| successful treatment of a critically ill patient with disseminated coccidioidomycosis, using adjunctive interferon-gamma. | conventional antifungal therapy was not successful for a critically ill patient who had been hospitalized for 137 days in the intensive care unit with disseminated coccidioides immitis infection and respiratory failure. the addition of interferon- gamma to the therapeutic regimen resulted in improvement and discharge from the hospital. adjunctive interferon- gamma used in the successful treatment of severe coccidioidomycosis has not been reported previously. | 2004 | 14999639 |
| expression of ornithine decarboxylase of coccidioides immitis in three escherichia coli strains carrying the lambda de3 lysogen and an e. coli ewh319 strain odc- null mutant. | ornithine decarboxylase from respiratory fungal pathogen, coccidioides immitis, cloned in the petciodc plasmid under control of t7lac promoter, was produced in e. coli bl21(de3), bl21(de3)plyss, blr(de3) and ewh319 transformant strains. e. coli bl21(de3)plyss-petciodc expressed the highest specific activity of odc, suggesting that this strain could be successfully used for protein structure and drug testing studies. | 2004 | 15005157 |
| positive directional selection in the proline-rich antigen (pra) gene among the human pathogenic fungi coccidioides immitis, c. posadasii and their closest relatives. | in this study, we investigate the possibility of selection acting on the proline-rich antigen (pra) gene in natural populations of the two human pathogens, coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii, and three of their close relatives, chrysosporium lucknowense, chrysosporium queenslandicum, and uncinocarpus reesii. we addressed the following questions: is diversifying selection acting on pra in the pathogenic species as a result of avoidance of the host's immune system, and has adaptation ... | 2004 | 15034131 |
| head and neck manifestations of disseminated coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease endemic to semiarid regions in the southwestern united states, northern mexico, and parts of south america. although this is primarily a pulmonary disease, approximately 0.5% to 1.0% of infected individuals develop disseminated disease affecting skin, subcutaneous tissue, bone, joints, and meninges. the objectives of the study were to present three cases of head and neck manifestations of disseminated coccidioidomycosis and to review the literature of head ... | 2004 | 15064635 |
| coccidioidomycosis in przewalski's horses (equus przewalskii). | coccidioidomycosis is a rare, often subclinical infection in domestic animals caused by the fungus coccidioides immitis. because of an apparent high incidence of coccidioidomycosis in przewalski's horses (equus przewalskii) housed at a single facility, necropsy records and biomaterials from animals that died between 1984 and 2000 were reviewed (n = 30, 15 males, 15 females). coccidioidomycosis was the leading cause of death (33%) in this population with lesions in the lungs and tracheobronchial ... | 2003 | 15077708 |
| posttransplantation disseminated coccidioidomycosis acquired from donor lungs. | a north carolinian developed fatal coccidioidomycosis immediately after bilateral lung transplantation. the donor had previously traveled to mexico, and the recipient had no travel history to an area where coccidioides immitis is endemic. immunosuppressive therapy of the transplant recipient likely reactivated latent coccidioides infection in the donor lungs, leading to posttransplant coccidioidomycosis. | 2004 | 15131231 |
| prodigiosin; antibiotic action on coccidioides immitis in vitro. | | 1949 | 15409013 |
| inhibiting concentration of chloromycetin against coccidioides immitis. | | 1950 | 15419627 |
| the unique complications of coccidioidomycosis of the spine: a detailed time line of disease progression and suppression. | a case report is presented. | 2004 | 15454725 |
| seroincidence of coccidioidomycosis during military desert training exercises. | coccidioidomycosis is a common fungal infection acquired in the southwestern united states. this is the first study in over 2 decades to determine the seroincidence of coccidioides immitis infections among u.s. military members performing training exercises in an area of endemicity. only 8% of participants were aware of coccidioidomycosis, despite the majority having visited or lived previously in an area of endemicity. one (0.6%) of the 178 participants developed "definite" serologic evidence o ... | 2004 | 15472308 |
| central nervous system coccidioides immitis infections. | coccidioidal meningitis occurs in healthy individuals and patients with aids or other immunosuppressive illnesses. the central nervous system infection results when coccidioides immitis disseminates from a primary lung infection via a fungemia to reach the meninges. cases develop primarily in individuals living in or traveling to the lower sonoran life zone of southwest united states. most cases begin as subacute granulomatous meningitis with occasional patients developing brain abscesses. diagn ... | 2005 | 15676119 |
| th1-type immune response to a coccidioides immitis antigen delivered by an attenuated strain of the non-invasive enteropathogen vibrio cholerae. | the antigen-2 or proline rich antigen (ag2/pra) from coccidioides immitis, known to protect mice against experimental coccidioidomycosis, was expressed in the genetically attenuated cholera vaccine candidate vibrio cholerae 638 and its thymine auxotrophic derivative 638t. intranasal immunization of mice with strains producing ag2/pra induced serum vibriocidal antibody and ag2/pra-specific total igg responses in outbred swiss webster and inbred balb/c mice. analysis of igg subclasses showed a pre ... | 2005 | 15708313 |
| coccidioidal pericarditis: a case presentation and review of the literature. | pericardial involvement with coccidioides immitis is an infrequent occurrence with a relatively unfavorable prognosis. | 2005 | 15708326 |
| pulmonary coccidioidomycosis that formed a fungus ball with 8-years duration. | coccidioidomycosis, caused by inhaling coccidioides immitis, is a mycosis imported from endemic regions including the southwestern united states. c. immitis is so virulent that even a short-term stay in the endemic area can provide a chance for infection. here, we report a 33-year-old japanese man with formation of a fungus ball inside the pulmonary cavity secondary to coccidioidomycosis with a duration of 8 years, which is considered rare. he was infected with c. immitis in the united states in ... | 2005 | 15750275 |
