Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
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| general metabolism of the dimorphic and pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | annotation of the transcriptome of the dimorphic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis has set the grounds for a global understanding of its metabolism in both mycelium and yeast forms. this fungus is able to use the main carbohydrate sources, including starch, and it can store reduced carbons in the form of glycogen and trehalose; these provide energy reserves that are relevant for metabolic adaptation, protection against stress and infectivity mechanisms. the glyoxylate cycle, which is also inv ... | 2005 | 16110447 |
| the cell wall of paracoccidioides brasiliensis: insights from its transcriptome. | the cell wall of a human pathogenic fungus is in contact with the host, serves as a barrier against host defense mechanisms and harbors most fungal antigens. in addition, cell wall biosynthesis pathways have been recognized as essential to viability and as specific drug targets. paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a dimorphic fungus that presents mycelium morphology in the free environment and causes infection in a yeast form. the morphogenetic conversion is correlated with changes in the cell wall ... | 2005 | 16110448 |
| screening for glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins in the paracoccidioides brasiliensis transcriptome. | open reading frames in the transcriptome of paracoccidioides brasiliensis were screened for potential glycosylphosphatidylinositol (gpi)-anchored proteins, which are a functionally and structurally diverse family of post-translationally modified molecules found in a variety of eukaryotic cells. numerous studies have demonstrated that various gpi anchor sequences can affect the localization of these proteins in the plasma membrane or the cell wall. the gpi anchor core is produced in the endoplasm ... | 2005 | 16110449 |
| molecular chaperones in the paracoccidioides brasiliensis transcriptome. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a thermally dimorphic and a human pathogenic fungus. our group has partially sequenced its transcriptome and generated a database of mycelial and yeast pbaests (p. brasiliensis assembled expressed sequence tags). in the present review we describe the identification of pbaests encoding molecular chaperones. these proteins, involved in protein folding and renaturation, are also implicated in several other biological processes, where the dimorphic transition is of p ... | 2005 | 16110450 |
| transcriptome overview of paracoccidioides brasiliensis proteases. | proteases perform a wide variety of functions inside and outside cells, regulating many biological processes. infectious microorganisms use proteases, either secreted or attached to their cell surface to weaken and invade their hosts. therefore, proteases are targets for drugs against a diverse set of diseases. paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the most prevalent fungal pathogen causing systemic mycosis in latin america. the development of paracoccidioidomycosis depends on interactions between fu ... | 2005 | 16110451 |
| virulence insights from the paracoccidioides brasiliensis transcriptome. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the etiologic agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, is a dimorphic fungus, which is found as mycelia at 22-26 degrees c and as yeasts at 37 degrees c. a remarkable feature common to several pathogenic fungi is their ability to differentiate from mycelium to yeast morphologies, or vice-versa. although p. brasiliensis is a recognized pathogen for humans, little is known about its virulence genes. in this sense, we performed a search for putative virulence genes in the p. ... | 2005 | 16110452 |
| transporters in the paracoccidioides brasiliensis transcriptome: insights on drug resistance. | in the struggle for life, the capacity of microorganisms to synthesize and secrete toxic compounds (inhibiting competitors) plays an important role in successful survival of these species. this ability must come together with the capability of being unaffected by these same compounds. several mechanisms are thought to avoid the toxic effects. one of them is toxin extrusion from the intracellular environment to the outside vicinity, using special transmembrane proteins, referred to as transporter ... | 2005 | 16110453 |
| oxidative stress response in paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | survival of pathogenic fungi inside human hosts depends on evasion from the host immune system and adaptation to the host environment. among different insults that paracoccidioides brasiliensis has to handle are reactive oxygen and nitrogen species produced by the human host cells, and by its own metabolism. knowing how the parasite deals with reactive species is important to understand how it establishes infection and survives within humans. the initiative to describe the p. brasiliensis transc ... | 2005 | 16110454 |
