| constrictive pericarditis secondary to coccidioides immitis infection in a dog. | a 4-year-old castrated male mixed-breed dog with a history of coccidioidomycosis was referred for evaluation of abdominal and pleural effusion. results of radiography, ultrasonography, cytologic evaluation of thoracic fluid, and serologic testing supported a diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis secondary to infection with coccidioides immitis. aggressive treatment for presumptive coccidioidomycosis was begun, but the dog's condition continued to deteriorate, and the dog was euthanatized. at ne ... | 2001 | 11229504 |
| detecting serum antibodies to a purified recombinant proline-rich antigen of coccidioides immitis in patients with coccidioidomycosis. | in previous work, antibodies in serum samples from patients with coccidioidomycosis were found to react with a proline-rich antigen (pra) isolated from spherules of coccidioides immitis, and the gene encoding this antigen was cloned. we expressed and purified recombinant pra (rpra) by removing the majority of amino acids contributed by the vector from the fusion protein. purified rpra reacted with serum igg antibodies in 37 of 42 patients with culture-proven progressive pulmonary or extrapulmona ... | 1998 | 9868663 |
| coccidioides immitis isolated from armadillos (dasypus novemcinctus) in the state of piauí, northeast brazil. | natural infection of armadillos with coccidioides immitis was studied in the state of piauí, northeast of brazil, endemic for coccidioidomycosis. in 1998, 26 nine-banded armadillos (dasypus novemcinctus) were captured in 4 different counties. the animals were sacrificed under deep anesthesia with ether. at necropsy fragments of spleen, liver, lungs and heart were homogenized and seeded onto sabouraud dextrose agar with and without cycloheximide (bbl, usa). part of each organ was also processed f ... | 2001 | 11270394 |
| in situ hybridization for the identification of yeastlike organisms in tissue section. | the identification of yeast and yeastlike organisms in tissue sections can be very difficult. biopsy tissues may be limited, with only occasional organisms present. in addition, several common species have overlapping histologic features. deoxyribonucleic acid probes were designed to detect both the 18s and 28s ribosomal ribonucleic acid sequences of five fungal organisms with a high degree of specificity for each fungus. each of these organisms--blastomyces dermatitidis, coccidioides immitis, c ... | 2001 | 11277390 |
| seeking a vaccine against coccidioides immitis and serologic studies: expectations and realities. | the studies reported in this review indicate that, whereas the expectations from the molecular approach help to excite and enlighten us, the realities suggest that even some less modern approaches may provide the necessary practical solutions to problems of serology and vaccination against coccidioidomycosis. concurrent conduct of the two approaches should maximize the chances for success. | 2001 | 11277621 |
| biogeographic range expansion into south america by coccidioides immitis mirrors new world patterns of human migration. | long-distance population dispersal leaves its characteristic signature in genomes, namely, reduced diversity and increased linkage between genetic markers. this signature enables historical patterns of range expansion to be traced. herein, we use microsatellite loci from the human pathogen coccidioides immitis to show that genetic diversity in this fungus is geographically partitioned throughout north america. in contrast, analyses of south american c. immitis show that this population is geneti ... | 2001 | 11287648 |
| importance of interleukin-10 in genetic susceptibility of mice to coccidioides immitis. | inbred strains of mice vary in their susceptibility to coccidioides immitis. we infected resistant dba/2 (d2) mice and three susceptible strains of mice (c57bl/6 [b6], balb/c, and cast/ei) by intraperitoneal injection of arthroconidia and determined the severity of infection based on colony counts of fungus in the spleens and lungs 14 days after infection. we used quantitative reverse transcription-pcr to measure the amounts of cytokines made in the spleens and lungs of infected mice. susceptibl ... | 1998 | 9712793 |
| evaluation of the proline-rich antigen of coccidioides immitis as a vaccine candidate in mice. | we have expressed the proline-rich antigen (pra) from coccidioides immitis in escherichia coli and evaluated its potential as a vaccine candidate. sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of the recombinant protein (rpra) revealed two bands, which exhibited virtually identical primary amino acid sequences. t cells from rpra-immunized balb/c mice showed a significant in vitro proliferative response to rpra. a small but statistically significant proliferative response was ... | 1998 | 9673228 |
| kinetic properties of chitinase-1 from the fungal pathogen coccidioides immitis. | the endochitinase from coccidioides immitis (cix1) is a member of the class 18 chitinase family. here we show the enzyme functions by a retaining catalytic mechanism; that is, the beta-conformation of the chitin substrate linkages is preserved after hydrolysis. the pattern of cleavage of n-acetyglucosamine (glcnac) oligosaccharide substrates has been determined. (glcnac)6 is predominantly cleaved into (glcnac)2 and (glcnac)4, where the (glcnac)2 group arises from the nonreducing end of the subst ... | 2001 | 11327866 |
| correlation between antifungal susceptibilities of coccidioides immitis in vitro and antifungal treatment with caspofungin in a mouse model. | caspofungin (merck pharmaceuticals) was tested in vitro against 25 clinical isolates of coccidoides immitis. in vitro susceptibility testing was performed in accordance with the national committee for clinical laboratory standards document m38-p guidelines. two c. immitis isolates for which the caspofungin mics were different were selected for determination of the minimum effective concentration (mec), and these same strains were used for animal studies. survival and tissue burdens of the spleen ... | 2001 | 11353637 |
| high-dose therapy with fluconazole > or = 800 mg day-1. | fluconazole dosages greater than 800 mg day-1 have been reported in about 900 patients treated for candidemia, oropharyngeal candidiasis and cryptococcal meningitis in hiv-infected patients, and for initial therapy of endemic mycoses. in patients with life-threatening infections caused by candida spp., cryptococcus neoformans and coccidioides immitis, results of a limited number of dose-finding trials with non-neutropenic and hiv-infected patients show dose-dependent responses. these study resul ... | 1997 | 9476509 |
