a pathogen in tropical or subtropical regions. as a foundation to study the genetics of virulence in this pathogen, we sequenced the genomes of a strain (wm276) representing the predominant global molecular type (vgi) and a clinical strain (r265) of the major genotype (vgiia) causing disease in north america. we compared ... | 2011 | 21304167 |
| detection of antimicrobial compounds by bioautography of different extracts of leaves of selected south african tree species. | the hexane, acetone, dichloromethane and methanol extracts of combretum vendae a.e. van wyk (combretaceae), commiphora harveyi (engl.) engl. (burseraceae), khaya anthotheca (welm.) c.dc (meliaceae), kirkia wilmsii engl. (kirkiaceae), loxostylis alata a. spreng. ex rchb. (anacardiaceae), ochna natalitia (meisn.) walp. (ochnaceae) and protorhus longifolia (bernh. ex c. krauss) engl. (anacardiaceae) were screened for their antimicrobial activity. the test organisms included bacteria (enterococcus f ... | 2009 | 21304615 |
| an altered camelid-like single domain anti-idiotypic antibody fragment of hm-1 killer toxin: acts as an effective antifungal agent. | phage-display and competitive panning elution leads to the identification of minimum-sized antigen binders together with conventional antibodies from a mouse cdna library constructed from hm-1 killer toxin neutralizing monoclonal antibody (nmab-kt). antigen-specific altered camelid-like single-domain heavy chain antibody (scfv k2) and a conventional antibody (scfv k1) have been isolated against the idiotypic antigen nmab-kt. the objectives of the study were to examine (1) their properties as com ... | 2011 | 21305279 |
| endophytic fungi from dragon's blood specimens: isolation, identification, phylogenetic diversity and bioactivity. | endophytic fungi from dragon's blood specimens of different locations of china were characterized taxonomically and investigated concerning their antimicrobial and antitumor activity against six pathogenic microbes and five tumor cells. a total of 49 endophytic fungi were obtained from dragon's blood materials of dracaena spp., 18 taxa were represented by 43 (87.8%) isolates and only six (12.2%) isolates were unknown. twenty (40.8%) of the isolates displayed antimicrobial activity against at lea ... | 2011 | 21305629 |
| the ime2 protein kinase family in fungi: more duties than just meiosis. | ime2 of the budding yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae belongs to a family of conserved protein kinases displaying sequence similarities to both cyclin-dependent kinases and mitogen-activated protein kinases. ime2 has a pivotal role for meiosis and sporulation. the involvement of this protein kinase in the regulation of various key events in meiosis, such as the initiation of dna replication, the expression of meiosis-specific genes and the passage through the two consecutive rounds of nuclear divis ... | 2011 | 21306447 |
| amphotericin b mediates killing in cryptococcus neoformans through the induction of a strong oxidative burst. | we studied the effects of amphotericin b (amb) on cryptococcus neoformans using different viability methods (cfus enumeration, xtt assay and propidium iodide permeability). after 1h of incubation, there were no viable colonies when the cells were exposed to amb concentrations = 1 mg/l. in the same conditions, the cells did not become permeable to propidium iodide, a phenomenon that was not observed until 3h of incubation. when viability was measured in parallel using xtt assay, a result consiste ... | 2011 | 21310262 |
| synthesis, stereochemistry, antimicrobial evaluation and qsar studies of 2,6-diaryltetrahydropyran-4-one thiosemicarbazones. | a series of 2,6-diaryltetrahydropyran-4-one thiosemicarbazones (11-27) were synthesized and characterized for evaluation of potential antibacterial activity against staphylococcus aureus, escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa, salmonella typhi, bacillus subtilis and klebsiella pneumonia and antifungal activity against cryptococcus neoformans, candida albicans, rhizopus sp., aspergillus niger and aspergillus flavus were evaluated. compounds 21 and 22 showed maximum inhibition potency at low co ... | 2011 | 21316819 |
| mechanisms of unisexual mating in cryptococcus neoformans. | sex serves a pivotal role in genetic exchange and it contributes to the fitness and genetic diversity for eukaryotic populations. although the importance of the canonical bisexual mating has been widely accepted, the significance of the evolution and maintenance of unisexual mating observed in some eukaryotes is unclear. the recent discovery of same-sex mating in the human fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans and the revelation of its impact on the cryptococcus global population structure pro ... | 2011 | 21320625 |
| chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oils of lavandula viridis l'her. | in the present work we report for what we believe to be the first time the antifungal activity and mechanism of action of the essential oils of lavandula viridis from portugal. the essential oils were isolated by hydrodistillation and analysed by gc and gc/ms. the mic and the minimal lethal concentration (mlc) of the essential oil and its major compounds were determined against several pathogenic fungi. the influence of subinhibitory concentrations of the essential oil on the dimorphic transitio ... | 2011 | 21321363 |
| synthesis of some novel 3-(1-(1-substitutedpiperidin-4-yl)-1h-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-5-substituted phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles as antifungal agents. | a novel series of 3-(1-(1-substituted piperidin-4-yl)-1h-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-5-substituted phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles bearing 1,2,3-triazole and piperidine ring has been synthesized in one step from amidoxime using carbonyl diimidazole (cdi) and k(2)co(3). all the synthesized compounds (4a-4r) are novel and evaluated for their in vitro antifungal activities. sar for the series has been developed by comparing their mic values with miconazole and fluconazole. some of the compounds from the series li ... | 2011 | 21324567 |
| expanding fungal pathogenesis: cryptococcus breaks out of the opportunistic box. | cryptococcus neoformans is generally considered to be an opportunistic fungal pathogen because of its tendency to infect immunocompromised individuals, particularly those infected with hiv. however, this view has been challenged by the recent discovery of specialized interactions between the fungus and its mammalian hosts, and by the emergence of the related species cryptococcus gattii as a primary pathogen of immunocompetent populations. in this review, we highlight features of cryptococcal pat ... | 2011 | 21326274 |
| a fatal case of meningitis caused by cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii in an immunocompetent male. | the incidence of cryptococcal infection is high in developing countries such as india. cryptococcal meningitis is considered rare in immunocompetent patients and is mainly a disease of immunocompromised patients. prognosis in immunocompetent patients is generally considered good. we report a fatal case of cryptococcal meningitis in an immunocompetent male caused by cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii. whether the patient is immunocompromised or immunocompetent, the outcome of the disease can be ... | 2011 | 21330745 |
| natural product-based phenols as novel probes for mycobacterial and fungal carbonic anhydrases. | in order to discover novel probes that may help in the investigation and control of infectious diseases through a new mechanism of action, we have evaluated a library of phenol-based natural products (nps) for enzyme inhibition against four recently characterized pathogen ß-family carbonic anhydrases (cas). these include cas from mycobacterium tuberculosis, candida albicans, and cryptococcus neoformans as well as a-family human ca i and ca ii for comparison. many of the nps selectively inhibited ... | 2011 | 21332115 |
| enhanced activity of antifungal drugs using natural phenolics against yeast strains of candida and cryptococcus. | determine whether certain, natural phenolic compounds enhance activity of commercial antifungal drugs against yeast strains of candida and cryptococcus neoformans. | 2011 | 21332761 |
| feline cryptococcosis: impact of current research on clinical management. | disease summary: cryptococcosis, principally caused by cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii, is the most common systemic mycosis of cats worldwide. cats may be infected following inhalation of spores from the environment, with the nasal cavity suspected as being the initial site of colonization and subsequent infection. other sites of infection in cats are the skin, lungs, lymph nodes, central nervous system (cns), eyes and, occasionally, periarticular connective tissue. cryptococcosi ... | 2011 | 21338941 |
| quantification of cerebrospinal fluid lactic acid in the differential diagnosis between hiv chronic meningitis and opportunistic meningitis. | approximately 40% of hiv infected patients have chronic meningitis at various stages during the infection, 59% are asymptomatic. this is a diagnosis of exclusion and a confounding factor in cerebrospinal fluid (csf) analysis, any other causes of chronic meningitis by opportunistic or co-infection must be ruled out. the aim of this study was to analyze csf lactic acid (la) as an adjuvant biomarker in chronic meningitis due to hiv. | 2011 | 21345043 |
| wsp1, a gbd/crib domain-containing wasp homolog, is required for growth, morphogenesis, and virulence of cryptococcus neoformans. | human endocytic protein itsn1 regulates actin reorganization by activating rho family gtpases, such as cdc42. the process is enhanced by itsn binding of wasp, an effector of cdc42 and a potent activator of actin polymerization. in the human pathogen cryptococcus neoformans, endocytic protein cin1 also interacts with cdc42 and wsp1, an uncharacterized wasp homolog, but the significance of these interactions remains unknown. wsp1 contains several conserved domains, including a wasp homology 1 doma ... | 2011 | 21357479 |
