| discovery of a novel antifungal agent in the pathogen box. | human fungal pathogens cause over 2 million infections per year and are major drivers of morbidity and mortality. cryptococcus neoformans and candida albicans are two of the most common fungal pathogens of humans, together accounting for a staggering 1.4 million infections annually, with very high mortality rates. patients with dysfunctional immune systems, such as individuals with hiv/aids, are particularly susceptible to fungal infections. unfortunately, relatively few antifungal drugs are cur ... | 2017 | 28435886 |
| molecular characterization of cryptococcus neoformans isolated from the environment in beijing, china. | the molecular type of environmental cryptococcus neoformans in beijing was not clear. our study aims to reveal the molecular characterization of c. neoformans complex from environment in beijing, china. a total of 435 samples of pigeon droppings from 11 different homes in beijing were collected from august to november in 2015. pigeon droppings were inoculated onto caffeic acid cornmeal agar (caca) to screen c. neoformans complex. bruker biotyper matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-o ... | 2017 | 28431114 |
| the epidemiology of cryptococcosis and the characterization of cryptococcus neoformans isolated in a brazilian university hospital. | cryptococcosis, a systemic disease caused by the fungus cryptococcus neoformans/ cryptococcus gattii is more severe in immunocompromised individuals. this study aimed to analyze the epidemiology of the disease, the molecular characteristics and the antifungal susceptibility of c. neoformans isolated from patients treated in a brazilian university hospital. this retrospective study was conducted in the clinical hospital, federal university of uberlândia, and evaluated cases of cryptococcosis and ... | 2017 | 28423088 |
| atypical morphology and disparate speciation in a case of feline cryptococcosis. | a 6-year-old, spayed female cat was presented with acute respiratory signs and pleural effusion. computed tomography scan revealed a large, lobulated mass effect in the ventral right hemithorax with concurrent sternal lymphadenopathy. a cytologic sample of the mass contained pyogranulomatous inflammation, necrotic material, and abundant yeast structures that lacked a distinct capsule and demonstrated rare pseudohyphal forms. fungal culture and biochemical testing identified the yeast as cryptoco ... | 2017 | 28756537 |
| cryptococcosis in hiv-negative patients with renal dialysis: a retrospective analysis of pooled cases. | cryptococcosis is a lethal fungal infection mainly caused by cryptococcus neoformans/c. gattii species. currently, our understanding of cryptococcosis episodes in hiv-negative patients during renal dialysis remains scarce and fragmented. here, we performed an analysis of pooled cases to systemically summarize the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of cryptococcosis among hiv-negative patients with renal dialysis. using pooled data from our hospital and studies identified in four medical d ... | 2017 | 28667348 |
| pigeons and their droppings as reservoirs of candida and other zoonotic yeasts. | the importance of pigeons as reservoirs and carriers of cryptococcus neoformans and other species of this genus is well-known; however, less is known about their role as reservoirs and carriers of other yeasts that impact public health. | 2017 | 28720316 |
| copper complexes containing thiosemicarbazones derived from 6-nitropiperonal: antimicrobial and biophysical properties. | a series of four thiosemicarbazones from 6-nitropiperonal along with the corresponding copper complexes were synthesized. the biophysical characteristics of the complexes were investigated by the binding to dna and human serum albumin. the binding to dna is moderate; the binding constants run from (0.49-7.50)×10(4)m(-1). in relation to hsa, the complexes interact strongly with binding constants on the order of 10(5)m(-1). the complexes also display antioxidant behavior as determined by the abili ... | 2017 | 28448954 |
| phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity studies of ethanol leaf extract of aphaniasenegalensis (sapindaceae). | aphania senegalensis (sapindaceae) is commonly used in senegalese traditional medicine to treat pain, inflammation, asthenia, bacterial and fungal infections. the aim of this study was to determine the type of phytochemical constituents present in the ethanol leaf extract and its antimicrobial activity against selected bacterial and fungal pathogens. | 2017 | 28638876 |
| purine acquisition and synthesis by human fungal pathogens. | while members of the kingdom fungi are found across many of the world's most hostile environments, only a limited number of species can thrive within the human host. the causative agents of the most common invasive fungal infections are candida albicans, aspergillus fumigatus, and cryptococcus neoformans. during the infection process, these fungi must not only combat the host immune system while adapting to dramatic changes in temperature and ph, but also acquire sufficient nutrients to enable g ... | 2017 | 28594372 |
| antioxidant and antifungal activity of selected medicinal plant extracts against phytopathogenic fungi. | medicinal plants are used by many ethnic groups as a source of medicine for the treatment of various ailments in both humans and domestic animals. these plants produce secondary metabolites that have antimicrobial properties, thus screening of medicinal plants provide another alternative for producing chemical fungicides that are relatively non-toxic and cost-effective. | 2016 | 28852739 |
| approach to fungal infections in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals: pneumocystis and beyond. | many fungi cause pulmonary disease in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection. pathogens include pneumocystis jirovecii, cryptococcus neoformans, aspergillus spp, histoplasma capsulatum, coccidioides spp, blastomyces dermatitidis, paracoccidioides brasiliensis, talaromyces marneffei, and emmonsia spp. because symptoms are frequently nonspecific, a high index of suspicion for fungal infection is required for diagnosis. clinical manifestations of fungal infection in hiv-infected ... | 2017 | 28797489 |