| coccidioidomycosis of the male reproductive tract. | coccidioides immitis infection of the male reproductive tract is a rare entity that can evade diagnosis and pose a dilemma in management. initially, patients are often evaluated for malignancy or other infections such as tuberculosis. in the past, surgery was the only management option for c. immitis infection of the male reproductive tract, but azole therapy now provides an adjunct or an alternative. we describe two patients who received azole therapy for c. immitis infection of the male reprod ... | 2005 | 15770443 |
| coccidioidomycosis of the eyelid. | a 77-year-old woman presented with an ulcerated nodule on her right lower eyelid that was unresponsive to broad-spectrum antibiotics or incision and drainage. coccidioidomycosis was suspected because of previous serologic testing and concurrent indurated cutaneous nodules. although skin biopsies were not diagnostic, cultures from the eyelid were positive for coccidioides immitis. the patient was initially treated with oral fluconazole, with resolution of the eyelid and skin lesions. she ultimate ... | 2005 | 15778675 |
| coccidioidomycosis of the lung contracted abroad. | coccidioides immitis is endemic in the southwestern united states. coccidioidomycosis is rare in japan, but the number of coccidioidomycosis cases from overseas is expected to increase markedly in the near future. a 33-year-old japanese man with coccidioidomycosis who had lived in arizona presented to our hospital. we performed wedge resection of the lung by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (vats), and were able to completely remove the lesion. vats wedge resection of the lung is effective i ... | 2005 | 15828302 |
| mediastinal mass in a 27-year-old man. extrapulmonary coccidioides immitis. | | 2005 | 15859648 |
| disseminated coccidioidomycosis in an immunocompetent person living in new york city. | coccidioidomycosis is a disease caused by coccidioides immitis, a soil-inhabiting fungus endemic to the desert climate of the southwestern united states and central and south america. we report a case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis in a previously healthy person living in new york city, who was initially thought to have tuberculosis. the incidence of coccidioidomycosis has been increasing in both endemic and nonendemic areas, but diagnosis is often delayed or missed in nonendemic areas, resu ... | 2005 | 15890762 |
| seroprevalence of antibodies against coccidioides immitis in healthy horses. | to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against coccidioides immitis in healthy horses residing in an area in which the organism is endemic. | 2005 | 15934257 |
| coccidioidomycosis of the prostate: a determination of incidence, report of 4 cases, and treatment recommendations. | to describe the incidence of coccidioides immitis infection of the prostate gland in an endemic area, to describe four new cases discovered, and to propose treatment recommendations for this diagnosis. | 2006 | 15936822 |
| spinal cord granuloma due to coccidioides immitis in a cat. | | 2005 | 15954556 |
| concerted evolution in the repeats of an immunomodulating cell surface protein, sowgp, of the human pathogenic fungi coccidioides immitis and c. posadasii. | genome dynamics that allow pathogens to escape host immune responses are fundamental to our understanding of host-pathogen interactions. here we present the first population-based study of the process of concerted evolution in the repetitive domain of a protein-coding gene. this gene, sowgp, encodes the immunodominant protein in the parasitic phase of the human pathogenic fungi coccidioides immitis and c. posadasii. we sequenced the entire gene from strains representing the geographic ranges of ... | 2005 | 15965255 |
| comparison of susceptibility of fungal isolates to lufenuron and nikkomycin z alone or in combination with itraconazole. | to evaluate and compare the in vitro antifungal properties of lufenuron and nikkomycin z against isolates of coccidioides immitis and aspergillus fumigatus when used singly and in combination with the azole antifungal agent itraconazole. | 2005 | 16008236 |
| in vitro activities of new and established triazoles against opportunistic filamentous and dimorphic fungi. | the in vitro activities of three new triazoles were determined and compared to those of itraconazole and fluconazole against 306 clinical isolates of blastomyces dermatitidis, cladophialophora carrionii, coccidioides immitis, fonsecaea pedrosoi, fusarium spp., histoplasma capsulatum, paecilomyces lilacinus, pseudallescheria boydii and sporothrix schenckii. minimum inhibitory concentrations (mic) were determined by a broth macrodilution method of the national committee for clinical laboratory sta ... | 2005 | 16010855 |
| safe specimen preparation for electron microscopy of pathogenic fungi by freeze-substitution after glutaraldehyde fixation. | a safe method is described for observing ultrastructure of highly infectious fungi by ultrathin sectioning electron microscopy. the fungal cells were first chemically fixed by glutaraldehyde to kill them. they were then rapidly frozen by propane slush in liquid nitrogen and freeze-substituted in acetone containing 2% osmium tetroxide. this method gave clear cell images with high resolution in a natural state, close to the image obtained by rapidly frozen freeze-substituted specimen of living cel ... | 2005 | 16094294 |
| subtotal pericardectomy and epicardial excision for treatment of coccidioidomycosis-induced effusive-constrictive pericarditis in dogs: 17 cases (1999-2003). | to determine the history, clinicopathologic findings, and results of surgery for effusive-constrictive pericarditis associated with coccidioides immitis infection in dogs. | 2005 | 16121611 |
| isolation of cokeromyces recurvatus, initially misidentified as coccidioides immitis, from peritoneal fluid in a cat with jejunal perforation. | cokeromyces recurvatus, a zygomycete, was isolated by fungal culture from the peritoneal fluid of a cat with jejunal perforation secondary to intestinal lymphosarcoma. this organism has not been recovered previously from a veterinary patient. the tissue form of c. recurvatus is morphologically similar to those of coccidioides immitis and paracoccidioides brasiliensis and may be misdiagnosed as 1 of these organisms on the basis of cytologic or histopathologic specimens, particularly in geographic ... | 2005 | 16130998 |