| therapeutic targets in paracoccidioides brasiliensis: post-transcriptome perspectives. | the rise in antifungal resistance, observed as a result of the increasing numbers of immunocompromised patients, has made the discovery of new targets for drug therapy imperative. the description of the paracoccidioides brasiliensis transcriptome has allowed us to find alternatives to refine current therapy against paracoccidioidomycosis. we used comparative analysis of expressed sequence tags to find promising drug targets that have been addressed in other pathogens. we divided the analysis int ... | 2005 | 16110455 |
| hydrolytic enzymes in paracoccidioides brasiliensis--ecological aspects. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a thermally dimorphic fungus that causes paracoccidioidomycosis. the yeast form of this pathogen is found in the animal host whereas the mycelial form is recovered from living and non-living organic material. the sole carbon source available in these habitats is represented by polysaccharides from the plant cell wall. hydrolytic enzymes are necessary to convert these polymers into simple sugars for fungal metabolism. we report on the presence of ortholog genes of ... | 2005 | 16110456 |
| central nervous system paracoccidioidomycosis: an overview. | paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) is an infectious disease, endemic to subtropical areas of central and south america, caused by the dimorphic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. it is a chronic disease, mostly affecting adult males, with a mean patient age of 44 years. central nervous system involvement (cns pcm) has been found in 13% of the patients with systemic disease. we reviewed the clinical presentation, diagnosis techniques and treatments for cns pcm. | 2005 | 16127588 |
| 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 |
| septicemia caused by paracoccidioides brasiliensis (lutz, 1908) as the cause of death of an aids patient from santos, são paulo state, brazil--a nonendemic area. | the first case of paracoccidioides brasiliensis in santos (brazil) leading to septicemia and death of an hiv-positive patient is reported here. the patient was a 34-year-old female that presented essential fever and was only diagnosed after death by positive blood culture. the authors underscore the atypical nature of the case, since the patient was a female at fertile age who was born and had always lived in santos, which is a nonendemic area for this infection. | 2005 | 16138203 |
| [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 |
| diagnosis of neuroparacoccidioidomycosis by detection of circulating antigen and antibody in cerebrospinal fluid. | neuroparacoccidioidomycosis (neuropcm) is the central nervous system infection by the fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. its diagnosis is a difficult task that depends on neuroimaging techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. however, the detection of circulating p. brasiliensis antigens in body fluids by inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (inh-elisa) has provided encouraging results. in this study, 14 cerebrospinal fluid (csf) and 11 serum samples of pa ... | 2005 | 16145126 |
| cryptic speciation and recombination in the fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis as revealed by gene genealogies. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiologic agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, a disease confined to latin america and of marked importance in the endemic areas due to its frequency and severity. this species is considered to be clonal according to mycological criteria and has been shown to vary in virulence. to characterize natural genetic variation and reproductive mode in this fungus, we analyzed p. brasiliensis phylogenetically in search of cryptic species and possible recombination using c ... | 2006 | 16151188 |
| modulation of the exocellular serine-thiol proteinase activity of paracoccidioides brasiliensis by neutral polysaccharides. | our group characterized an exocellular serine-thiol proteinase activity in the yeast phase of paracoccidioides brasiliensis (pbst), a dimorphic human pathogen. the fungal proteinase is able to cleave in vitro, at ph 7.4, proteins associated with the basal membrane, such as human laminin and fibronectin, type iv collagen and proteoglycans. in the present study, we investigated the influence of glycosaminoglycans (gags) and neutral polysaccharides upon the serine-thiol proteinase activity by means ... | 2006 | 16153872 |
| reactivity of antibodies from patients with acute and chronic paracoccidioidomycosis to a high molecular mass antigen from paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | yeast forms of paracoccidioides brasiliensis produce polydispersed high molecular mass (h-mm) antigens. we investigated the antibodies to an h-mm antigen from p. brasiliensis by immunoblotting and elisa in sera from paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) patients. igg from the sera of chronic pcm patients was able to recognize the h-mm antigen at a higher frequency in the cell-free antigen (cfa) (8/13) than in the somatic antigen (sa) (2/13), as assessed by immunoblotting. the cfa was fractionated by seph ... | 2005 | 16170813 |