| imaging spectrum of invasive fungal and fungal-like infections. | invasive fungal and fungal-like infections contribute to substantial morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. the incidence of these infections is increasing-largely because of rising numbers of immunocompromised patients, including those with neutropenia, human immunodeficiency virus, chronic immunosuppression, indwelling prostheses, burns, and diabetes mellitus, and those taking broad-spectrum antibiotics. invasive fungal pathogens include primary mycotic organisms such as his ... | 2017 | 28622118 |
| evaluation of primitive ground water supplies as a risk factor for the development of major waterborne zoonosis in egyptian children living in rural areas. | endemic waterborne zoonosis frequently occurs in both developed and less developed countries. thus, bio-surveillance of waterborne zoonosis is a "necessity" for the implementation of effective preventive public health measures in egyptian rural areas. the primitive individual water supplies created by the rural agriculture population, primarily from ground water, usually maximize the customers' exposure to impurity pathogens via diffused humans and animal excreta or wastages. the current study a ... | 2017 | 28843417 |
| phosphate acquisition and virulence in human fungal pathogens. | the ability of pathogenic fungi to acquire essential macro and micronutrients during infection is a well-established virulence trait. recent studies in the major human fungal pathogens candida albicans and cryptococcus neoformans have revealed that acquisition of the essential macronutrient, phosphate, is essential for virulence. the phosphate sensing and acquisition pathway in fungi, known as the pho pathway, has been extensively characterized in the model yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae. in thi ... | 2017 | 28829379 |
| two plant-derived aporphinoid alkaloids exert their antifungal activity by disrupting mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis. | eupolauridine and liriodenine are plant-derived aporphinoid alkaloids that exhibit potent inhibitory activity against the opportunistic fungal pathogens candida albicans and cryptococcus neoformans however, the molecular mechanism of this antifungal activity is unknown. in this study, we show that eupolauridine 9591 (e9591), a synthetic analog of eupolauridine, and liriodenine methiodide (lmt), a methiodide salt of liriodenine, mediate their antifungal activities by disrupting mitochondrial iron ... | 2017 | 28821607 |
| assessment of in vitro antifungal efficacy and in vivo toxicity of amphotericin b-loaded plga and plga-peg blend nanoparticles. | amphotericin b (amb) is widely applied in treatment of systemic fungal infections. however, the emergence of severe adverse effects, such as nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and hemolytic anemia, can limit its clinical use. poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (plga) or poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-poly(ethylene glycol) (plga-peg) blend nanoparticles containing amb were developed with the aim to decrease amb toxicity and propose the oral route for amb delivery. nanoparticles were characterized by particle siz ... | 2017 | 28797532 |
| heat shock protein 90 localizes to the surface and augments virulence factors of cryptococcus neoformans. | thermotolerance is an essential attribute for pathogenesis of cryptococcus as exemplified by the fact that only two species in the genus, which can grow at 37°c, are human pathogens. species which have other virulence factors including capsule formation and melanisation, but lack the ability to propagate at 37°c are not pathogenic. in another related fungal pathogen, candida albicans, heat shock protein 90 has been implicated to be a central player in commanding pathogenicity by governing yeast ... | 2017 | 28783748 |
| detection of fungi from an indoor environment using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (lamp) method. | loop-mediated isothermal amplification (lamp) is a useful dna detection method with high specificity and sensitivity. the lamp reaction is carried out within a short time at a constant temperature without the need for thermal cycling. we developed a lamp primer set for detecting a wide range of fungi by aligning the sequences of the large subunit ribosomal rna gene of candida albicans (ascomycota), cryptococcus neoformans (basidiomycota), and mucor racemosus (mucorales). the threshold of c. albi ... | 2017 | 28659561 |
| anti-cryptococcus phenalenones and cyclic tetrapeptides from auxarthron pseudauxarthron. | auxarthrones a-e (1-5), five new phenalenones, and two new naturally occurring cyclic tetrapeptides, auxarthrides a (7) and b (8), were obtained from three different solvent extracts of cultures of the coprophilous fungus auxarthron pseudauxarthron. auxarthrones c (3) and e (5) possess an unusual 7a,8-dihydrocyclopenta[a]phenalene-7,9-dione ring system that has not been previously observed in natural products. formation of 1-5 was found to be dependent on the solvent used for culture extraction. ... | 2017 | 28657331 |
| fluconazole-induced ploidy change in cryptococcus neoformans results from the uncoupling of cell growth and nuclear division. | cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic yeast that causes lethal cryptococcal meningitis in immunocompromised patients. one of the challenges in treating cryptococcosis is the development of resistance to azole antifungals. previous studies linked azole resistance to elevated numbers of copies of critical resistance genes in aneuploid cells. however, how aneuploidy is formed in the presence of azole drugs remains unclear. this study showed that treatment with inhibitory concentrations of an azol ... | 2017 | 28630940 |