| activity of posaconazole in the treatment of central nervous system fungal infections. | a multinational, multicentre, open-label clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of posaconazole, an extended-spectrum triazole antifungal agent, in subjects with invasive fungal infections who had refractory disease or who were intolerant of standard antifungal therapy. in this subanalysis, we report on those subjects in this trial who had a fungal infection that involved the cns. | 2005 | 16135526 |
| [mycoses of the head and neck]. | in recent years, mycoses have emerged as important infections in clinical practice. this phenomenon is explained by the ever growing number of immunocompromised patients and the increasing number of people travelling in areas where fungal diseases are endemic. head and neck infections are common in disseminated mycoses and may simulate carcinoma or cause upper airway obstruction. the most frequent causative yeasts or yeast-like organisms include candida albicans, cryptococcus neoformans, histopl ... | 2005 | 16142162 |
| molecular and cellular mechanisms of protective immunity to coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioides immitis is endemic in the soil of the desert southwest. it causes a respiratory infection that is usually mild, but can last months and may disseminate beyond the lung. disseminated infections can be fatal or require life-long therapy. development of an effective vaccine may be a successful method of preventing serious disease. in this paper, we show that immunostimulatory-oligodeoxynucleotides (iss-odn) are an effective adjuvant for a recombinant coccidioidal protein known as antig ... | 2006 | 16181709 |
| musculoskeletal coccidioidomycosis: unusual sites of disease in a nonendemic area. | coccidioidomycosis is a primary pulmonary infection, endemic to the southwestern united states, caused by inhalation of spores in an immunocompetent host. when systemic spread occurs, the dissemination of infection to musculoskeletal sites might account for 20% to 50% of cases. the musculoskeletal manifestations are well recognized by physicians in endemic areas. we report 2 cases encountered in metropolitan chicago in which morphologically typical, large, yeast-like, encapsulated, endosporulati ... | 2005 | 16203277 |
| secondary intracerebral blastomycosis with giant yeast forms. | secondary central nervous system (cns) blastomycosis is an unusual manifestation of blastomycosis. we report a case of recurrent intracerebral blastomycosis that presented histopathologically with giant yeast-like cells and multinucleation that mimicked coccidioides immitis. the yeast forms of blastomyces dermatitidis usually range in size from 8 to 20 microm in diameter. large or giant yeast forms (20-40 microm) are rare. the four cases previously reported in the literature involving giant yeas ... | 2005 | 16205975 |
| [a patient with coccidioidal meningoencephalitis]. | a 37-year-old man presented with coccidioidal meningoencephalitis (cm) 1 month after a preceding case of pneumonia. initially, he could not be definitely diagnosed with cm because of nonspecific features of the clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings. however, we began to suspect cm because the patient had lived in endemic area of coccidioidomycosis, and our subsequent analysis provided evidence of complement-fixing antibodies for coccidioides immitis in serum and csf, leading us to a fi ... | 2005 | 16248400 |
| comparison of coccidioides immitis serological antibody titres between forms of clinical coccidioidomycosis in horses. | a retrospective study was performed to determine if there is an association between serological coccidioides immitis antibody titres (igg) and form/severity of coccidioidal disease in horses, and to identify trends in survival and treatment success based on the form of the disease. data were obtained on horses with positive serological titres tested at the coccidioidomycosis serology laboratory, school of medicine, university of california, davis from 1981 to 2004. thirty-nine cases in which a d ... | 2007 | 16249106 |
| climate controls on valley fever incidence in kern county, california. | coccidiodomycosis (valley fever) is a systemic infection caused by inhalation of airborne spores from coccidioides immitis, a soil-dwelling fungus found in the southwestern united states, parts of mexico, and central and south america. dust storms help disperse c. immitis so risk factors for valley fever include conditions favorable for fungal growth (moist, warm soil) and for aeolian soil erosion (dry soil and strong winds). here, we analyze and inter-compare the seasonal and inter-annual behav ... | 2006 | 16249922 |
| posaconazole therapy for systemic coccidioidomycosis in a chimpanzee (pan troglodytes): a case report. | systemic coccidioidomycosis was diagnosed in a 4-year-old male chimpanzee (pan troglodytes) with ascites and failure to thrive. physical examination, laboratory and radiological studies, and exploratory laparotomy showed signs of systemic fungal infection that included penetration into the central nervous system (cns). serum and cerebrospinal fluid (csf) titres, along with ascites cytology findings, confirmed the presence of coccidioides immitis. however, the organism could not be cultured from ... | 2005 | 16262885 |
| [detection of coccidioides immitis infection in coahuila, mexico]. | coccidioidomycosis is a mycosis firstly pulmonar caused by coccidioides immitis; it can be disseminated to central nervous system, bones and skin, principaly. in mexico, the real frequency of the disease is unknown. the aim of this work was to determine, by skin test and by serology, the infection cases by c. immitis in twelve communities (10 rural and two urban), attended in the hospital rural no 79 at the instituto mexicano del seguro social (imss) from the coahuila state, mexico. six hundred ... | 2005 | 16323661 |
| unusual forms of immature sporulating coccidioides immitis diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy. | coccidioidomycosis is an endemic infection acquired by inhalation of the spores (arthroconidia) of the thermally dimorphic fungus, coccidioides immitis. the arthroconidia transform into spherical cells called mature spherules in the lung. immature spherules and other atypical forms of immature c immitis have rarely been found in vivo. we report on a case that presented unusual forms of immature sporulating c immitis in a fine-needle aspiration specimen. a 36-year-old chinese woman, living in new ... | 2006 | 16390247 |