| kinetics of cytokines and chemokines gene expression distinguishes paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection from disease. | the human infection with paracoccidioides brasiliensis may result in three major outcomes: the paracoccidioidomycosis-infection (pi), the adult form (af) and the juvenile form (jf) of the disease. the aim of this study was to compare the immunological response among these groups. the gene expression of multiple cytokines, including il-4, il-5, il-6, il-10, ifn-gamma, tnf-alpha and tgf-beta1, and chemokines, cxcl8, cxcl9 and cxcl10 was evaluated by rt-pcr in peripheral blood mononuclear cells uns ... | 2005 | 16174562 |
| attempted isolation of blastomyces dermatitidis from native shrews in northern wisconsin, usa. | the precise ecological niche of blastomyces dermatitidis is unknown. the related dimorphic fungus, paracoccidioides brasiliensis, has been isolated from south american ground-dwelling insectivorous armadillos. we attempted to isolate blastomyces from shrews, north american ground-dwelling insectivores that have been shown to harbor histoplasma capsulatum in endemic areas. forty-seven masked shrews (sorex cinereus) and 13 northern short-tailed shrews (blarina brevicauda) were collected in endemic ... | 2005 | 16178369 |
| fungicidal activity of human peripheral blood leukocytes against paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells. | although epidemiological findings suggest that normal humans are resistant to paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection, the host defense mechanisms against this fungus have not been fully understood. here we examined human leukocytes for antifungal activity against yeast cells of this fungus, using an improved mycological culture medium with high plating efficiency for the yeast cell. in an attempt to minimize the impairment of leukocyte activities during the isolation process, leukocytes removed ... | 2005 | 16178370 |
| paracoccidioides brasiliensis, paracoccidioidomycosis, and antifungal antibiotics. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm), a human systemic, chronic and progressive mycosis. preferred antifungals are sulfamethoxazol-trimethoprim, itraconazole, amphotericin b. treatment is lengthy, the drugs may have undesirable side effects, and some are costly. occasional resistant strains have been reported. therefore, the search for more selective and efficient antifungals to treat this and other mycoses continues. ajoene, chemically derived fro ... | 2005 | 16181141 |
| melanin in the dimorphic fungal pathogen paracoccidioides brasiliensis: effects on phagocytosis, intracellular resistance and drug susceptibility. | the fungal pathogen paracoccidioides brasiliensis produces a melanin-like pigment in the presence of l-dopa in vitro. we investigated whether melanization affected yeast uptake by alveolar and peritoneal macrophages, the intracellular resistance of fungal cells and their susceptibility to antifungal drugs. the interactions of melanized and nonmelanized p. brasiliensis with murine primary macrophages and j774.16 and mh-s macrophage-like cell lines were investigated. melanized yeast cells were poo ... | 2006 | 16213179 |
| adjuvant effect of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides (cpg-odn) from the paracoccidioides brasiliensis gp43 gene on the th2-th1 immunomodulation of experimental paracoccidioidomycosis. | paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) is caused by the dimorphic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. immunostimulatory effects of p. brasiliensis dna and cpg-oligodeoxyribonucleotides (cpg-odn) have shown a th2-th1 immunomodulation of the isogenic murine model of susceptibility, which develops a progressive and disseminating disease. in this study, we investigated the optimum time interval and doses of cpg-odn which are able to induce th2-th1 immunomodulation. the optimum concentrations for the inducti ... | 2005 | 16253119 |
| membrane and extracellular antigens of paracoccidioides brasiliensis (mexo): identification of a 28-kda protein suitable for immunodiagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis. | in this work, we analyzed serological responses of paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) patients to membrane and extracellular antigens (mexo) of paracoccidioides brasiliensis by elisa, immunoblot technique and immunofluorescence assays to identify a specific antigen profile. among 140 pcm serum samples analyzed, a homogeneous igg response to mexo was observed. the specificity of this antigen was 96.6% in relation to control sera and 81.2% to sera from patients with diverse infections. patients undergoi ... | 2005 | 16269152 |
| morphological, biochemical and molecular approaches for comparing typical and atypical paracoccidioides brasiliensis strains. | we evaluated the morphology of typical and atypical paracoccidioides brasiliensis strains and the expression of its 43 kda glycoprotein (gp43). strains of p. brasiliensis preserved under mineral oil for long periods of time presented different morphological patterns on peptone, yeast-extract and glucose (pyg) agar. the intravenous inoculation in balb/c mice confirmed that a strain bearing morphological alterations was non-virulent. in contrast, another strain also maintained under mineral oil bu ... | 2005 | 16284932 |