| design, synthesis and evaluation of aromatic heterocyclic derivatives as potent antifungal agents. | to further enhance the anti-aspergillus efficacy of our previously discovered antifungal lead compounds (1), a series of aromatic heterocyclic derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for in vitro antifungal activity. many of the target compounds showed good inhibitory activity against candida albicans and cryptococcus neoformans. in particular, the isoxazole nuclei were more suited for improving the activity against aspergillus spp. among these compounds, 2-f substituted analogues 2 ... | 2017 | 28558334 |
| antifungal toxicity of linear geranylphenol. influence of oxigenate substituents. | twenty four linear geranylphenols were evaluated for their antifungal properties against atcc and clinical isolates of candida albicans and cryptococcus neoformans. for the analysis of their antifungal behavior the compounds were grouped into two series: (i) compounds with only one geranyl substituent on the benzene ring and (ii) compounds with two geranyl moieties on the benzene ring. results showed that compounds of series (i) present better antifungal activities than those of series (ii). in ... | 2017 | 28528250 |
| the yeasts phosphorelay systems: a comparative view. | cells contain signal transduction pathways that mediate communication between the extracellular environment and the cell interior. these pathways control transcriptional programs and posttranscriptional processes that modify cell metabolism in order to maintain homeostasis. one type of these signal transduction systems are the so-called two component systems (tcs), which conduct the transfer of phosphate groups between specific and conserved histidine and aspartate residues present in at least t ... | 2017 | 28470426 |
| the antibiotic polymyxin b exhibits novel antifungal activity against fusarium species. | the genus fusarium comprises many species, including fusarium oxysporum, fusarium solani, fusarium graminearum and fusarium verticillioides, and causes severe infections in plants and humans. in clinical settings, fusarium is the third most frequent mould to cause invasive fungal infections after aspergillus and the mucorales. f. solani and f. oxysporum are the most prevalent fusarium spp. causing clinical disease. however, few effective antifungal drugs are available to treat human and plant fu ... | 2017 | 28433743 |
| mismatch repair of dna replication errors contributes to microevolution in the pathogenic fungus cryptococcus neoformans. | the ability to adapt to a changing environment provides a selective advantage to microorganisms. in the case of many pathogens, a large change in their environment occurs when they move from a natural setting to a setting within a human host and then during the course of disease development to various locations within that host. two clinical isolates of the human fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans were identified from a collection of environmental and clinical strains that exhibited a mutat ... | 2017 | 28559486 |
| current status of taxonomy of pathogenic yeasts. | fungal taxonomy has been reconstructed on the basis of genome information, and new nomenclatural rules have been enacted from 2013. it has been proposed that cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii be reclassified into two species (c. neoformans and cryptococcus deneoformans) and five species (c. gattii, cryptococcus bacillisporus, cryptococcus deuterogattii, cryptococcus tetragattii, and cryptococcus decagattii), respectively. the genus trichosporon has been reclassified into five gener ... | 2017 | 28855483 |
| cryptococcal lung infections. | cryptococcus is among the most common invasive fungal pathogens globally and is one of the leading causes of acquired immunodeficiency virus-related deaths. cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii are the most clinically relevant species and account for most cryptococcal disease. pulmonary manifestations can range from mild symptoms to life-threatening infection. treatment is tailored based on the severity of pulmonary infection, the presence of disseminated or central nervous system dis ... | 2017 | 28797488 |
| cryptococcosis in patients with diabetes mellitus ii in mainland china: 1993-2015. | diabetes mellitus ii (dm ii) is a newly defined independent factor contributing to the morbidity and mortality of cryptococcosis. this retrospective case analysis aims to explore the epidemiology, clinical profile and strain characteristics of cryptococcosis in chinese dm ii patients. this study included 30 cases of cryptococcosis with dm ii occurring from 1993 to 2015 in mainland china. the hospital-based prevalence of cryptococcosis in dm ii was 0.21%. the mean age of the patients was 56.1 yea ... | 2017 | 28857298 |
| recognition of cryptococcus neoformans by pattern recognition receptors and its role in host defense to this infection. | cryptococcus neoformans is a yeast-type opportunistic fungal pathogen with a capsule structure consisting of polysaccharides, such as glucuronoxylomannan and galactoxylomannan, and infects the lungs via an air-borne route. most healthy individuals undergo asymptomatic infection with granulomatous lesions in the lungs caused by c. neoformans. however, immunocompromised hosts with severely impaired cellular immunity, such as those with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids), often suffer from ... | 2017 | 28855484 |
| naïve b cells reduce fungal dissemination in cryptococcus neoformans infected rag1(-/-) mice. | igm and b-1 cell deficient mice exhibit early c. neoformans dissemination from lungs to brain, but a definitive role for b cells in conferring resistance to c. neoformans dissemination has not been established. to address this question, we developed an intranasal (i.n.) c. neoformans infection model in b and t cell deficient rag1(-/-) mice and found they also exhibit earlier fungal dissemination and higher brain cfu than wild-type c57bl/6 (wild-type) mice. to probe the effect of b cells on funga ... | 2017 | 28837391 |