| coccidioidomycosis pulmonary infection. | disease caused by coccidioides immitis has increased in frequency in recent years because of marked population shifts into highly endemic areas, as well as perturbations of the environment caused by construction, agricultural, and natural activities. because disease may occur in persons in locations outside of the endemic regions, practitioners must be aware of the possibility of infection in those who may have traveled or resided in areas of risk. recently, advances in laboratory methods have f ... | 2001 | 11384558 |
| antifungal activity of modified hederagenin glycosides from the leaves of kalopanax pictum var. chinense. | monodesmosides which were obtained from the partial degradation of hederagenin bisdesmosides exhibited significant antifungal effect against microsporum canis, coccidioides immitis, trichophyton mentagrophytes, cryptococcus neoformans, and candida albicans at the minimal inhibitory concentrations of 6.25-25 microg/ml. the hederagenin glycosides were isolated from the leaves of kalopanax pictum var. chinense. | 2001 | 11411568 |
| gene genealogies, cryptic species, and molecular evolution in the human pathogen coccidioides immitis and relatives (ascomycota, onygenales). | previous genealogical analyses of population structure in coccidioides immitis revealed the presence of two cryptic and sexual species in this pathogenic fungus but did not clarify their origin and relationships with respect to other taxa. by combining the c. immitis data with those of two of its closest relatives, the free-living saprophytes auxarthron zuffianum and uncinocarpus reesii, we show that the c. immitis species complex is monophyletic, indicating a single origin of pathogenicity. cry ... | 2001 | 11420364 |
| emerging fungal pathogens: evolving challenges to immunocompromised patients for the twenty-first century. | opportunistic fungi have emerged during the past decade as important causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. candida species constitute the third to fourth most common causes of nosocomial blood stream infections, and aspergillus species have emerged as the most common infectious cause of pneumonic mortality in bone marrow/stem cell transplant recipients. among hiv-infected patients, meningoencephalitis due to cryptococcus neoformans ranks among the most common aids-defi ... | 1999 | 11428996 |
| coccidioides immitis in the gallbladder and biliary tree. | intraabdominal coccidioidomycosis is a very rare entity and usually responds to medical therapy. operative intervention is reserved for diagnosis or drainage of localized collections. with biliary coccidioidomycosis, medical treatment appears to be ineffective, and biliary tract drainage is necessary for optimal management. a case of coccidioidomycosis in the gallbladder and biliary tree is described and the literature reviewed. | 2001 | 11431776 |
| animal pharmacokinetics and interspecies scaling of sordarin derivatives following intravenous administration. | sordarin derivatives constitute a new group of synthetic antifungal agents that selectively inhibit fungal protein synthesis. they have demonstrated in vitro activity against the most important fungal pathogens, both yeast and filamentous. this new family of compounds has also shown in vivo activity against murine candida albicans, histoplasma capsulatum, and coccidioides immitis experimental infections, as well as against pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in rats. after intravenous dosing in anima ... | 2001 | 11557470 |
| rapid identification of dimorphic and yeast-like fungal pathogens using specific dna probes. | specific oligonucleotide probes were developed to identify medically important fungi that display yeast-like morphology in vivo. universal fungal primers its1 and its4, directed to the conserved regions of ribosomal dna, were used to amplify dna from histoplasma capsulatum, blastomyces dermatitidis, coccidioides immitis, paracoccidioides brasiliensis, penicillium marneffei, sporothrix schenckii, cryptococcus neoformans, five candida species, and pneumocystis carinii. specific oligonucleotide pro ... | 2001 | 11574564 |
| coccidioides immitis as a select agent of bioterrorism. | | 2001 | 11576294 |
| dendritic cells pulsed with coccidioides immitis lysate induce antigen-specific naive t cell activation. | coccidioidomycosis, an infection endemic to the southwestern united states, is caused by the fungus coccidioides immitis. coccidioidal infection is overcome by the development of cell-mediated immunity. this study evaluated the role of dendritic cells (dcs) in the initiation of coccidioidal immunity in nonimmune individuals. it was demonstrated that dcs pulsed with the coccidioidal antigen preparation, toluene spherule lysate (tsl), induce dc maturation, autologous lymphocyte proliferation, and ... | 2001 | 11598850 |
| wdchs2p, a class i chitin synthase, together with wdchs3p (class iii) contributes to virulence in wangiella (exophiala) dermatitidis. | the chitin synthase structural gene wdchs2 was isolated by screening a subgenomic dna library of wangiella dermatitidis by using a 0.6-kb pcr product of the gene as a probe. the nucleotide sequence revealed a 2,784-bp open reading frame, which encoded 928 amino acids, with a 59-bp intron near its 5' end. derived protein sequences showed highest amino acid identities with those derived from the cichs1 gene of coccidioides immitis and the anchsc gene of aspergillus nidulans. the derived sequence a ... | 2001 | 11705928 |
| interstitial granulomatous dermatitis associated with pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioides immitis is a soil-dwelling fungus found in arid regions of the western hemisphere. interstitial granulomatous dermatitis is a histopathologic pattern that may be a reactive manifestation of diverse systemic diseases. | 2001 | 11712027 |
| coccidioidomycosis in workers at an archeologic site--dinosaur national monument, utah, june-july 2001. | coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by inhalation of airborne coccidioides immitis spores that are present in the arid soil of the southwestern united states, california, and parts of central and south america. infection with c. immitis previously has not been diagnosed in patients outside these areas, except in travelers returning from areas where the disease is endemic. this report describes an outbreak of coccidioidomycosis in workers at an archeologic site in northeastern utah du ... | 2001 | 11724157 |
| primary pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioidomycosis is an infection caused by the soil-inhabiting fungus coccidioides immitis. the fungus is endemic in the desert southwest, which is a major area for tourism and growth. travel through this region results in many new coccidioidal pulmonary infections annually, including pneumonia, cavities, and nodules. patients with coccidioidomycosis are therefore likely to present with pulmonary manifestations of infection when they return home to nonendemic parts of the country. this makes c ... | 2001 | 11740823 |