| role of il-17a on resolution of pulmonary c. neoformans infection. | the current studies evaluated the role of interleukin (il)-17a in the induction of protective immunity against pulmonary cryptococcosis in mice. protection against pulmonary infection with c. neoformans strain h99? was associated with increased il-17a production. signaling through the ifn-? receptor (r) was required for increased il-17a production, however, a th17-type cytokine profile was not observed. neutrophils were found to be the predominant leukocytic source of il-17a, rather than t cells ... | 2011 | 21359196 |
| melanization of flavonoids by fungal and bacterial laccases. | laccase activity in plants results in the formation of a number of brown pigments, often referred to as tannins. laccase-dependent pigment production is also catalogued in numerous fungal and bacterial species. the laccase of the haploid yeast cryptococcus neoformans forms melanin-like pigmentation outside the cell wall in the presence of exogenous substrates. while this process is a contributing factor to its virulence in humans, the evolutionary intent for the laccase function remains a myster ... | 2010 | 21360730 |
| physicochemical properties and antifungal activity of amphotericin b incorporated in cholesteryl carbonate esters. | the antifungal activity of amphotericin b (amb) incorporated in three cholesteryl carbonate esters (cces), sodium cholesteryl carbonate, cholesteryl palmityl carbonate, and dicholesteryl carbonate, was examined to assess their potential for use in a dry powder aerosol. formulations containing dissolved amb were stable for 6 months. the particle size varied inversely with liquid crystalline content with observed mass median aerodynamic diameters ranging from 4 to 8 μ m. this was consistent with t ... | 2010 | 21374610 |
| mri findings of cerebral cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients. | worldwide, cerebral cryptococcal infections caused by cryptococcus neoformans are mostly found in immunocompromised patients, but less found in immunocompetent patients with fewer related imaging reports in literatures. this pictorial essay describes some important mr imaging features in arriving at diagnosis for cerebral cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients by way of five illustrative cases with intact mri data. | 2011 | 21382189 |
| effect of cytokine interplay on macrophage polarization during chronic pulmonary infection with cryptococcus neoformans. | the immune response to cryptococcus neoformans following pulmonary infection of c57bl/6 wild-type (wt) mice results in the development of persistent infection with characteristics of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (abpm). to further clarify the role of th1/th2 polarizing cytokines in this model, we performed kinetic analysis of cytokine responses and compared cytokine profiles, pathologies, and macrophage (mac) polarization status in c. neoformans-infected wt, interleukin-4-deficient (il-4(-/ ... | 2011 | 21383052 |
| difficulty diagnosing chronic cryptococcal meningitis in idiopathic cd4+ lymphocytopenia. | a 64-year-old man with idiopathic cd4(+) lymphocytopenia developed cognitive impairment and gait ataxia with isolated obstructive hydrocephalus, which was fatal. cerebrospinal fluid showed mild pleocytosis, but the etiology was not revealed by extensive analysis. at autopsy, inflammatory cells, cd8(+) lymphocytes and abundant macrophages but not cd4(+) lymphocytes were infiltrating the meninges at the base of the brain. electron microscopy demonstrated that inflammation was caused by cryptococcu ... | 2011 | 21384279 |
| antiparasitic and antimicrobial indolizidines from the leaves of prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa* | a new indolizidine alkaloid, named +ö(1,6)-juliprosopine ( 1), together with previously known indolizidine analogs ( 2- 6), was isolated from the leaves of prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa, collected from nevada, usa; while two other known indolizidines, juliprosopine ( 6) and juliprosine ( 7), were isolated from p. glandulosa leaves collected in texas, usa. the structures of compound 1 and 7 were determined using a combination of nmr and ms techniques. compound 7 exhibited potent antiplasmod ... | 2011 | 21384317 |
| successful liver transplantation from a living donor with asymptomatic pulmonary cryptococcosis. | | 2011 | 21384521 |