| correction: macrophage mitochondrial and stress response to ingestion of cryptococcus neoformans. | | 2017 | 28827389 |
| capsule enlargement in cryptococcus neoformans is dependent on mitochondrial activity. | cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental encapsulated yeast that behaves as an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised individuals. the capsule is the main virulence factor of this pathogen. this structure is highly dynamic, and it can change its size and structure according to the environmental conditions. during infection, c. neoformans significantly enlarges the size of the capsule by the addition of new polysaccharide. it is believed that capsule growth is an energy-cost process, but ... | 2017 | 28824559 |
| mannose surfaces exhibit self-latching, water structuring, and resilience to chaotropes: implications for pathogen virulence. | several viral and fungal pathogens, including hiv, sars, dengue, ebola, and cryptococcus neoformans, display a preponderance of mannose residues on their surface, particularly during the infection cycle or in harsh environments. the innate immune system, on the other hand, abounds in mannose receptors which recognize mannose residues on pathogens and trigger their phagocytosis. we pose the question if there is an advantage for pathogens to display mannose on their surface, despite these residues ... | 2017 | 28817934 |
| clinical evaluation of the antifungal effect of sertraline in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in hiv patients: a single mexican center experience. | cryptococcal meningitis is a potentially fatal fungal infection associated with a significant attributable morbidity and mortality, especially among hiv/aids patients. the first-line therapy for the treatment of this clinical entity is the combinatory therapy of amphotericin b plus flucytosine. however, the high cost, toxic effects, and limited repertoire of effective antifungal drugs have led to the investigation of novel molecules. this is a prospective, double-blinded, and randomized study pe ... | 2017 | 28815430 |
| depsidones and an α-pyrone derivative from simpilcillium sp. psu-h41, an endophytic fungus from hevea brasiliensis leaf. | nine previously undescribed depsidones (simplicildones a-i) and one previously undescribed α-pyrone (simplicilopyrone) were isolated from the endophytic fungus simplicillium sp. psu-h41 along with 11 known compounds. their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic analysis. simplicildone a and known botryorhodine c displayed weak antibacterial against staphylococcus aureus with equal mic values of 32 μg/ml. additionally, botryorhodine c was active against methicillin-resistant s. au ... | 2017 | 28803995 |
| subarachnoid small vein occlusion due to inflammatory fibrosis-a possible mechanism for cerebellar infarction in cryptococcal meningoencephalitis: a case report. | cryptococcal meningoencephalitis (cm) causes cerebral infarction, typically, lacunar infarction in the basal ganglia. however, massive cerebral infarction leading to death is rare and its pathophysiology is unclear. we report a case of cm causing massive cerebellar infarction, which led to cerebral herniation and death. | 2017 | 28793877 |
| cryptococcus neoformans and c. gattii isolates from both hiv-infected and uninfected patients: antifungal susceptibility and outcome of cryptococcal disease. | one of the factors causing treatment failure in cryptococcosis is the resistance of cryptococcus spp. to antifungal drugs, which has motivated the susceptibility assessment of isolates from patients with cryptococcosis, different clinical conditions and infections outcomes. clinical isolates of cryptococcus spp. from three different groups of patients were studied in the present investigation: 19 hiv-positive patients with relapsing and/or refractory meningitis (group 1), 30 hiv-positive patient ... | 2017 | 28793019 |
| disseminated cryptococcal infection in a patient who had kidney transplant: discrepancy between clinical symptoms and microbiological findings. | a 29-year-old man complained of a 2-day history of frontal headache and new-onset fever but no other symptoms. two months prior to admission, he underwent his third kidney transplantation. clinical and laboratory examinations were unremarkable. brain mri showed a meningeal irritation consistent with viral meningitis. a diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis and fungaemia was made after detection of a remarkably high and visible load of cryptococcus neoformans in the cerebrospinal fluid. | 2017 | 28775082 |
| fungal infections in hiv/aids. | fungi are major contributors to the opportunistic infections that affect patients with hiv/aids. systemic infections are mainly with pneumocystis jirovecii (pneumocystosis), cryptococcus neoformans (cryptococcosis), histoplasma capsulatum (histoplasmosis), and talaromyces (penicillium) marneffei (talaromycosis). the incidence of systemic fungal infections has decreased in people with hiv in high-income countries because of the widespread availability of antiretroviral drugs and early testing for ... | 2017 | 28774701 |
| thiocarbonyl ylide chemistry enables a concise synthesis of (±)-hippolachnin a. | hippolachnin a (1) is an antifungal polyketide that bristles with ethyl groups mounted onto a caged heterotricyclic core. it has shown potent activity against cryptococcus neoformans, a yeast that can affect immunocompromised patients as an opportunistic pathogen. herein we describe a concise, diversifiable, and scalable synthesis of (±)-hippolachnin a (1). it features a powerful photochemical opening step, a diastereoselective addition of an ethyl cuprate and an unusual strategy to install two ... | 2017 | 28753024 |
| cross-reacting ustilago maydis causing false-positive cryptococcal antigen tests. | cryptococcus neoformans is a yeast within the division basidiomycota that may cause pulmonary and central nervous system (cns) disease.…. | 2017 | 28747366 |