| a retrospective study of cutaneous equine sarcoidosis and its potential infectious aetiological agents. | nine horses from ages 5 to 21 years were diagnosed with cutaneous equine sarcoidosis (es) over an 18-year period. in addition to skin, the lungs were frequently involved, with other organ systems affected less commonly. a predisposition for thoroughbreds and geldings was noted. cutaneous lesions and signs included crusts, scales, alopecia and pruritus. these were found at various sites, particularly the legs/thighs/elbows, thorax, neck, face and ventral abdomen. three horses were euthanized shor ... | 2006 | 16412120 |
| fungal heat-shock proteins in human disease. | heat-shock proteins (hsps) have been identified as molecular chaperones conserved between microbes and man and grouped by their molecular mass and high degree of amino acid homology. this article reviews the major hsps of saccharomyces cerevisiae, their interactions with trehalose, the effect of fermentation and the role of the heat-shock factor. information derived from this model, as well as from neurospora crassa and achlya ambisexualis, helps in understanding the importance of hsps in the pa ... | 2006 | 16438680 |
| [mycoses of the head and neck]. | the ever growing number of immunocompromized patients and increasing travel to areas where fungal diseases are endemic explain why in recent years mycoses have emerged as important infections in clinical practice. it is essential that pathologists and clinicians be knowledgeable about them. | 2005 | 16439931 |
| primary cutaneous coccidiodomycosis: case report and review of the literature. | coccidiodomycosis is a systemic infection caused by coccidioides immitis, a dimorphic fungus endemic in the south of the usa and the north of mexico. the disease usually affects the lungs. primary cutaneous infection is extremely rare. we present a report of a patient with primary cutaneous infection located on the nose. to our knowledge, such a presentation has never previously been reported in the literature. | 2006 | 16445500 |
| phylogenetic and evolutionary aspects of paracoccidioides brasiliensis reveal a long coexistence with animal hosts that explain several biological features of the pathogen. | the habitat of the mycelial saprobic form of paracoccidioides brasiliensis, which produces the infectious propagula, has not been determined and has proven difficult for mycologists to describe. the fungus has been rarely isolated from the environment, the disease has a prolonged latency period and no outbreaks have been reported. these facts have precluded the adoption of preventive measures to avoid infection. the confirmation of natural infections in nine-banded armadillos (dasypus novemcinct ... | 2006 | 16473563 |
| temporal expression of inflammatory mediators in brain basilar artery vasculitis and cerebrospinal fluid of rabbits with coccidioidal meningitis. | strokes due to transmural vasculitis associated with coccidioidal meningitis result in significant morbidity and mortality. the immunological and inflammatory processes responsible are poorly understood. to determine the inflammatory mediators, i.e. cytokines, chemokines, inos, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (mmp-9), that possibly contribute to vasculitis, temporal mrna expression in brain basilar artery samples and mmp-9 protein in the csf of male nzw rabbits infected intracisternally with 6.5 x 10 ... | 2006 | 16487245 |
| protein expression profiling of coccidioides posadasii by two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis and evaluation of a newly recognized peroxisomal matrix protein as a recombinant vaccine candidate. | coccidioides posadasii and coccidioides immitis are dimorphic, soil-dwelling pathogenic ascomycetes endemic to the southwestern united states. infection can result from inhalation of a very few arthroconidia, but following natural infection, long-lived immunity is the norm. previous work in the field has shown that spherule-derived vaccines afford more protection than those from mycelia. we have used two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis coupled with nano-high-performance liquid ch ... | 2006 | 16495561 |
| fungal infections of the spine. | fungal infections of the spine are relatively uncommon. fungi such as coccidioides immitis and blastomyces dermatitidis are limited to specific geographical areas whereas cryptococcus, candida, and aspergillus are found worldwide. candida and aspergillus are normal commensals of the body and produce disease in susceptible organisms when they gain access to the vascular system through intravenous lines, during implantation of prosthetic devices, or during surgery. for the other fungi, spinal invo ... | 2006 | 16523132 |
| nutrition of the parasitic phase of coccidioides immitis in a chemically defined liquid medium. | | 1959 | 16561837 |
| control of tissue reactions in monkeys vaccinated with viable coccidioides immitis by prevaccination with killed coccidioides immitis. | converse, j. l. (u.s. army biological laboratories, fort detrick, frederick, md.), g. a. deauville, e. m. snyder, j. g. ray, and m. e. seaquist. control of tissue reactions in monkeys vaccinated with viable coccidioides immitis by prevaccination with killed coccidioides immities. j. bacteriol. 90:783-788. 1965.-control of undesirable tissue reactions resulting from the subcutaneous injection of 150 viable arthrospores of coccidioides immitis (strain d-76) was obtained by four injections of forma ... | 1965 | 16562081 |
| both cd4+ and cd8+ t cells can mediate vaccine-induced protection against coccidioides immitis infection in mice. | to determine which lymphocytes are required for vaccine-induced immunity to coccidioidomycosis, we used a temperature-sensitive mutant of coccidioides immitis to immunize mice lacking subsets of lymphocytes or specific cytokines and infected the mice 4 weeks later with virulent c. immitis. after 2 weeks, we determined the number of fungi in their lungs and spleens. vaccine-induced immunity required alpha beta t lymphocytes. beta -2 microglobulin knockout (ko) mice were protected by immunization, ... | 2006 | 16586371 |
| novel approach to designing primers for identification and distinction of the human pathogenic fungi coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii by pcr amplification. | we developed a pair of primers that specifically identifies coccidioides species, etiologic agents of the human fungal disease coccidioidomycosis. these primers could be used for distinguishing coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii by simply comparing the amplicon sizes on an agarose gel. | 2006 | 16672423 |