| immunization of susceptible mice with gp43-pulsed dendritic cells induce an increase of pulmonary paracoccidioidomycosis. | the development of the appropriate cd4 th subset is important for disease resolution and several studies have shown that different outcomes of a disease can be obtained by influencing the commitment of precursors to either, th1 or th2 lineage. dendritic cells (dcs) are able to initiate response in naïve t cells and they also participate in th cell education. in the present study we demonstrated that purified gp43 lead to down-regulation of mhc-ii and adhesion properties of immature dcs and in lp ... | 2006 | 16298431 |
| virulence profile of ten paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates: association with morphologic and genetic patterns. | ten isolates of paracoccidioides brasiliensis were examined for differences in virulence in outbred mice intravenously inoculated with the fungus, associated with mycelial morphology, and genetic patterns measured by random amplified polymorphic dna (rapd). virulence was evaluated by viable yeast cell recovery from lungs and demonstration of histopathologic lesions in different organs. the results showed that the isolates presented four virulence degrees: high virulence, intermediate, low and no ... | 2005 | 16302108 |
| inhibitory effect of deferoxamine on paracoccidioides brasiliensis survival in human monocytes: reversal by holotransferrin not by apotransferrin. | the mechanisms used by paracoccidioides brasiliensis to survive into phagocytic cells are not clear. cellular iron metabolism is of critical importance to the growth of several intracellular pathogens whose capacity to multiply in mononuclear phagocytes is dependent on the availability of intracellular iron. thus, the objective of this paper was to investigate the role of intracellular iron in regulating the capacity of p. brasiliensis yeast cells to survive within human monocytes. treatment of ... | 2005 | 16302109 |
| failure of nitric oxide production by macrophages and decrease in cd4+ t cells in oral paracoccidioidomycosis: possible mechanisms that permit local fungal multiplication. | paracoccidioidomycosis is a chronic granulomatous disease that induces a specific inflammatory and immune response. the participation of nitric oxide (no), a product of the inducible nitric oxide synthase enzyme (inos), as an important fungicidal molecule against paracoccidioides brasiliensis has been demonstrated. in order to further characterize the oral paracoccidioidomycosis (op), we undertook an immunohistochemical study of inos+, cd45ro+, cd3+, cd8+, cd20+, cd68+ cells and mast cells. the ... | 2005 | 16302110 |
| a new paracoccidioides brasiliensis 70-kda heat shock protein reacts with sera from paracoccidioidomycosis patients. | a cdna coding for a new member of the 70-kda heat shock proteins (hsp70) family from the dimorphic and pathogenic fungus, paracoccidioides brasiliensis, was cloned and characterized. the cdna-deduced sequence coded for 655 amino acid residues and showed 95% identity to a previously described p. brasiliensis hsp70 gene. cytoplasmic and typical nuclear localization signals, which indicate induction upon stress, were identified in the deduced peptide. the complete hsp70 cdna coding region was clone ... | 2005 | 16320493 |
| transcriptome analysis of paracoccidioides brasiliensis cells undergoing mycelium-to-yeast transition. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a thermodimorphic fungus associated with paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm), a systemic mycosis prevalent in south america. in humans, infection starts by inhalation of fungal propagules, which reach the pulmonary epithelium and transform into the yeast parasitic form. thus, the mycelium-to-yeast transition is of particular interest because conversion to yeast is essential for infection. we have used a p. brasiliensis biochip carrying sequences of 4,692 genes from this ... | 2005 | 16339729 |
| investigation of the role of complement and complement receptors in the modulation of b cell activation by a paracoccidioides brasiliensis cell wall fraction. | f1 fraction from paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a potent activator of the complement system. considering that complement receptors cr1 and cr2 are involved in the regulation of b cell response, we evaluated the in vitro effect of the f1 in the activation of b lymphocytes, as well as the participation of complement receptors in this process. murine splenocytes were cultured in order to evaluate the expression of cd40, cd45rb and cd69 on b lymphocyte, and igg and igm were quantified in the cultu ... | 2006 | 16343991 |
| glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a cell surface protein involved in fungal adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins and interaction with cells. | the pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis causes paracoccidioidomycosis, a pulmonary mycosis acquired by inhalation of fungal airborne propagules, which may disseminate to several organs and tissues, leading to a severe form of the disease. adhesion to and invasion of host cells are essential steps involved in the infection and dissemination of pathogens. furthermore, pathogens use their surface molecules to bind to host extracellular matrix components to establish infection. here, we ... | 2006 | 16368993 |