| dual functional phi29 dna polymerase-triggered exponential rolling circle amplification for sequence-specific detection of target dna embedded in long-stranded genomic dna. | an exonucleolytic digestion-assisted exponential rolling circle amplification (rca) strategy was developed for sensitive and sequence-specific detection of target dna embedded in long-stranded genomic dna. herein, phi29 dna polymerase plays two important roles as exonuclease and polymerase. long-stranded genomic dnas can be broken into small dna fragments after ultrasonication. the fragments that contain target dna, hybridize with a linear padlock probe to trigger the formation of a circular rca ... | 2017 | 28740223 |
| the metalloprotease, mpr1, engages annexina2 to promote the transcytosis of fungal cells across the blood-brain barrier. | eukaryotic pathogens display multiple mechanisms for breaching the blood-brain barrier (bbb) and invading the central nervous system (cns). of the fungal spp., that cause disease in mammals, only some cross brain microvascular endothelial cells which constitute the bbb, and invade the brain. cryptococcus neoformans, the leading cause of fungal meningoencephalitis, crosses the bbb directly by transcytosis or by co-opting monocytes. we previously determined that mpr1, a secreted fungal metalloprot ... | 2017 | 28713781 |
| cryptococcal meningitis after transnasal transsphenoidal pituitary microsurgery of acth-secreting pituitary adenoma: a case report. | microbial infection should be regarded in the differential diagnosis of neurosurgical complications after transnasal transsphenoidal pituitary microsurgery, albeit cryptococcal meningitis is rare. this article will discuss the risk factors of cryptococcal meningitis in patients underwent transnasal transsphenoidal pituitary microsurgery, and summary the potential origins of infection. | 2017 | 28700464 |
| discovery of a membrane-active, ring-modified histidine containing ultrashort amphiphilic peptide that exhibits potent inhibition of cryptococcus neoformans. | the new structural classes of ultrashort peptides that exhibit potent microbicidal action have potential as future drugs. herein, we report that c-2 arylated histidines containing tripeptides his(2-ar)-trp-his(2-ar) exhibit potent antifungal activity against cryptococcus neoformans with high selectivity. the most potent peptide 12f [his(2-biphenyl)-trp-his(2-biphenyl)] displayed high in vitro activity against c. neoformans (ic50 = 0.35 μg/ml, mic = mfc = 0.63 μg/ml) with a selectivity index of > ... | 2017 | 28697301 |
| comparative proteomic analysis of gib2 validating its adaptor function in cryptococcus neoformans. | cryptococcus neoformans causes often-fatal fungal meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals. while the exact disease mechanisms remain elusive, signal transduction pathways mediated by key elements such as g-protein α subunit gpa1, small gtpase ras1, and atypical gβ-like/rack1 protein gib2 are known to play important roles in c. neoformans virulence. gib2 is important for normal growth, differentiation, and pathogenicity, and it also positively regulates camp levels in conjunction wit ... | 2017 | 28686685 |
| tracing genetic exchange and biogeography of cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii at the global population level. | cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii is the causative agent of cryptococcal meningitis, a significant source of mortality in immunocompromised individuals, typically hiv/aids patients from developing countries. despite the worldwide emergence of this ubiquitous infection, little is known about the global molecular epidemiology of this fungal pathogen. here we sequence the genomes of 188 diverse isolates and characterized the major subdivisions, their relative diversity and the level of genetic ex ... | 2017 | 28679543 |
| continuous intrathecal administration of liposomal amphotericin b for treatment of refractory cryptococcus neoformans encephalitis: a case report. | the aim of the present study was to investigate the treatment of refractory cryptococcus neoformans encephalitis with continuous administration of liposomal amphotericin b (amb). liposomal amb was administered to a 28-year-old male by intravenous injection, with daily increasing dosages up to 150 mg per day and combined use of fluconazole (0.4 g per day) and oral flucytosine tablets (1.5 g per day). following 5 months of treatment, c. neoformans could still be detected in the ink stain of cerebr ... | 2017 | 28672999 |
| fluconazole non-susceptible cryptococcus neoformans, relapsing/refractory cryptococcosis and long-term use of liposomal amphotericin b in an aids patient. | the treatment of cryptococcosis is hampered by inefficacy or intolerance to the recommended antifungal agents. a patient diagnosed with aids had multiple relapses of cryptococcal infection, which became refractory to antifungal agents during the course of therapy. during the follow-up, the patient developed renal toxicity due to amphotericin b use and non-susceptibility of isolated cryptococcus neoformans to fluconazole was detected. thereafter, antifungal treatment was performed exclusively wit ... | 2017 | 28656554 |
| cryptococcal osteomyelitis of the first metatarsal head in an immunocompetent patient. | most fungal infections primarily occur in immunocompromised patients. we describe a case of osteomyelitis involving the first metatarsal head due to cryptococcus neoformans in a previously healthy immunocompetent patient. she was treated with surgical debridement combined with antifungal drug therapy for 6 months. at 5-year follow-up, she remained symptom free with full range of motion of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. fungal osteomyelitis should be considered as a possible cause in osteol ... | 2017 | 28650761 |
| a novel bzip protein, gsb1, is required for oxidative stress response, mating, and virulence in the human pathogen cryptococcus neoformans. | the human pathogen cryptococcus neoformans, which causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals, normally faces diverse stresses in the human host. here, we report that a novel, basic, leucine-zipper (bzip) protein, designated gsb1 (general stress-related bzip protein 1), is required for its normal growth and diverse stress responses. c. neoformans gsb1δ mutants grew slowly even under non-stressed conditions and showed increased sensitivity to high or low temperatu ... | 2017 | 28642475 |