| serologic studies in coccidioidomycosis. | serologic tests are valuable in the management of patients with suspected or confirmed coccidioidomycosis. qualitative tests (immunodiffusion, enzyme immunoassay, or latex particle agglutination) permit detection in the serum of the major antibody responses-coccidioidal igm in early coccidioidomycosis, and complement fixing (cf) igg, which appears later and is more persistent. quantitation of the level (titer) of coccidioidal igg is useful in prognosis and diagnosis. the preferable antigen for t ... | 2001 | 11740825 |
| immunogenicity of a 48-kilodalton recombinant t-cell-reactive protein of coccidioides immitis. | the outcome of coccidioidomycosis depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of the t-cell-mediated immune (cmi) response to the fungal pathogen. for this reason, identification of coccidioides immitis antigens which stimulate t cells is important for understanding the nature of host defense against the organism and essential for the development of an effective vaccine. here we describe the immunogenicity of a 48-kda t-cell-reactive protein (tcrp). the antigen is expressed by parasitic cells ... | 1998 | 9453590 |
| immunoreactivity of the fungal cell wall. | the cell wall is the major fungal structure involved in the interaction with the host and most of the immunological effects observed with intact fungal cells have been reproduced with cell-wall components. as a result of the exposure to fungal antigens, most individuals develop both cellular and antibody responses intended to limit the invasiveness or to eradicate the fungus from the infected tissues. however, a number of fungi including candida albicans, cryptococcus neoformans, blastomyces der ... | 2001 | 11800264 |
| the parasitic cell wall of coccidioides immitis. | coccidioides immitis is a human respiratory pathogen characterized by a parasitic cycle that is unique among fungi that cause systemic mycoses. biochemical, molecular and immunological studies of the cell wall of c. immitis have focused on three distinct events of parasitic cell differentiation: isotropic growth, segmentation and endosporulation. current investigations of each developmental phase in vitro include the identification, expression analysis, and disruption of synthase and hydrolase g ... | 2001 | 11800267 |
| [pericarditis caused by coccidioidomycosis. report of a case]. | a 33 year-old man developed coccidioidomycosis which resulted in pericarditis associated with congestive heart failure. a pericardial effusion developed and progressed to constrictive pericarditis. a pericardiectomy was performed and revealed that the pericarditis was due to coccidioides immitis. the patient died after surgery. this is the second case of coccidioidomycosis with pericarditis reported in mexico's literature. | 2001 | 11806034 |
| fungal skin infections in organ transplant recipients. | transplantation is now currently and increasingly performed for the treatment of various acute and chronic diseases. today the kidney, heart, lung, heart-lung, liver, pancreas, kidney-pancreas, small bowel and bone marrow are being transplanted. the immunological status of patients receiving such transplants exposes them to the risk of developing bacterial, viral and fungal infections. the etiological agents of mycotic diseases involving the skin of transplant recipients range from the common de ... | 2002 | 11817966 |
| primary cutaneous coccidioidomycosis. reevaluation of its potentiality based on study of three new cases. | the data derived from these three young patients would indicate the need for: (1) early recognition of the primary cutaneous skin infection as being due to coccidioides immitis. (2) the prompt use of suppressive intravenous amphotericin b therapy until such time as local tissue resistance and systemic immunity become manifest and sufficient to contain the pathogenic fungus within the initial cutaneous site of infection as manifested by complete healing of this primary lesion and its associated l ... | 1965 | 11851241 |
| purification and characterization of urease isolated from the pathogenic fungus coccidioides immitis. | coccidioides immitis, the causative agent of san joaquin valley fever (coccidioidomycosis), produces a urease which has been suggested to contribute to the virulence of this fungal pathogen. urease catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea and has been proposed to at least partly account for alkalinity of the microenvironment in which c. immitis grows due to the release of ammonia and ammonium ions. the c. immitis urease was purified to homogeneity (1048-fold) from the mycelial cytosol by chromatographic ... | 2002 | 11860012 |
| review of the safety and efficacy of voriconazole. | voriconazole is a new triazole antifungal agent structurally related to fluconazole, but with improved potency and spectrum of activity. voriconazole has good in vitro activity against candida species, cryptococcus neoformans, aspergillus spp. and other mould spp. initial clinical studies and case reports demonstrate efficacy with voriconazole against invasive aspergillosis and infections caused by c. neoformans, scedosporium apiospermum, blastomyces dermatitidis, coccidioides immitis and histop ... | 2002 | 11866669 |
| identification of a coccidioides immitis antigen 2 domain that expresses b-cell-reactive epitopes. | antigen 2 (ag2), a major immunoreactive component of coccidioides immitis mycelium- and spherule-phase cell walls, was recently cloned in our laboratory and was shown to elicit t-cell responses in coccidioides-immune mice. in this investigation, we evaluated recombinant ag2 (rag2) and pcr-generated ag2 truncations for expression of b-cell-reactive epitopes in enzyme-linked immunosorbent and immunoblot assays with sera from patients with active coccidioidomycosis, a hyperimmune goat anti-ag2 seru ... | 1997 | 9234800 |
| treatment of coccidioidal spinal infection: experience in 16 cases. | sixteen patients with spinal infection from coccidioides immitis were treated. lesion location was cervical in two, thoracic in four, lumbar in six, sacroiliac joint in one, and disseminated spinal in three. the neurological status was intact in 11 patients. one patient had incomplete quadriplegia, three patients had incomplete paraplegia, and a fifth patient had a lumbar root lesion. treatment was medical only in 4 patients (one of whom required surgery 2 years later) and combined medical and s ... | 1997 | 9213277 |
| in vitro activities of free and lipid formulations of amphotericin b and nystatin against clinical isolates of coccidioides immitis at various saprobic stages. | we investigated the susceptibilities of hyphal, mixed hyphal, ungerminated arthroconidial, and germinated arthroconidial populations of coccidioides immitis to lipid formulations of amphotericin b and nystatin and their conventional preparations, utilizing the national committee for clinical laboratory standards m38-p broth macrodilution method. the differences in effects of the three different growth stages of the saprobic phase of c. immitis on the mic/minimum lethal concentration (mlc) ratio ... | 2002 | 11959606 |