| reexamination of coccidioides spp. reserved in the research center for pathogenic fungi and microbial toxicoses, chiba university, based on a multiple gene analysis. | the research center for pathogenic fungi and microbial toxicoses, chiba university is the only organization in japan to possess a series isolates of coccidioides spp., which are the most virulent pathogenic fungi and which are treated as biosafety level 3 microorganisms. recently, the genus coccidioides has been classified into two species, c. immitis and c. posadasii, based on their endemic areas and genotyping; the former species is endemic to the state of california, and the latter is endemic ... | 2006 | 16699492 |
| high levels of interleukin-10 impair resistance to pulmonary coccidioidomycosis in mice in part through control of nitric oxide synthase 2 expression. | we have shown previously that there is a direct correlation between il-10 levels and susceptibility to coccidioides immitis peritonitis in c57bl/6 (b6), dba/2, and bxd recombinant inbred mice. we now show that b6 mice are also more susceptible to c. immitis pneumonia and that interleukin-10 (il-10)-deficient (il-10-/-) b6 mice are more resistant to c. immitis pneumonia. in addition, we established that high levels of il-10 are sufficient to make genetically resistant mice susceptible to both c. ... | 2006 | 16714569 |
| successful use of combination antifungal therapy in the treatment of coccidioides meningitis. | coccidioidal meningitis is a highly lethal condition with a high morbidity and relapse rate caused by coccidioides immitis. this case report highlights the difficulty in diagnosing and treating coccidioidal meningitis, and discusses a novel combination antifungal therapy (voriconazole and liposomal amphotericin b), which was used to treat this patient. | 2006 | 16775917 |
| a phylogenomic analysis of the ascomycota. | an automated procedure was developed to extract orthologous sequences from fungal genomes and incorporate them into phylogenomic analyses in a timely and efficient manner. this approach involves parsing an all versus all blastp search of 17 proteomes and creating a similarity matrix from e-values, which is then used to cluster proteins into related groups by means of a markov clustering algorithm. after performing this analysis at different stringency levels, 854 single copy protein clusters, wh ... | 2006 | 16781175 |
| endobronchial fungal disease: an under-recognized entity. | most fungi enter the human body via inhalation; however, endobronchial fungal infection (ebfi) seems to be a rare manifestation compared to pulmonary or systemic disease. this presentation seems to be related to environmental factors as well as to the host status. with the increasing popularity of flexible bronchoscopy, it is being recognized with a higher frequency. bronchoscopic findings in ebfi vary from mild mucosal inflammation to central airway obstruction. we searched english literature r ... | 2007 | 16864987 |
| il-10 and susceptibility to coccidioides immitis infection. | | 2006 | 16893649 |
| viability and molecular authentication of coccidioides immitis strains from culture collection of the instituto oswaldo cruz, rio de janeiro, brazil. | twenty coccidioides immitis strains were evaluated. only 5 of the 20 strains kept under mineral oil maintained their viability while all 5 subcultures preserved in water remained viable and none of the 13 subcultures kept in soil were viable. a 519 bp pcr product from the csa gene confirmed the identity of the strains. | 2006 | 16906245 |
| how to diagnose and treat fungal infections in chronic prostatitis. | epidemiologic changes that include immune-compromised patients and drug-resistant fungi have caused an increase in nosocomial infections by candida albicans and non-albicans candida species. other fungi, aspergilla and cryptococcus (environmental contaminants), are opportunistic invaders of the immune-compromised (transplant, hiv) patients. the environmental fungi coccidioides immitis (dry arid areas), histoplasma capsulatum (avian-infested areas), and blastomyces dermatitidis (aquatic areas) ca ... | 2006 | 16930504 |
| [osteoarticular coccidioidomicosis. clinical and pathological study of 36 mexican patients]. | coccidioidomycosis (cm) is primarily a lung disease. systemic spread occurs in 1% of cases and one of its manifestation is osteoarthritis. | 2006 | 16958296 |
| treatment of coccidioides immitis pneumonia in two horses with fluconazole. | pulmonary coccidioidomycosis in horses can often lead to severe systemic disease and its treatment has previously been expensive and has carried a poor prognosis. this paper describes the successful treatment of two horses with pulmonary coccidioidomycosis with a fluconazole product produced by a compounding pharmacy. | 2006 | 16963715 |
| mycosis fungoides with coccidioidomycosis. | mycosis fungoides is an indolent, epidermotropic, cutaneous t-cell lymphoma of helper/memory t cells that presents as heterogeneous, papulosquamous patches, plaques, and tumors. we present a patient with mycosis fungoides and infection with coccidioides immitis of the skin, which has not been previously reported. | 2006 | 17026828 |
| [case of cavitary coccidioidomycosis with fungus balls in the apices of both lungs]. | pulmonary cavitary coccidioidomycosis with a fungus ball was observed in a immunocompetent case. a 32-year-old japanese man visited arizona to play golf. after 1 month he consulted a local hospital complaining of a prolonged cough and hematopysis. the laboratory examination revealed eosinophillia and chest radiograph showed 2 cavitary lesions, surrounded by small nodules in the apices of both lungs. pulmonary tuberculosis was suspected and treated with 4 antituberculosis drugs for 3 months. howe ... | 2006 | 17087337 |
| use of the coccidioides posadasii deltachs5 strain for quality control in the accuprobe culture identification test for coccidioides immitis. | coccidioides posadasii deltachs5 is a strain that is excluded from the select agent list. sixteen assays using test reagents from three different accuprobe coccidioides immitis culture identification test lots had an average of 132,998 relative light units (rlu), which is well beyond the 50,000-rlu positive cutoff value for the test. coccidioides posadasii deltachs5 is a satisfactory quality control isolate in the accuprobe culture identification test for coccidioides immitis. | 2006 | 17088372 |
| statistical modeling of valley fever data in kern county, california. | coccidioidomycosis (valley fever) is a fungal infection found in the southwestern us, northern mexico, and some places in central and south america. the fungus that causes it (coccidioides immitis) is normally soil-dwelling but, if disturbed, becomes air-borne and infects the host when its spores are inhaled. it is thus natural to surmise that weather conditions that foster the growth and dispersal of the fungus must have an effect on the number of cases in the endemic areas. we present here an ... | 2007 | 17120065 |