| sporadic occurrence of cryptococcal meningitis in hiv-seronegative patients: uncommon etiology? | cryptococcosis in hiv-seronegative patients is rarely reported from india. this prospective study was conducted to look for cryptococcal meningitis in hiv-seronegative individuals and compare their laboratory features to cryptococcal meningitis in hiv-seropositive patients. cerebrospinal fluid was collected from 153 suspected cases of meningitis and subjected to india ink preparation, antigen detection, and culture. nineteen samples tested positive for cryptococcus neoformans infection. seventee ... | 2017 | 28631642 |
| t cell-restricted notch signaling contributes to pulmonary th1 and th2 immunity during cryptococcus neoformans infection. | cryptococcus neoformans is a ubiquitous, opportunistic fungal pathogen but the cell signaling pathways that drive t cell responses regulating antifungal immunity are incompletely understood. notch is a key signaling pathway regulating t cell development, and differentiation and functional responses of mature t cells in the periphery. the targeting of notch signaling within t cells has been proposed as a potential treatment for alloimmune and autoimmune disorders, but it is unknown whether distur ... | 2017 | 28615417 |
| comparative genomics of cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii associated with meningitis in hiv infected and uninfected patients in vietnam. | the vast burden of cryptococcal meningitis occurs in immunosuppressed patients, driven by hiv, and is caused by cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii. we previously reported cryptococcal meningitis in vietnam arising atypically in hiv uninfected, apparently immunocompetent patients, caused by a single amplified fragment length polymorphism (aflp) cluster of c. neoformans var. grubii (vniγ). this variant was less common in hiv infected individuals; it remains unclear why this lineage is associated ... | 2017 | 28614360 |
| population genomics and the evolution of virulence in the fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans. | cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes approximately 625,000 deaths per year from nervous system infections. here, we leveraged a unique, genetically diverse population of c. neoformans from sub-saharan africa, commonly isolated from mopane trees, to determine how selective pressures in the environment coincidentally adapted c. neoformans for human virulence. genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of 387 isolates, representing the global vni and african vnb ... | 2017 | 28611159 |
| clinicopathological features of cryptococcal lymphadenitis and a review of literature. | cryptococcosis is an invasive fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. the clinicopathological characteristics of cryptococcal lymphadenitis are not well known. we analyzed three cases of cryptococcal lymphadenitis and compared their characteristics with those in previous reports. two patients were human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) carriers, and one patient was a human t-cell leukemia virus type-1 (htlv-1) carrier. the age of the htlv-1 carrier with cryptococcosis was much higher than th ... | 2017 | 28592745 |
| first report of two cases of cryptococcosis in tripoli, libya, infected with cryptococcus neoformans isolates present in the urban area. | cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal fungal disease caused by the basidiomycetes yeasts cryptococcus neoformans and c. gattii with high predilection to invade the central nervous system mainly in immunocompromised hosts. skin can be secondarily involved in disseminated infection or be exceptionally involved as primary cutaneous infection by inoculation with contaminated materials. we report the first two libyan cases of cryptococcal meningitis in hiv patients, in which one of them presented a s ... | 2017 | 28576330 |
| creation, characterization and utilization of cryptococcus neoformans mutants sensitive to micafungin. | we constructed deletion mutants of cryptococcus neoformans var neoformans (serotype d) genes encoding late ergosterol biosynthetic pathway enzymes and found that the mutations enhanced susceptibility to various drugs including micafungin, one of the echinocandins, to which wild-type cryptococcus strains show no susceptibility. furthermore, through isolation of a mutant resistant to micafungin from a micafungin-sensitive erg mutant and genetic analysis of it, we found that the responsible mutatio ... | 2017 | 28560585 |
| cryptococcus neoformans ads lyase is an enzyme essential for virulence whose crystal structure reveals features exploitable in antifungal drug design. | there is significant clinical need for new antifungal agents to manage infections with pathogenic species such as cryptococcus neoformans because the purine biosynthesis pathway is essential for many metabolic processes, such as synthesis of dna and rna and energy generation, it may represent a potential target for developing new antifungals. within this pathway, the bifunctional enzyme adenylosuccinate (ads) lyase plays a role in the formation of the key intermediates inosine monophosphate and ... | 2017 | 28559277 |
| disseminated cryptococcosis with recurrent multiple abscesses in an immunocompetent patient: a case report and literature review. | cryptococcus neoformans is frequently present as an opportunistic pathogen mainly affecting immunocompromised populations. disseminated c. neoformans infection in immunocompetent population is rare and usually involves lung and central nerve system. cryptococcus from biologic samples can easily grow on routine fungal and bacterial culture media. besides, cryptococcal latex agglutination test has been established as a reliable diagnostic tool with overall sensitivities of 93-100%. | 2017 | 28558705 |