| coccidioidomycosis: efficacy of new agents and future prospects. | recent studies have contributed to our understanding of risk factors for severe and potentially life-threatening infections with coccidioides immitis, allowing a more rational approach to initiation of antifungal therapy for this infection, as well as determining its intensity and duration. a large randomized trial found that itraconazole and fluconazole had similar efficacies in the treatment of progressive nonmeningeal coccidioidomycosis. an animal model of coccidioidal meningitis suggested po ... | 2001 | 11964886 |
| biofilm on ventriculo-peritoneal shunt tubing as a cause of treatment failure in coccidioidal meningitis. | we describe a case of recurrent coccidioidal meningitis in which a fungal biofilm on the tip of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt tubing was likely responsible for a 4-year persistence of coccidioides immitis, despite the patient's taking an adequate dosage of fluconazole. fungal biofilms should be considered as a cause for treatment failure and fungal persistence, especially when artificial prostheses or indwelling catheters are present. | 2002 | 11971770 |
| protection of mice against coccidioides immitis intranasal infection by vaccination with recombinant antigen 2/pra. | subcutaneous vaccination with recombinant antigen 2/pra (rag2/pra) protected balb/c mice against intranasal infection with coccidioides immitis. subcutaneously vaccinated c57bl/6 mice and intranasally vaccinated balb/c mice were protected against larger numbers of infecting spores. weight loss correlated with lethality, but histologic appearance did not. these studies support rag2/pra vaccination to prevent coccidioidomycosis. | 2002 | 12011027 |
| localization within a proline-rich antigen (ag2/pra) of protective antigenicity against infection with coccidioides immitis in mice. | subunits of a proline-rich coccidioidal antigen (ag2/pra) of coccidioides immitis were analyzed by comparison as vaccines in mice. the optimal dose of plasmid vaccine encoding full-length ag2/pra was determined to be between 10 and 100 microg. mice vaccinated with plasmids encoding amino acids (aa) 1 to 106 were as protective as full-length ag2/pra (aa 1 to 194). the subunit from aa 27 to 106 was significantly but less protective. plasmids encoding aa 90 to 151 or aa 90 to 194 were not protectiv ... | 2002 | 12065470 |
| a parasitic phase-specific adhesin of coccidioides immitis contributes to the virulence of this respiratory fungal pathogen. | we report the isolation of a coccidioides immitis gene (sowgp) which encodes an immunodominant, spherule outer wall glycoprotein that is presented as a component of a parasitic phase-specific, membranous layer at the cell surface. the open reading frame of the gene from c. immitis isolate c735 translates a 422-amino-acid (aa) polypeptide that contains 6 copies of a 41- to 47-residue tandem repeat enriched in proline (20.4 mol%) and aspartate (19.7%). two additional isolates of c. immitis produce ... | 2002 | 12065484 |
| role of signal sequence in vaccine-induced protection against experimental coccidioidomycosis. | the vaccine efficacy of the gene sequence encoding the signal peptide of the antigen known as antigen 2 or proline-rich antigen (ag2/pra), an immunodominant antigen present in the cell wall of the fungal pathogen coccidioides immitis, was investigated in a murine model of coccidioidomycosis. expression plasmids for ag2/pra(1-18) dna (signal sequence), ag2/pra(19-194) dna (lacking the signal sequence), and ag2/pra(1-194) dna (full length) were inserted in the pvr1012 vector, and the constructs we ... | 2002 | 12065493 |
| voriconazole -- better chances for patients with invasive mycoses. | the past two decades have witnessed an increase in serious fungal infections, without corresponding growth in available antifungal agents. voriconazole (vrc) is a novel triazole antifungal, recently approved in europe for treatment of serious infections caused by aspergillus, fusarium, scedosporium, and resistant candida species. voriconazole has in vitro activity against yeasts and yeast-like fungi similar, or superior to, fluconazole (flc), itraconazole (itc) and amphotericin b (amb). candida ... | 2002 | 12069915 |
| coccidioides immitis antigen 2: analysis of gene and protein. | antigen 2 is a glycosylated protein present in the cell walls of the dimorphic fungus coccidioides immitis. using oligodeoxyribonucleotide (oligo) primers based on the sequences of ag2 cdna, the gene encoding ag2 was cloned from genomic dna derived from the mycelial phase of c. immitis by pcr. nucleotide (nt) sequence analyses showed a 582 base pair (bp) orf disrupted by two introns which are 78 bp and 101 bp long. the deduced primary translation product consists of 194 amino acids (aa), contain ... | 1996 | 8973319 |
| disseminated coccidioidomycosis with intra- and paravertebral abscesses. | we report a case of paravertebral and intravertebral abscesses caused by coccidioides immitis in a japanese man. the patient had lived in arizona, united states, for 5 years, and suffered from overt disease after coming back to japan. culture of pus from the paravertebral abscess revealed coccidioides immitis, and a diagnosis of disseminated coccidioidomycosis was made. fluconazole (600 mg/day), taken orally, was started, and the abscesses surrounding the vertebral bodies disappeared after 2 yea ... | 2002 | 12111573 |
| molecular cloning and characterization of the coccidioides immitis complement fixation/chitinase antigen. | detection of anti-coccidioides complement-fixing (cf) antibody is a valuable diagnostic and prognostic aid in coccidioidomycosis. the cf antibody response is directed against a heat-labile antigen that has chitinase activity, hereafter referred to as the cf/chitinase protein. to identify and clone this immunoreactive enzyme, we constructed a coccidioides immitis cdna lambda zap expression library from spherule rna and detected fusion peptides expressing cf epitopes by immunoscreening. a cdna clo ... | 1996 | 8675298 |
| coccidioidomycosis in india: report of a second imported case. | we describe a fatal case of imported coccidioidomycosis in india in a 22-year-old male who worked in tucson, arizona, approximately four years prior to his illness. the diagnosis was based on the presence of characteristic spherules with endospores in biopsy tissue of lymph nodes, bone and pus from a chronic discharging sinus in the left gluteal region and isolation of coccidioides immitis in culture. c. immitis is one of the most infectious and virulent fungal pathogens and poses a serious occu ... | 2002 | 12146761 |