| coccidioides immitis fungemia: clinical features and survival in 33 adult patients. | coccidioides immitis is a fungus endemic to the southwestern united states. susceptible hosts, including blacks, hispanics, filipinos, native americans, and those with compromised immunity, may develop disseminated disease, including fungemia. we retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients (n = 33) with coccidioides immitis fungemia (cif) at a 550-bed public hospital in phoenix, arizona, from 1990 to 2002. this is the largest reported series of cif. the purpose of the study was to revie ... | 2007 | 17234479 |
| rapid diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis by nested pcr assay of sputum. | coccidioidomycosis is a deep infection caused by two dimorphic fungi, coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii. diagnosis of the disease requires culture of suspicious clinical samples on mycological media. however, as these species are virulent pathogens, handling of their cultures is a high-risk activity, and is limited to biosafety level 3 laboratories. this study describes the direct detection of c. posadasii dna in an inappropriate sputum sample by pcr amplification of the highly spe ... | 2007 | 17257105 |
| disseminated coccidioidomycosis in a captive indochinese tiger (panthera tigris corbetti) with chronic renal disease. | a 19-yr-old, 78.2-kg captive female indochinese tiger (panthera tigris corbetti) from the el paso zoo (el paso, texas, usa) with chronic renal disease was euthanized after a 10-day course of anorexia, depression, progressive rear limb weakness, muscle fasciculations, and head tremors. postmortem findings included pericardial effusion, generalized lymphadenopathy, glomerulosclerosis, glomerular atrophy with membranous glomerulonephropathy, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. pyogranulomatous pneumonia ... | 2006 | 17315442 |
| coccidioides immitis: an unexpected fungal pathogen causing retropharyngeal abscess. | | 2007 | 17321890 |
| evolution of the mating type locus: insights gained from the dimorphic primary fungal pathogens histoplasma capsulatum, coccidioides immitis, and coccidioides posadasii. | sexual reproduction of fungi is governed by the mating type (mat) locus, a specialized region of the genome encoding key transcriptional regulators that direct regulatory networks to specify cell identity and fate. knowledge of mat locus structure and evolution has been considerably advanced in recent years as a result of genomic analyses that enable the definition of mat locus sequences in many species as well as provide an understanding of the evolutionary plasticity of this unique region of t ... | 2007 | 17337636 |
| deep solitary brain mass in a four-month-old male with disseminated coccidioidomycosis: case report. | parenchymal brain involvement from disseminated coccidioidomycosis occurs rarely and there are few documented pediatric cases. we report a four-month-old male infant with a cerebellar lesion seen in the brain on computed tomography (ct). coccidioides immitis (c. immitis) grew on bronchoscopic fluid samples and serum titers to c. immitis were 1:1024. antifungal treatment was initiated and after 3 months, ct scans demonstrated brain mass resolution and serum titers were decreased. | 2007 | 17344521 |
| the population biology of coccidioides: epidemiologic implications for disease outbreaks. | studies of field- and patient-derived isolates conducted over the past 75 years have provided a general picture of the population structure of coccidioides, the cause of coccidioidomycosis. premolecular studies provided a general outline of the geographical range, epidemiology and distribution of the fungus. recent studies based on molecular markers have demonstrated that the genus is comprised of two genetically diverse, and genetically isolated, species: coccidioides immitis and c. posadasii. ... | 2007 | 17344537 |
| molecular identification of coccidioides isolates from mexican patients. | molecular studies of the genome of the fungus coccidioides have demonstrated two nearly identical, but well-identified species, coccidioides immitis and c. posadasii, known as "california" and "non-california" species, respectively. the objective of this study was to determine, through molecular methods, whether both species of coccidioides are present in mexican patients with coccidioidomycosis and to estimate, their geographical distribution in mexico. we analyzed 56 clinical isolates of cocci ... | 2007 | 17344538 |
| fluctuations in climate and incidence of coccidioidomycosis in kern county, california: a review. | coccidioidomycosis (valley fever) is a fungal infection found in the southwestern united states, northern mexico, and some places in central and south america. the fungi that cause it (coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii) are normally soil dwelling, but, if disturbed, become airborne and infect the host when their spores are inhaled. it is thus natural to surmise that weather conditions, which foster the growth and dispersal of coccidioides, must have an effect on the number of cases ... | 2007 | 17347336 |
| laboratory aspects in the diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii, the two recognized causes of coccidioidomycosis, may be detected by direct microscopy, culture, and serologic documentation. two useful stains include the grocott methenamine silver (gms) and the calcofluor white (cfw). other useful stains used in histopathologic studies include hematoxylin-eosin (h&e) and periodic acid schiff (pas). nucleic acid amplification tests (naats) have been introduced for detection of coccidioides spp. in specimens, but ... | 2007 | 17363434 |
| the role of il-10 in genetic susceptibility to coccidioidomycosis on mice. | epidemiological and clinical studies have confirmed that coccidioidomycosis is more severe in african american and filipino patients than in caucasians, suggesting a genetic basis for susceptibility in humans. we discovered that inbred strains of mice also vary greatly in their susceptibility to coccidioides immitis infections, and although resistance is the dominant phenotype, it is a multigenic trait in mice. we found a strong direct correlation between susceptibility in mice and the amount of ... | 2007 | 17363443 |