| icam-1 is overexpressed by villous trophoblasts in placentitis. | although an in vitro study has hypothesized that expression of icam-1 by villous trophoblasts could be important for the influx of maternal immune cells in villitis, it remains to be shown whether the same phenomenon occurs in human villitis. to investigate the expression of icam-1 by villous trophoblasts, its relationship with rupture of the trophoblastic barrier and influx of immune cells into the villi, we analysed 18 paraffin-embedded placentas with placentitis (5 by toxoplasma gondii, 3 by ... | 2006 | 16376424 |
| recognition of extracellular matrix proteins by paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells. | the adhesion of microorganism to host cells or extracellular matrix (ecm) proteins is the first step in the establishment of an infectious process. interaction between paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells and ecm proteins has been previously noted. in vivo, in the chronic phase of experimental paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm), laminin and fibronectin have been detected on the surface of yeast cells located inside granulomatous lesions. the aim of the present study was to examine the ability of ... | 2005 | 16396249 |
| random sequencing of paracoccidioides brasiliensis genes. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis genome has been reported as having a size of about 30 mb. by digestion of genomic dna from strain ivicpb 73 (atcc 32071), we have constructed a dna library with an insert size average of 8 kb in escherichia coli xl1 blue. we have fully sequenced 7 clones comprising 51,022 bp which represent 20 putative protein-coding sequences (seven of them, partial) and one trna. the 20 coding sequences cover 46% of the total 51,022 bp with introns present in 10 out of the 20 sequ ... | 2005 | 16422297 |
| hygromycin b-resistance phenotype acquired in paracoccidioides brasiliensis via plasmid dna integration. | yeast cells of the human pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis strain pb01 were transformed to hygromycin b resistance using the plasmid pan7.1. transformation was achieved by electroporation, with intact or linearized plasmid dna. the fungus was transformed using 200 mm manitol, 5 or 7 kv/cm field strength, 25 microf capacitance, 400 omega resistance, 5 microg plasmid dna and 10(7) yeast cells in 400 microl, and selected in bhi medium overlaid with 30 microg/ml hygromycin b (hygb). mi ... | 2005 | 16422302 |
| molecular detection of paracoccidioides brasiliensis in soil. | the objective of the present study was to evaluate different techniques for the detection of paracoccidioides brasiliensis in soil, e.g., culture, animal inoculation and specific dna amplification by nested pcr. we designed species-specific inner primers derived from rdna regions (its, 5.8s gene) and found their sensitivity to be higher than culture and animal inoculation. in addition, the sensitivity of these primers was higher than p27-gene primers developed for detection of p. brasiliensis in ... | 2005 | 16422303 |
| 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 |
| the pbmdj1 gene belongs to a conserved mdj1/lon locus in thermodimorphic pathogenic fungi and encodes a heat shock protein that localizes to both the mitochondria and cell wall of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | j-domain (dnaj) proteins, of the hsp40 family, are essential cofactors of their cognate hsp70 chaperones, besides acting as independent chaperones. in the present study, we have demonstrated the presence of mdj1, a mitochondrial dnaj member, not only in the mitochondria, where it is apparently sorted, but also in the cell wall of paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a thermodimorphic pathogenic fungus. the molecule (pbmdj1) was localized to fungal yeast cells using both confocal and electron microscop ... | 2006 | 16467478 |
| 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 |
| paracoccin, a glcnac-binding lectin from paracoccidioides brasiliensis, binds to laminin and induces tnf-alpha production by macrophages. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis components interact with host cells and can influence the pathogenesis of paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm). among the components released by p. brasiliensis, gp 43 and a heavily glycosylated antigen with mm>160 kda are the most recognized by serum antibodies from patients with pcm. in order to isolate the high mm glycoconjugate, we carried out affinity chromatography of a crude exoantigen preparation on immobilized jacalin. the bound fraction (jbe, jacalin binding exoan ... | 2006 | 16476564 |
| chitinase from paracoccidioides brasiliensis: molecular cloning, structural, phylogenetic, expression and activity analysis. | a full-length cdna encoding a chitinase (pbcts1) was cloned by screening a cdna library from the yeast cells of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. the cdna consists of 1888 bp and encodes an orf of 1218 bp corresponding to a protein of 45 kda with 406 amino acid residues. the deduced pbcts1 is composed of two signature family 18 catalytic domains and seems to belong to fungal/bacterial class. phylogenetic analysis of pbcts1 and other chitinases suggests the existence of paralogs of several chitinase ... | 2006 | 16487309 |