| capsular specific igm enhances complement-mediated phagocytosis and killing of cryptococcus neoformans by methamphetamine-treated j774.16 macrophage-like cells. | methamphetamine (meth) is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system of users in the united states and worldwide, and its consumption is associated to the acquisition of hiv and aids-related infections. meth enhances cryptococcosis in mice, an opportunistic infection caused by the encapsulated fungus cryptococcus neoformans. due to its ability to survive within macrophages, c. neoformans is an ideal model to study pathogen-macrophage interactions. meth abro ... | 2017 | 28551495 |
| the role of aspartyl aminopeptidase (ape4) in cryptococcus neoformans virulence and authophagy. | in order to survive and cause disease, microbial pathogens must be able to proliferate at the temperature of their infected host. we identified novel microbial features associated with thermotolerance in the opportunistic fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans using a random insertional mutagenesis strategy, screening for mutants with defective growth at 37°c. among several thermosensitive mutants, we identified one bearing a disruption in a gene predicted to encode the ape4 aspartyl aminopepti ... | 2017 | 28542452 |
| mrna decay: an adaptation tool for the environmental fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans. | fungi are ubiquitous in the environment and humans constantly encounter them in the soil, air, water, and food. the vast majority of these interactions are inconsequential. however, in the context of immunodeficiency precipitated by hiv infection, hematologic malignancy, or transplantation, a small subset of fungi can cause devastating, systemic infection. the most deadly of the opportunistic environmental fungi, cryptococcus neoformans, is estimated to cause hundreds of thousands of deaths per ... | 2017 | 28524625 |
| bifocal cryptococcal osteomyelitis in an immunocompetent male. | cryptococcus neoformans commonly affects lungs and central nervous system that to in immunocompromised individual. bony involvement is extremely rare and most common site is vertebrae and usual presentation is monofocal. | 2017 | 28507958 |
| pulmonary cryptococcosis complicated by sarcoidosis. | | 2017 | 28502949 |
| global reprogramming of host kinase signaling in response to fungal infection. | cryptococcus neoformans (cn) is a deadly fungal pathogen whose intracellular lifestyle is important for virulence. host mechanisms controlling fungal phagocytosis and replication remain obscure. here, we perform a global phosphoproteomic analysis of the host response to cryptococcus infection. our analysis reveals numerous and diverse host proteins that are differentially phosphorylated following fungal ingestion by macrophages, thereby indicating global reprogramming of host kinase signaling. n ... | 2017 | 28494245 |
| alterations of zinc homeostasis in response to cryptococcus neoformans in a murine macrophage cell line. | to evaluate alterations of zinc homeostasis in macrophages exposed to cryptococcus neoformans. materials & methods: using a fluorescent zinc probe-based flow cytometry and atomic absorption spectrometry, zinc levels were evaluated in j774.a1 cell lines exposed to c. neoformans h99 cells. the transcription profile of macrophage zinc related homeostasis genes - metallothioneins and zinc transporters (znts) of the slc30 and slc39 (zrt-irt-protein) families - was analyzed by quantitative pcr. | 2017 | 28492340 |
| investigating clinical issues by genotyping of medically important fungi: why and how? | genotyping studies of medically important fungi have addressed elucidation of outbreaks, nosocomial transmissions, infection routes, and genotype-phenotype correlations, of which secondary resistance has been most intensively investigated. two methods have emerged because of their high discriminatory power and reproducibility: multilocus sequence typing (mlst) and microsatellite length polymorphism (mlp) using short tandem repeat (str) markers. mlst relies on single-nucleotide polymorphisms with ... | 2017 | 28490578 |
| cytokine patterns in a prospective cohort of hiv-infected patients with cryptococcal meningitis following initiation of antifungal and antiretroviral therapy. | cryptococcal meningitis (cm) is a life-threatening infection in hiv-infected patients, especially in resource-limited settings. cytokine patterns in the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) and sera may be related to clinical outcomes. this study aimed to evaluate cytokine patterns in the csf and sera of hiv-infected patients with cm as well as the cytokines produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmcs) when stimulated with lps and cryptococcal gxm. csf and serum levels of il-2, il-4, il-8, il-10, ... | 2017 | 28486489 |
| influence of experimental cryptococcal meningitis in wistar rats on voriconazole brain penetration assessed by microdialysis. | to make advances in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis, it is crucial to know a given drug's free fraction that reaches the biophase. in the present study, we applied microdialysis (μd) as a tool to determine the free levels reached by voriconazole (vrc) in the brains of healthy and cryptococcus neoformans-infected rats. the infection was induced by the intravenous (i.v.) administration of 1 × 10(5) cfu of yeast. the dose administered was 5 mg/kg (of body weight) of vrc, given i.v. plasma ... | 2017 | 28483963 |
| primary cutaneous cryptococcosis: a new case of this rare entity. | | 2017 | 28480268 |
| pheromone independent unisexual development in cryptococcus neoformans. | the fungus cryptococcus neoformans can undergo a-α bisexual and unisexual reproduction. completion of both sexual reproduction modes requires similar cellular differentiation processes and meiosis. although bisexual reproduction generates equal number of a and α progeny and is far more efficient than unisexual reproduction under mating-inducing laboratory conditions, the α mating type dominates in nature. population genetic studies suggest that unisexual reproduction by α isolates might have con ... | 2017 | 28467481 |