| coccidioidomycosis in the u.s. military: a review. | coccidioidomycosis has had an impact on the military since the discovery of the causative agent, coccidioides immitis, over a century ago. the first reports of coccidioides outbreaks affecting u.s. military personnel were reported by smith and others during world war ii. since that time, numerous outbreaks and sporadic cases have occurred, affecting both the health and readiness of our armed forces. this article summarizes the impact of coccidioides sp. on our military troops with a review of th ... | 2007 | 17435116 |
| antifungal susceptibility profiles of coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii from endemic and non-endemic areas. | coccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal infection endemic in southwestern united states, mexico, central and south america. the causal agents are coccidioides immitis and c. posadasii. a large number of cases of coccidioidomycosis in new york state residents were identified. we compared susceptibility profiles of these isolates and of c. immitis isolates from california using mycelial phase inoculum and clsi (nccls) m38-a broth microdilution protocol. minimum fungicidal concentrations (mfc) were ... | 2007 | 17484074 |
| genomic and population analyses of the mating type loci in coccidioides species reveal evidence for sexual reproduction and gene acquisition. | coccidioides species, the fungi responsible for the valley fever disease, are known to reproduce asexually through the production of arthroconidia that are the infectious propagules. the possible role of sexual reproduction in the survival and dispersal of these pathogens is unexplored. to determine the potential for mating of coccidioides, we analyzed genome sequences and identified mating type loci characteristic of heterothallic ascomycetes. coccidioides strains contain either a mat1-1 or a m ... | 2007 | 17513566 |
| performance characteristics of a polyclonal enzyme immunoassay for the quantitation of histoplasma antigen in human urine samples. | an antigen detection assay was prepared with rabbit anti- histoplasma antibodies to detect and quantitate histoplasma capsulatum antigen in urine samples. by using a 4-parameter curve fit, the assay calibration ranges from 2 to 1,000 enzyme immunoassay (eia) units. we compared results for 99 urine samples with those of a reference laboratory, half of which tested positive or equivocal by that reference laboratory. performance characteristics were further defined by studying the assay linearity, ... | 2007 | 17580268 |
| a case of fever, eosinophilia, and pneumonia. | there is a broad differential for patients presenting with fever, eosinophilia, and pneumonia. we present a case of a 48-year-old man who presented with recurrent fever, pleuritic chest pain, and cough. his medical history was significant for a recent trip to arizona. a chest x ray showed a right lower lobe infiltrate and ct examination of the chest showed extensive mediastinal lymphadenopathy. tissue culture from a biopsy specimen of the mediastinal lymph nodes revealed growth of coccidioides i ... | 2007 | 17619571 |
| mycelial form of coccidioides immitis diagnosed in bronchoalveolar lavage. | | 2007 | 17636497 |
| efficacy of amphotericin b lipid complex in a rabbit model of coccidioidal meningitis. | we compared the efficacy of treatments in a rabbit model of coccidioidal meningitis (cm). | 2007 | 17646202 |
| taxonomic and diagnostic markers for identification of coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii. | the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (its) regions of the two recognized species of coccidioides were studied using a reference set of strains that had been previously identified with species defining microsatellite polymorphisms. unambiguous identification of the two species proved to be possible by amplifying and sequencing the its region. pcr-reactions are sensitive to amplification conditions requiring their careful optimization. stable amplification and sequencing was achieved with pri ... | 2007 | 17654264 |
| coccidioides species as potential agents of bioterrorism. | coccidioides species are soil fungi endemic to the southwestern usa, and parts of central and south america. natural infection occurs as a result of inhalation of airborne arthroconidia. there is a wide spectrum of clinical illness and, although most human cases are self-limiting and inconsequential, infection can result in severe effects and sometimes death. both coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii are potential bioterrorism agents. as such, in the usa and elsewhere, these organisms ... | 2007 | 17661702 |
| screening of antifungal activity of plants from the northeast of mexico. | screening of the antifungal activity of plants from the northeast of mexico against some of the main etiological agents inducing pulmonary mycoses, candida albicans, aspergillus fumigatus, histoplasma capsulatum, and coccidioides immitis, was conducted in vitro. we used the m27-a2 and m38-a methods from the national committee for clinical laboratory standards to screen the antifungal activity. ten hydroalcoholic extracts from the 15 plants evaluated showed antifungal activity against at least on ... | 2007 | 17919865 |
| epidemiology of central nervous system mycoses. | fungal infections of the central nervous system (cns) were considered rare until the 1970s. this is no longer true in recent years due to widespread use of corticosteroids, cytotoxic drugs and antibiotics. immunocompromised patients with underlying malignancy organ transplantations and acquired immune deficiency syndrome are all candidates for acquiring fungal infections either in meninges or brain. a considerable number of cases of cns fungal infections even in immunocompetent hosts have been r ... | 2007 | 17921647 |
| acute eosinophilic pneumonia complicating coccidioides immitis pneumonia: a case report and literature review. | though peripheral eosinophilia commonly accompanies infection with coccidioides immitis, pulmonary eosinophilia in patients with c. immitis and multilobar infiltrates has been reported in only three prior cases to our knowledge. to enhance clinicians' suspicion of an unusual complication of c. immitis pneumonia and the treatment implications, we present a patient with an initial diagnosis of acute eosinophilic pneumonia [based on bronchoalveolar lavage (bal) fluid analysis and transbronchial bio ... | 2009 | 17940333 |