| adjunctive corticosteroids therapy in acute respiratory distress syndrome owing to disseminated coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioides immitis causes a benign upper respiratory tract infection in endemic areas. acute respiratory distress syndrome is a rare complication that is associated with high mortality. corticosteroids have been avoided as adjunctive therapy to antifungals in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to coccidioidomycosis because of the fear of enhancing fungal virulence, but they have been proven safe and effective in other infectious entities. we are presenting a case of ... | 2002 | 12163812 |
| reversal of coccidioidal anergy in vitro by dendritic cells from patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioides immitis is a pathogenic, dimorphic fungus found in the southwestern united states and is the causative agent of coccidioidomycosis. extrathoracic dissemination of coccidioidomycosis is associated with a lack of cellular immunity. dendritic cells (dcs) have been shown to initiate and modulate cellular immune responses. to determine whether dcs could modulate or initiate the immune response in this disease, monocyte-derived dcs were generated from coccidioidal ag nonresponsive patient ... | 2002 | 12165528 |
| coccidioides immitis osteomyelitis: a case series review. | a retrospective chart review and telephone follow-up was conducted on patients who were treated for disseminated coccidioidomycosis involving bones or joints at the naval medical center, san diego, california from 1993-1999. thirteen patients were identified, with average follow-up of 36 months. six patients underwent surgical debridement and systemic medical therapy, and seven patients were treated medically only. all patients improved symptomatically with decreasing complement fixation titers ... | 2002 | 12195909 |
| coccidioidomycosis outbreak among united states navy seals training in a coccidioides immitis-endemic area--coalinga, california. | an outbreak of coccidioidomycosis among 22 navy seals occurred during training exercises in coalinga, california. ten (45%) of the 22 men had serologic evidence of acute coccidioidomycosis, the highest attack rate ever reported for a military unit. all case patients were symptomatic, and 50% had abnormal chest radiographs. there were no cases of dissemination and no deaths to date. coccidioidomycosis continues to be a threat to military members and civilians who reside or train in areas where co ... | 2002 | 12198626 |
| pulmonary coccidioidomycosis in a neonatal foal. | a 13-day-old foal with profound tachypnoea and respiratory distress was examined. thoracic radiographs revealed a severe, diffuse miliary pattern, and the foal was markedly hypoxaemic. it failed to improve with empirical treatment, and was euthanased. lesions associated with coccidioides immitis infection were identified at postmortem examination, and were limited to the lower respiratory tract. | 2002 | 12430999 |
| levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 within cerebrospinal fluid in a rabbit model of coccidioidal meningitis and vasculitis. | matrix metalloproteinase (mmp)-9 is produced by the central nervous system and inflammatory cells in a variety of inflammatory conditions in both animals and humans. mmp-9 promotes inflammation, breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, and vasculitis. because vasculitis is seen frequently in patients with coccidioidal meningitis (cm), this study evaluated the presence of mmp-9 within the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) of rabbits infected intracisternally with coccidioides immitis arthroconidia. infected ... | 2002 | 12447750 |
| molecular approaches to the study of coccidioides immitis. | the study of the molecular biology of coccidioides sp. is only just beginning. as the importance of coccidioidomycosis grows as a public health problem, our need for understanding of pathogenesis, immune responses, and improved antifungal therapy also increases in proportion. tools have now become available to study gene manipulation in this pathogen and this will allow molecular approaches to be used. genetic experiments will also be accelerated by the availability of the whole coccidioidal gen ... | 2002 | 12452283 |
| secreted proteases from pathogenic fungi. | many species of human pathogenic fungi secrete proteases in vitro or during the infection process. secreted endoproteases belong to the aspartic proteases of the pepsin family, serine proteases of the subtilisin family, and metalloproteases of two different families. to these proteases has to be added the non-pepsin-type aspartic protease from aspergillus niger and a unique chymotrypsin-like protease from coccidioides immitis. pathogenic fungi also secrete aminopeptidases, carboxypeptidases and ... | 2002 | 12452286 |
| completion pneumonectomy and thoracoplasty for bronchopleural fistula and fungal empyema. | achieving sterilization of the postpneumonectomy space and bronchial healing may be difficult when active granulomatous infection of the pleural space and lung parenchyma is present at the time of operation. three patients with chronic bronchopleural fistula, fungal empyema, and fungal cavities of the remaining ipsilateral lobe were managed with one-stage completion pneumonectomy and modified eight-rib thoracoplasty. two patients had infection with aspergillus fumigatis and 1 patient had coccidi ... | 1993 | 8452429 |
| a murine model of coccidioidal meningitis. | coccidioidal meningitis is lethal in humans. a reproducible murine model was established by lumbar intrathecal injection of coccidioides immitis arthroconidia. cerebrospinal fluid (csf) samples were obtained by cisternal puncture. lethal infection developed in all mice given 10-60 colony-forming units (cfu). lethargy, ataxia, or paralysis preceded death. temporal studies after challenge with 27 cfu revealed positive brain (4/5 mice) and spinal cord (2/5 mice) cultures on day 3; csf samples conta ... | 2003 | 12552429 |
| pcr assay for identification of histoplasma capsulatum based on the nucleotide sequence of the m antigen. | the major diagnostic antigens of histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum are the h and m antigens, pluripotent glycoproteins that elicit both humoral and t-cell-mediated immune responses. the gene encoding the m antigen has previously been sequenced, and its sequence has significant overall homology to those of the genes for fungal catalases. regions of the m-antigen gene with little or no homology were used to design four oligonucleotide sequences for application in the pcr detection and identif ... | 2003 | 12574242 |