| in vitro antifungal susceptibility of environmental isolates of cryptococcus spp. from the west region of cameroon. | cryptococcus neoformans is responsible of cryptococcosis, a life-threatening infection that affects healthy and immunocompromised individuals. it is the first cause of adult acute meningitis in some sub-saharan african countries with a mortality rate of about 100% in cases of inappropriate therapy. this study aimed at examining the occurrence and the antifungal patterns of cryptococcus isolates from pigeon droppings and bat guanos in the west region of cameroon. | 2016 | 28450771 |
| two pairs of rare naturally occurring 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2,5-heptanedione derivatives from the red alga chondria crassicaulis. | two pairs of rare naturally occurring racemic lipids, (±)-4,7-dihydroxy-4-methyl-2,5-heptanedione (1), and (±)-7-butoxy-4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2,5-heptanedione (2) were isolated from the red alga chondria crassicaulis harv. the structures of the racemic mixtures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic techniques, including 1d and 2d nmr ((1)h and (13)c nmr, (1)h-(1)h cosy, hsqc, and hmbc) as well as mass spectrometry and optical rotation experiments, and by comparison with data for rela ... | 2017 | 28447469 |
| progressive cutaneous cryptococcosis complicated with meningitis in a myasthenia gravis patient on long-term immunosuppressive therapy - a case report. | cryptococcosis is an opportunistic infection caused by the encapsulated yeast cryptococcus neoformans and most remarkably manifests in hiv-infected individuals, especially in the settings of very low cd4 count. development of cryptococcosis in hiv-uninfected individuals is exceedingly rare and usually signifies a marked immunodeficiency. cryptococcosis in association with myasthenia gravis or thymoma has been previously documented in only very few cases in the literature. | 2017 | 28446137 |
| sirtuins in the phylum basidiomycota: a role in virulence in cryptococcus neoformans. | virulence of cryptococcus neoformans is regulated by a range of transcription factors, and is also influenced by the acquisition of adaptive mutations during infection. beyond the temporal regulation of virulence factor production by transcription factors and these permanent microevolutionary changes, heritable epigenetic modifications such as histone deacetylation may also play a role during infection. here we describe the first comprehensive analysis of the sirtuin class of nad+ dependent hist ... | 2017 | 28429797 |
| discovery of an octahedral silicon complex as a potent antifungal agent. | octahedral transition metal complexes have been shown to have tremendous applications in chemical biology and medicinal chemistry. meanwhile, structural transition metals can be replaced by inert octahedral silicon in a proof-of-principle study. we here introduce the first example of octahedral silicon complexes, which can very well serve as an efficient antimicrobial agent. the typical silicon arenediolate complex 1 {[(phen)₂si(oo)](pf₆)₂, with phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, oo = 9,10-phenanthrene ... | 2017 | 28420136 |
| disseminated cryptococcal disease with diffuse pulmonary infiltrates in a non-hiv host. | we present a case of disseminated cryptococcus in a non-hiv host, where the primary manifestation was pulmonary with diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. this patient was on high dose corticosteroids for autoimmune hemolytic anemia. | 2017 | 28414687 |
| the anti-helminthic compound mebendazole has multiple antifungal effects against cryptococcus neoformans. | cryptococcus neoformans is the most lethal pathogen of the central nervous system. the gold standard treatment of cryptococcosis, a combination of amphotericin b with 5-fluorocytosine, involves broad toxicity, high costs, low efficacy, and limited worldwide availability. although the need for new antifungals is clear, drug research and development (r&d) is costly and time-consuming. thus, drug repurposing is an alternative to r&d and to the currently available tools for treating fungal diseases. ... | 2017 | 28400768 |
| experimental models of short courses of liposomal amphotericin b for induction therapy for cryptococcal meningitis. | cryptococcal meningoencephalitis is a rapidly lethal infection in immunocompromised patients. induction regimens are usually administered for 2 weeks. the shortest effective period of induction therapy with liposomal amphotericin b (lamb) is unknown. the pharmacodynamics of lamb were studied in murine and rabbit models of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. the concentrations of lamb in the plasma and brains of mice were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (hplc). histopathologic ... | 2017 | 28320715 |
| blepharitis due to cryptococcus neoformans in a cat from northern portugal. | case summary we report a clinical case of blepharitis due to cryptococcus neoformans yeasts in a 2-year-old stray cat from northern portugal (vila real) without concurrent naso-ocular signs. ophthalmological examination revealed mucopurulent discharge from an open wound in the right upper and lower lids. slit-lamp biomicroscopy showed a normal anterior segment, and intraocular pressure was within the normal reference interval. no fundoscopic alterations were detected in either eye by direct and ... | 2017 | 28491367 |
| necrotizing fasciitis as the initial presentation of disseminated infection with fluconazole-resistant cryptococcus neoformans. | cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated budding yeast that is a common cause of opportunistic infections, rarely giving rise to cellulitis, vasculitis or fasciitis. necrotizing fasciitis caused by c. neoformans is a rare but serious problem in post-transplant immunosuppression. | 2014 | 28663814 |