| pleural effusion in hospitalized patients with coccidioidomycosis. | coccidioidomycosis is a common fungal infection primarily affecting the lungs. the prevalence and the characteristics of pleural effusion in coccidioidomycosis are not well described. therefore, a retrospective analysis of data from patients admitted to a teaching hospital with a diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis and pleural effusion was done. | 2008 | 18164951 |
| starter unit specificity directs genome mining of polyketide synthase pathways in fungi. | search of the protein database with the aflatoxin pathway polyketide synthase (pks) revealed putative pkss in the pathogenic fungi coccidioides immitis and coccidioides posadasii that could require partnerships with a pair of fatty acid synthase (fas) subunits for the biosynthesis of fatty acid-polyketide hybrid metabolites. a starter unit:acyl-carrier protein transacylase (sat) domain was discovered in the nonreducing pks. this domain is thought to accept the fatty acid product from the fas to ... | 2008 | 18215412 |
| stability of frozen, heat-killed cultures of coccidioides immitis as positive- control material in the gen-probe accuprobe coccidioides immitis culture identification test. | | 2008 | 18256219 |
| [coccidioidomycosis: an imported invasive fungal disease in france]. | coccidioidomycosis is an endemic mycosis in the southwest of united states resulting from the inhalation of arthrospores present in desert soil. the authors present a case of uncomplicated pulmonary coccidioidomycosis in a healthy woman, acquired during a recent trip to california. the initial clinical presentation first suggested a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia, then of tuberculosis. the diagnosis was finally reached with blood tests and mycological culture of broncho-alveolar lavag ... | 2008 | 18280075 |
| deactivation of the dimorphic fungi histoplasma capsulatum, blastomyces dermatitidis and coccidioides immitis using hydrogen peroxide vapor. | hydrogen peroxide vapour (hpv) has been proposed as an alternative to formaldehyde fumigation for the decontamination of biosafety level (bsl) iii laboratories. the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of hpv against the dimorphic fungi histoplasma capsulatum, blastomyces dermatitidis and coccidioides immitis. working inside a class ii biological safety cabinet (bsc) within a bsl iii laboratory, inocula containing approximately 5-log(10) cfu/ml from the mould form of each organism susp ... | 2008 | 18324500 |
| a 25-kda serine peptidase with keratinolytic activity secreted by coccidioides immitis. | coccidioides immitis is the causative agent of coccidioidomycosis, a systemic mycosis that attacks humans and a wide variety of animals. in the present study, we showed that the c. immitis mycelial form is able to release proteolytic enzyme into the extracellular environment. under chemically defined growth conditions, mycelia secreted seven distinct polypeptides ranging from 15 to 65 kda and an extracellular peptidase of 25 kda. this enzyme had its activity fully inhibited by phenylmethylsulpho ... | 2008 | 18386157 |
| susceptibility to coccidioides species in c57bl/6 mice is associated with expression of a truncated splice variant of dectin-1 (clec7a). | coccidioides posadasii spherules stimulate macrophages to make cytokines via tlr-2 and dectin-1. we used formalin-killed spherules and 1,3-beta-glucan purified from spherules to stimulate elicited peritoneal macrophages and myeloid dendritic cells (mdcs) from susceptible (c57bl/6) and resistant (dba/2) mouse strains. dba/2 macrophages produced more tnf-alpha and il-6 than macrophages from c57bl/6 mice, and the amount of tnf-alpha made was dependent on both tlr2 and dectin-1. dcs from c57bl/6 mic ... | 2008 | 18418396 |
| acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis: ct findings from 15 patients. | the aim of this study was to describe the ct scan abnormalities in 15 patients with acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. retrospective analysis of chest ct scans from 15 patients with acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis was performed. the final diagnosis included the finding of coccidioides immitis in mycology and/or histopathology, complemented by serology. two radiologists evaluated the ct scans to study the type, size, profusion and localization of the findings. the final decisions were defined ... | 2008 | 18508875 |
| mycelial forms of coccidioides spp. in the parasitic phase associated to pulmonary coccidioidomycosis with type 2 diabetes mellitus. | pulmonary coccidioidomycosis shares characteristics with other pulmonary pathologies. in tissue, spherules containing endospores are markers of coccidioides immitis and c. posadasii infection. mycelial forms presenting without classical parasitic structures are often misdiagnosed. the study was performed at the national institute of respiratory diseases (iner) of mexico between september 1991 and june 2005 and analyzed the association between cases, controls, and risk factors, including co-morbi ... | 2008 | 18512089 |
| spherules, hyphae, and air-crescent sign. | coccidioidomycosis is endemic in the southwestern united states, resulting in 100,000 infections annually. the majority of these infections are asymptomatic or manifest as community-acquired pneumonia. in rare cases, patients can present with a mononuclear-cell predominant pyopneumothorax. the presence of spherules in tissue specimens is pathognomonic of this condition. a 72-year-old man born in arizona with a heavy smoking history, presented with a 1-month history of weakness, night sweats, exe ... | 2008 | 18552586 |
| fluconazole (diflucan): a review. | fluconazole is a triazole antifungal agent available for oral or intravenous use in the treatment of a number of localized and disseminated mycoses. animal models have shown in vivo activity against infections caused by candida spp. and crytococcus neoformans. fluconazole is also active in animal infections caused by blastomyces dermatitidis, coccidioides immitis, histoplasma capsulatum, and dermatophytes. fluconazole acts by inhibiting synthesis of ergosterol, an essential sterol in fungal cell ... | 1993 | 18611557 |
| respiratory infections in the immunocompromised patient. | damage to local and systemic defences of the lungs makes the immunocompromised host vulnerable to inhaled microorganisms. the type of underlying disease and its associated immunodeficiency allow a high degree of accurate pathogen prediction. neutropenia is associated with gram-negative bacilli pneumonia. prolonged neutropenia increases the risk of aspergillosis and mucormycosis. cellular immunodeficiency is associated with pneumocystis carinii, legionella spp. and intracellular parasites includi ... | 1993 | 18611585 |