| direct invasion of bones by highly pathogenic fungi in an in vitro model and its ecological significance. | animal bones after being devitalized at death are strongly resistant to wear and tear and remain in the soil or environment much longer than other organic components from dead animals. yet over the course of time they seem to disappear and thus our ecological surroundings are not cluttered with bone remnants. mechanical factors creating compression or friction and chemical factors like ph of the soil and surroundings must together have provided concerted degrading effects. microorganisms in the ... | 2003 | 12590255 |
| clinical, clinicopathologic, and radiographic findings in dogs with coccidioidomycosis: 24 cases (1995-2000). | to determine clinical, clinicopathologic, and radiographic abnormalities in dogs with coccidioidomycosis. | 2003 | 12597419 |
| transfer of protective immunity in murine histoplasmosis by a cd4+ t-cell clone. | we have reported that a murine histoplasma capsulatum-reactive cd4+ t-cell line and clones thereof did not adoptively transfer protection against h. capsulatum infection in normal or cyclophosphamide-treated c57bl/6 mice. one explanation for the results was that the t cells failed to traffic to lymphoid organs in these animals. in this study, we have sought to determine whether one of these clones, 2.3h3, could mediate protection in nude (c57bl/10) or irradiated (5 gy) heterozygous nude (nu/+) c ... | 1993 | 8093695 |
| molecular typing of pathogenic fungi. | in this round table, the application of several methods of molecular typing were discussed in reference to four important pathogenic fungi: coccidioides immitis, histoplasma capsulatum, candida albicans and paracoccidioides brasiliensis. among the different methods the following were discussed: restriction fragment length polymorphisms (rflp), single nucleotide polymorphisms, random amplified polymorphic dna (rapd), polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-rflp and microsatellites. by means of these meth ... | 2000 | 11204145 |
| in vitro antifungal activity of micafungin (fk463) against dimorphic fungi: comparison of yeast-like and mycelial forms. | the characteristics of in vitro micafungin (fk463) antifungal activity against six species of dimorphic fungi were investigated in accordance with the nccls m27-a microdilution methods. mics of micafungin, amphotericin b, itraconazole, and fluconazole for histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum, blastomyces dermatitidis, paracoccidioides brasiliensis, penicillium marneffei, and sporothrix schenckii were determined both for the yeast-like form and mycelial form. coccidioides immitis was tested onl ... | 2003 | 12654673 |
| microbiology and management of acute suppurative thyroiditis in children. | this review describes the microbiology, diagnosis and management of suppurative thyroiditis (st). staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus pyogenes, streptococcus epidermidis, and streptococcus pneumoniae, are the predominant aerobic isolates. the most common anaerobic bacteria are gram-negative bacilli and peptostreptococcus spp. agents that are rarely recovered include klebsiella spp., haemophilus influenzae, streptococcus viridans, salmonella spp., enterobacteriaceae, mycobacterium tuberculosis, ... | 2003 | 12697345 |
| experimental coccidioidomycosis in hamsters. disease kinetics and death curve in relation to infective dose. | a study of experimental coccidioidomycosis in hamsters (mesocricetus auratus) is presented. two experiments were conducted on 75 animals inoculated intracardially with the mycelial form of coccidioides immitis. the first research (experiment i) studied the kinetics of experimental disease in 15 hamsters inoculated with 300 c. immitis arthroconidia. the parameters studied were: (a) presence of macroscopic lesions in the brain, lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys; (b) microscopic identification of sp ... | 2000 | 11105536 |
| coccidioidomycosis fungal infection in the hand mimicking a metacarpal enchondroma. | coccidioidomycosis, an infection caused by the fungus coccidioides immitis, rarely affects the hand, but we report an unusual case which mimicked the radiological appearance of an enchondroma in the metacarpal. curettage and bone grafting in combination with long-term antifungal therapy are necessary for successful treatment of coccidioidomycosis of the hand. | 2000 | 10991817 |
| identification of antigens of coccidioides immitis which stimulated immune t lymphocytes. | t-cell mediated immune response to coccidioidomycosis has been shown to be the principal mechanism of resistance to this respiratory fungal disease in experimental animals. in this study, a coccidioides immitis antigen-specific murine t-cell line was used to identify macromolecules capable of eliciting an immune mouse t-cell proliferative response. the murine t-cell line was selected on the basis of its strong positive response to a soluble conidial wall fraction (scwf), which had previously bee ... | 1993 | 8298279 |
| cloning and expression of the complement fixation antigen-chitinase of coccidioides immitis. | a chitinase had been isolated from the culture filtrates of coccidioides immitis endosporulating spherules and from hyphae and shown to be the coccidioidal complement fixation (cf) and immunodiffusion-cf antigen. in the present study, we made use of our previously determined amino-terminal (n-terminal) sequence of the cf-chitinase to design degenerate oligonucleotide primers and to amplify and sequence a pcr product that coded for the n-terminal portion of the cf-chitinase. the pcr product was u ... | 1996 | 8945534 |
| airway coccidioidomycosis--report of cases and review. | infection due to coccidioides immitis usually begins in the lungs. despite the initial pulmonary portal of entry, endotracheal and endobronchial coccidioidomycosis has rarely been described. since the introduction of fiberoptic bronchoscopy and the aids epidemic, more c. immitis lesions of the large airways have been noted. we present data on 38 cases of coccidioidomycosis of the airways, including 6 cases detailed from our own experience and 32 from the literature. direct infection of the airwa ... | 1999 | 10451165 |
| expression cloning of the candida albicans csa1 gene encoding a mycelial surface antigen by sorting of saccharomyces cerevisiae transformants with monoclonal antibody-coated magnetic beads. | the mycelial surface antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody (mab) 4e1 has previously been shown to be present predominantly in the terminal third of the hyphal structures in candida albicans. we report here the expression cloning of the corresponding gene (csa1 ) by mab 4e1-coated magnetic beads sorting of saccharomyces cerevisiae transformants expressing a c. albicans genomic library. the strategy is both highly selective and highly sensitive and provides an additional genetic tool for the c ... | 2000 | 10652105 |