| asymmetric chemoenzymatic synthesis of miconazole and econazole enantiomers. the importance of chirality in their biological evaluation. | a simple and novel chemoenzymatic route has been applied for the first time in the synthesis of miconazole and econazole single enantiomers. lipases and oxidoreductases have been tested in stereoselective processes; the best results were attained with oxidoreductases for the introduction of chirality in an adequate intermediate. the behaviors of a series of ketones and racemic alcohols in bioreductions and acetylation procedures, respectively, have been investigated; the best results were found ... | 2011 | 21384803 |
| glucuronoxylomannan from cryptococcus neoformans down-regulates the enzyme 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase of macrophages. | the encapsulated yeast cryptococcus neoformans is the causative agent of cryptococosis, an opportunistic life-threatening infection. c. neoformans is coated by a polysaccharide capsule mainly composed of glucuronoxylomannan (gxm). gxm is considered a key virulence factor of this pathogen. the present work aimed at evaluating the effects of gxm on the key glycolytic enzyme, 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (pfk). gxm inhibited pfk activity in cultured murine macrophages in both dose- and time-dependent m ... | 2011 | 21388964 |
| in vitro antifungal susceptibility profiles and genotypes of 308 clinical and environmental isolates of cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii and cryptococcus gattii serotype b from north-western india. | cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii are aetiological agents of cryptococcosis, a major opportunistic systemic mycosis of increasing global importance. this study reports the antifungal susceptibility profiles of clinical and environmental isolates of c. neoformans var. grubii, genotype vni/aflp1 (nôçè=ôçè246), and c. gattii serotype b, genotype vgi/aflp4 (nôçè=ôçè62), originating from patients and environmental sources in north-western india. all of the c. neoformans var. grubii and ... | 2011 | 21393452 |
| cryptococcal abscess and osteomyelitis of the proximal phalanx of the hand. | | 2011 | 21393928 |
| two major inositol transporters and their role in cryptococcal virulence. | cryptococcus neoformans is an aids-associated human fungal pathogen and the most common cause of fungal meningitis, with a mortality rate over 40% in aids patients. significant advances have been achieved in understanding its disease mechanisms. yet the underlying mechanism of a high frequency of cryptococcal meningitis remains unclear. the existence of high inositol concentrations in brain and our earlier discovery of a large inositol transporter (itr) gene family in c. neoformans led us to inv ... | 2011 | 21398509 |
| a two-gene balance regulates salmonella typhimurium tolerance in the nematode caenorhabditis elegans. | lysozymes are antimicrobial enzymes that perform a critical role in resisting infection in a wide-range of eukaryotes. however, using the nematode caenorhabditis elegans as a model host we now demonstrate that deletion of the protist type lysozyme lys-7 renders animals susceptible to killing by the fatal fungal human pathogen cryptococcus neoformans, but, remarkably, enhances tolerance to the enteric bacteria salmonella typhimurium. this trade-off in immunological susceptibility in c. elegans is ... | 2011 | 21399680 |
| preventing phagocytosis takes more than a sweet disposition. | while a polysaccharide capsule is known to be important for preventing phagocytosis of the human pathogen cryptococcus neoformans, other antiphagocytic pathways have been generally elusive. now, a capsule-independent pathway has been identified that prevents macrophages from ingesting the fungus, contributing to evasion of the host immune response. | 2011 | 21402356 |
| a major role for capsule-independent phagocytosis-inhibitory mechanisms in mammalian infection by cryptococcus neoformans. | the antiphagocytic polysaccharide capsule of the human fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans is a major virulence attribute. however, previous studies of the pleiotropic virulence determinant gat201, a gata family transcription factor, suggested that capsule-independent antiphagocytic mechanisms exist. we have determined that gat201 controls the mrna levels of ~1100 genes (16% of the genome) and binds the upstream regions of ~130 genes. seven gat201-bound genes encode for putative and known tr ... | 2011 | 21402362 |
| optimization of 3-(phenylthio)quinolinium compounds against opportunistic fungal pathogens. | ring-opened benzothieno[3,2-b]quinolinium salts (3) were designed and synthesized with substitution on the thiophene moiety. in vitro screenings were carried out against fungal pathogens including cryptococcus neoformans, candida albicans, candida glabrata, candida krusei and aspergillus fumigatus. in all, by replacing the n-methyl group (2) with n-?-phenylpentyl or ?-cyclohexylpentyl group to form substituted 3-(phenylthio)quinolinium compounds produced remarkable potencies, as high as 300-fold ... | 2011 | 21402432 |
| carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. inhibition of the ß-class enzymes from the fungal pathogens candida albicans and cryptococcus neoformans with branched aliphatic/aromatic carboxylates and their derivatives. | the inhibition of the ß-carbonic anhydrases (cas, ec 4.2.1.1) from the pathogenic fungi cryptococcus neoformans (can2) and candida albicans (nce103) with a series of 25 branched aliphatic and aromatic carboxylates has been investigated. human isoforms hca i and ii were also included in the study for comparison. aliphatic carboxylates were generally millimolar hca i and ii inhibitors and low micromolar/submicromolar ß-ca inhibitors. aromatic carboxylates were micromolar inhibitors of the four enz ... | 2011 | 21402476 |
| design, synthesis and antifungal activities of novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives. | a series of novel 1,2,4-triazole derivatives with a 4-(4-substitutedphenyl) piperazine side chain were designed and synthesized based on the structure of lanosterol 14a-demethylase (cyp51). their antifungal activities against eight human pathogenic fungi were evaluated in vitro by measuring the minimal inhibitory concentrations. nearly all tested compounds were found to be more potent against candida albicans than control drug fluconazole. noticeably, the mic(80) value of compounds 6,7,9,14 and ... | 2011 | 21420761 |
| [effect of hiv-1gp41 ectodomain on cryptococcus neoformans-induced cytoskeletal changes in human brain microvascular endothelial cells]. | to study the effect of hiv-1 gp41 ectodomain (gp41-i90) on the cytoskeletal changes in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hbmecs) induced by cryptococcus neoformans. | 2011 | 21421487 |
| cryptococcosis presenting as anterior neck swelling in an immunocompetent man: a case report. | cryptococcosis is caused by the encapsulated opportunistic yeast cryptococcus neoformans. an immunocompromised host is more susceptible to the survival and dissemination of this yeast, which can occur to almost all organs of the body, especially the central nervous system, lungs, bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, retina, and reticuloendothelial system. however, there are few reports of cryptococcus causing infections ir immunocompetent hosts. | 2010 | 21428161 |
| nitrogen metabolite repression of metabolism and virulence in the human fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans. | proper regulation of metabolism is essential to maximizing fitness of organisms in their chosen environmental niche. nitrogen metabolite repression is an example of a regulatory mechanism in fungi that enables preferential utilization of easily assimilated nitrogen sources, such as ammonium, to conserve resources. here we provide genetic, transcriptional, and phenotypic evidence of nitrogen metabolite repression in the human pathogen cryptococcus neoformans. in addition to loss of transcriptiona ... | 2011 | 21441208 |
| [photo quiz: basic mycology]. | | 2011 | 21441706 |
| [phosphate regulation in cryptococcus neoformans]. | | 2011 | 21441709 |
| trends in antifungal drug susceptibility of cryptococcus neoformans isolates obtained through population-based surveillance in south africa in 2002-2003 and 2007-2008. | cryptococcus neoformans is the most common cause of meningitis among adult south africans with hiv infection/aids. widespread use of fluconazole for treatment of cryptococcal meningitis and other hiv-associated opportunistic fungal infections in south africa may lead to the emergence of isolates with reduced fluconazole susceptibility. mic testing using a reference broth microdilution method was used to determine if isolates with reduced susceptibility to fluconazole or amphotericin b had emerge ... | 2011 | 21444707 |
| protective immunity against experimental pulmonary cryptococcosis in t cell-depleted mice. | individuals with defects in t cell-mediated immunity (cmi) are highly susceptible to infection with cryptococcus neoformans. the purpose of these studies was to determine if protection against experimental pulmonary cryptococcosis can be generated in t cell-deficient hosts. balb/c mice were depleted of cd4?and/or cd8? t cells or given an isotype control antibody prior to vaccination with a c. neoformans strain, designated h99?, previously shown to induce protection against c. neoformans infectio ... | 2011 | 21450975 |
| sec14 is a specific requirement for secretion of phospholipase b1 and pathogenicity of cryptococcus neoformans. | secreted phospholipase b1 (cnplb1) is essential for dissemination of cryptococcus neoformans to the central nervous system (cns) yet essential components of its secretion machinery remain to be elucidated. using gene deletion analysis we demonstrate that cnplb1 secretion is dependent on the cnsec14 product, cnsec14-1p. cnsec14-1p is a homologue of the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein scsec14p, which is essential for secretion and viability in saccharomyces cerevisiae. in contrast to cnplb1, ... | 2011 | 21453402 |
| cryptococcal pneumonia in a hiv positive patient: a pre- and post-mortem view. | | 2011 | 21456379 |