| genetic evidence for the role of the lv locus in early susceptibility but not il-10 synthesis in experimental coccidioidomycosis in c57bl mice. | loci on chromosome 4 near lv and on chromosome 6 near tnfr1 are associated with resistance to coccidioidomycosis in mice. to assess the importance of the lv locus, we compared c57bl/6 (b6) with c57bl/10 (b10), strains that are nearly congenic for the lv locus. fourteen days after intraperitoneal infection, b6 mice had nearly 100-fold more coccidioides immitis in their lungs than did b10 mice (log 6.2 vs. log 4.8). furthermore, the time to 50% deaths was 15 days for b6 and 22 days for b10. nevert ... | 2000 | 10669355 |
| identification and cloning of an aspartyl proteinase from coccidioides immitis. | a 45 kda protein was isolated from a soluble vaccine prepared from formaldehyde-killed spherules of coccidioides immitis. from the n-terminal amino acid sequence, the protein yielded a 17-amino-acid peptide that was homologous to sequences of other fungal aspartyl proteinases. the coccidioidal cdna encoding the proteinase was amplified using oligonucleotide primers designed from the 45 kda n-terminal amino acid sequence and a fungal aspartyl proteinase consensus amino acid sequence. the pcr prod ... | 2000 | 10675032 |
| the x-ray structure of a chitinase from the pathogenic fungus coccidioides immitis. | the x-ray structure of chitinase from the fungal pathogen coccidioides immitis has been solved to 2.2 a resolution. like other members of the class 18 hydrolase family, this 427 residue protein is an eight-stranded beta/alpha-barrel. although lacking an n-terminal chitin anchoring domain, the enzyme closely resembles the chitinase from serratia marcescens. among the conserved features are three cis peptide bonds, all involving conserved active site residues. the active site is formed from conser ... | 2000 | 10752616 |
| practice guideline for the treatment of coccidioidomycosis. infectious diseases society of america. | management of patients diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis involves defining the extent of infection and assessing host factors that predispose to disease severity. patients with relatively localized acute pulmonary infections and no risk factors for complications often require only periodic reassessment to demonstrate resolution of their self-limited process. on the other hand, patients with extensive spread of infection or at high risk of complications because of immunosuppression or other preex ... | 2000 | 10770727 |
| efficacies of sordarin derivatives gm193663, gm211676, and gm237354 in a murine model of systemic coccidioidomycosis. p6. | sordarin derivatives (glaxo wellcome) are a new class of compounds that selectively inhibit fungal protein synthesis and have a broad spectrum of activity. systemic coccidioidomycosis was established in female cd-1 mice infected with coccidioides immitis, and therapy was begun on day 4 with either gm193663, gm211676, gm237354, fluconazole, or no treatment; compounds were given twice daily orally for 19 days at 20 or 100 mg/kg/day. the serum pharmacokinetics of the compounds were studied in uninf ... | 2000 | 10858347 |
| a test for concordance between the multilocus genealogies of genes and microsatellites in the pathogenic fungus coccidioides immitis. | uncovering the correct phylogeny of closely related species requires analysis of multiple gene genealogies or, alternatively, genealogies inferred from the multiple alleles found at highly polymorphic loci, such as microsatellites. however, a concern in using microsatellites is that constraints on allele sizes may occur, resulting in homoplasious distributions of alleles, leading to incorrect phylogenies. seven microsatellites from the pathogenic fungus coccidioides immitis were sequenced for 20 ... | 2000 | 10908636 |
| cloning and expression of the gene which encodes a tube precipitin antigen and wall-associated beta-glucosidase of coccidioides immitis. | we report the structure and expression of the coccidioides immitis bgl2 gene which encodes a previously characterized 120-kda glycoprotein of this fungal respiratory pathogen. the glycoprotein is recognized by immunoglobulin m tube precipitin (tp) antibody present in sera of patients with coccidioidomycosis, a reaction which has been used for serodiagnosis of early coccidioidal infection. the deduced amino acid sequence of bgl2 shows 12 potential n glycosylation sites and numerous serine-threoni ... | 2001 | 11254576 |
| recombinant urease and urease dna of coccidioides immitis elicit an immunoprotective response against coccidioidomycosis in mice. | coccidioides immitis antigens which stimulate a t helper cell 1 (th1) pathway of host immune response are considered to be essential components of a vaccine against coccidioidomycosis. recombinant urease (rure) and recombinant heat shock protein 60 (rhsp60) of c. immitis were expressed in escherichia coli and tested as vaccine candidates in balb/c mice. a synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide which contained unmethylated cpg dinucleotides and was previously shown to enhance a murine th1 response was us ... | 2001 | 11292702 |
| coccidioidomycosis in non-endemic areas: a case series. | coccidioidomycosis is a systemic infection caused by the soil fungus coccidioides immitis, which is endemic to the south-western united states. manifestations range from flu-like illness to pneumonia and septic shock. diagnosis may be delayed or missed in non-endemic areas because of the low index of suspicion. we describe a series of 23 patients with coccidioidomycosis at one institution in a non-endemic area. diagnosis was often delayed. in two patients, the route of exposure could not be dete ... | 2001 | 11316114 |
| coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioides immitis is a dimorphic fungus primarily found in the soil in a limited region of the southwestern united states. when this fungus causes an infection (coccidioidomycosis), it is due to the spores being inhaled and causing an inflammation of the respiratory tract. in most cases, the infection is self-limiting and is controlled by cell-mediated immunity. in hiv-infected patients, it is thought that the infection may be newly acquired, or reactivated, from a former incident. patients w ... | 1997 | 11364125 |
| cost-effectiveness of a potential vaccine for coccidioides immitis. | coccidioidomycosis, a systemic fungal infection, affects americans living in the southwest. we evaluated the cost- effectiveness of a potential vaccine against coccidioides immitis. using a decision model we developed, we estimate that among children, vaccination would saved 1.9 quality-adjusted life days (qald) and $33 per person. among adults, screening followed by vaccination would save 0.5 qald per person and cost $62,000 per quality adjusted life year gained over no vaccination. if the birt ... | 2001 | 11747691 |
| comparative study of the reaction mechanism of family 18 chitinases from plants and microbes. | hydrolytic mechanisms of family 18 chitinases from rice (oryza sativa l.) and bacillus circulans wl-12 were comparatively studied by a combination of hplc analysis of the reaction products and theoretical calculation of reaction time-courses. all of the enzymes tested produced beta-anomers from chitin hexasaccharide [(glcnac)(6)], indicating that they catalyze the hydrolysis through a retaining mechanism. the rice chitinases hydrolyzed predominantly the fourth and fifth glycosidic linkages from ... | 2002 | 11926993 |
| in vitro and in vivo activities of posaconazole against coccidioides immitis. | posaconazole (sch 56592) was tested against 25 strains of coccidioides immitis to determine their in vitro susceptibilities. the geometric mean 48-h mic of posaconazole (posa) was 0.5 microg/ml, the mic range was 0.25 to 1 microg/ml, and the mic at which 50% of the isolates tested are inhibited (mic50) and the mic90 were 0.5 and 1 microg/ml, respectively. the geometric mean 48-h mic of itraconazole (itra) was 0.23 microg/ml, the mic range was 0.125 to 0.5 microg/ml, and the mic50 and mic90 were ... | 2002 | 11959568 |
| the structure of an allosamidin complex with the coccidioides immitis chitinase defines a role for a second acid residue in substrate-assisted mechanism. | allosamidin is a known inhibitor of class 18 chitinases. we show that allosamidin is a competitive inhibitor of the fungal chitinase cix1 from coccidioides immitis, with a k(i) of 60 nm. we report the x-ray structure of the complex and show that upon inhibitor binding the side-chain of asp169 rotates to form an ion pair with the oxazolinium cation. the mechanism of action is thought to involve protonation of the leaving group by glu171 and substrate assistance by the sugar acetamido moiety to fo ... | 2002 | 12079386 |
| efficacy of intravenous liposomal amphotericin b (ambisome) against coccidioidal meningitis in rabbits. | the efficacy of intravenously administered liposomal amphotericin b (ambisome [ambi]) for the treatment of experimental coccidioidal meningitis was compared with those of oral fluconazole (flc) and intravenously administered conventional amphotericin b (amb). male new zealand white rabbits were infected by intracisternal inoculation of arthroconidia of coccidioides immitis. starting 5 days postinfection, animals received one of the following: 5% dextrose water diluent; amb given at 1 mg/kg of bo ... | 2002 | 12121913 |
| a risk analysis for airborne pathogens with low infectious doses: application to respirator selection against coccidioides immitis spores. | probability models incorporating a deterministic versus stochastic infectious dose are described for estimating infection risk due to airborne pathogens that infect at low doses. such pathogens can be occupational hazards or candidate agents for bioterrorism. inputs include parameters for the infectious dose model, distribution parameters for ambient pathogen concentrations, the breathing rate, the duration of an exposure period, the anticipated number of exposure periods, and, if a respirator d ... | 2002 | 12530785 |
| increase in coccidioidomycosis--arizona, 1998-2001. | coccidioidomycosis is a systemic infection caused by inhalation of airborne spores from coccidioides immitis, a fungus found in soil in the southwestern united states and in parts of mexico and central and south america. infection occurs usually following activities or natural events that disrupt the soil, resulting in aerosolization of the fungal arthrospores. clinical manifestations occur in 40% of infected persons and range from an influenza-like illness (ili) to severe pneumonia and, rarely, ... | 2003 | 12645841 |
| modeling valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) incidence on the basis of climate conditions. | valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a disease endemic to arid regions within the western hemisphere, and is caused by a soil-dwelling fungus, coccidioides immitis. incidence data for pima county, reported to the arizona department of health services as new cases of valley fever, were used to conduct exploratory analyses and develop monthly multivariate models of relationships between valley fever incidence and climate conditions and variability in pima county, arizona, usa. bivariate and compos ... | 2003 | 12647095 |
| caspofungin: first approved agent in a new class of antifungals. | caspofungin (cancidas, merck & co. inc.) is the first echinocandin antifungal agent to gain fda-approval for use in the us. it has excellent clinical activity against candida spp. and aspergillus spp. but lacks significant activity against cryptococcus neoformans. caspofungin may have some activity against dimorphic fungi such as histoplasma capsulatum and coccidioides immitis, but no clinical data is available for treatment of these infections. caspofungin has demonstrated poor activity against ... | 2003 | 12740003 |
| a cluster of disseminated coccidioidomycosis cases at a us military hospital. | we recently evaluated a cluster of cases of disseminated coccidioidomycosis referred to the naval medical center san diego. between march and june of 2002, seven cases were diagnosed and treated. in a 5-year record review (march 1997-february 2002), we found only seven cases of disseminated disease attributable to coccidioides immitis at the same institution. this report of seven cases over a 3-month period represents a 20-fold increase in the number of complicated c. immitis infections. all cas ... | 2003 | 12834136 |
| the enhancing rim: a new sign of a benign pulmonary nodule. | to describe a new radiological sign, the enhancing rim sign, that indicates that a solitary pulmonary nodule is benign rather than malignant. | 2003 | 12962164 |
| the effect of isoniazid and iproniazid on coccidioides immitis. | | 1953 | 13031074 |
| cultivation of coccidioides immitis in the developing hen's egg. | | 1952 | 13047323 |
| histochemical investigation of the spherule of coccidioides immitis in relation to host reaction. | | 1953 | 13052964 |
| cooling of embryonated eggs to produce an ld50 for coccidioides immitis. | | 1953 | 13064270 |
| studies on coccidioides immitis: morphology and sporulation capacity of forty-seven strains. | | 1953 | 13085034 |
| para-aminobenzoic acid as a fungicide for coccidioides immitis. | | 1953 | 13115022 |
| occupational aspects of coccidioidomycosis. | infections with coccidioides immitis have been frequently associated with circumstances suggesting the likelihood of occupational origin. some cases have been accepted as compensable by insurance carriers, the industrial accident commission, and the courts. the factors considered in determining whether or not infection is of occupational origin are reviewed under the following headings.1. laboratory infections.2. other infections due to exposure to contaminated articles, arising outside endemic ... | 1954 | 13150196 |
| chemical composition of the cell wall of coccidioides immitis. | | 1954 | 13165659 |
| sporulation capacity of coccidioides immitis affected by cultural conditions. | | 1954 | 13174508 |