| overview and perspectives the transcriptome of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a dimorphic and thermo-regulated fungus which is the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, an endemic disease widespread in latin america that affects 10 million individuals. pathogenicity is assumed to be a consequence of the dimorphic transition from mycelium to yeast cells during human infection. this review shows the results of the p. brasiliensis transcriptome project which generated 6,022 assembled groups from mycelium and yeast phases. computer analys ... | 2005 | 16499412 |
| granuloma formation in vitro requires b-1 cells and is modulated by paracoccidioides brasiliensis gp43 antigen. | the mechanisms that determine granuloma formation and the significance of this type of inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of fungal diseases such as paracoccidioidomycosis are far from fully understood. we developed a granuloma model in vitro using beads to evaluate the role of isolated mouse peritoneal macrophages and b-1 cells. we also investigated granuloma formation in the presence of gp43, the main antigenic component of paracoccidioides brasiliensis, which is secreted exocellularly. ... | 2006 | 16500129 |
| cytokines released from blood monocytes and expressed in mucocutaneous lesions of patients with paracoccidioidomycosis evaluated before and during trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole treatment. | mucocutaneous lesions in paracoccidioidomycosis are granulomatous and result from tissue responses to paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the aetiological agent. | 2006 | 16536806 |
| serological comparison of the two morphological phases of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | the antigenic relationship of six different strains of paracoccidioides brasiliensis was investigated by the agar-gel immunodiffusion test. soluble antigens prepared from the two morphological phases of the fungus were diffused against human sera obtained from eight patients with paracoccidioidomycosis (south american blastomycosis). the mycelial phase showed common antigenic determinants as revealed by the formation of identical precipitin bands. the yeast phase proved to be more complex. most ... | 1970 | 16557830 |
| neutrophil role in pulmonary paracoccidioidomycosis depends on the resistance pattern of hosts. | the immunoprotective and immunomodulatory role of neutrophils during pulmonary infection of resistant (a/j) and susceptible (b10.a) mice to paracoccidioides brasiliensis was investigated. first, comparative studies about early cellular influx to the lungs demonstrated higher numbers of neutrophils in susceptible rather than in resistant mice. neutrophil depletion resulted in decreased survival times of susceptible but not resistant mice. in both mouse strains, depletion led to increased fungal b ... | 2006 | 16603588 |
| effects of hene laser irradiation on experimental paracoccidioidomycotic lesions. | paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) is the most prevalent human mycosis in latin america. the infection is thought to take place firstly in the lungs and then may disseminate to other organs and tissues. treatment by currently available antifungals is lengthy, the drugs may have undesirable side effects, and some are costly. occasional resistant strains of paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the causative agent of pcm, have been reported. so, the search for more efficient treatments or adjuvant therapies ha ... | 2006 | 16624570 |
| chloroquine inhibits paracoccidioides brasiliensis survival within human monocytes by limiting the availability of intracellular iron. | the mechanisms used by paracoccidioides brasiliensis(pb 18) to survive into monocytes are not clear. cellular iron metabolism is of critical importance to the growth of several intracellular pathogens, including p. brasiliensis, whose capacity to multiply in mononuclear phagocytes is dependent on the availability of intracellular iron. chloroquine, by virtue of its basic properties, has been shown to prevent release of iron from holotransferrin by raising endocytic and lysosomal ph, and thereby ... | 2006 | 16625052 |
| new insights into the cell cycle profile of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | the present work focuses on the analysis of cell cycle progression of paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells under different environmental conditions. we optimized a flow cytometric technique for cell cycle profile analysis based on high resolution measurements of nuclear dna. exponentially growing cells in poor-defined or rich-complex nutritional environments showed an increased percentage of daughter cells in accordance with the fungus' multiple budding and high growth rate. during the stat ... | 2006 | 16631397 |
| paracoccidioides brasiliensis: attenuation of yeast cells by gamma irradiation. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most prevalent mycosis in latin america, and currently there is no effective vaccine. the aim of this study was to attenuate the yeast form of p. brasiliensis by gamma irradiation for further studies on vaccine research. paracoccidioides brasiliensis (strain pb 18) cultures were irradiated at doses between 0.5 and 8.0 kgy. after each dose the viability, reproductive ability and protein metabolism were evaluated. the compar ... | 2006 | 16681808 |
| binding of extracellular matrix proteins to paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | adhesion to extracellular matrix (ecm) proteins plays a crucial role in invasive fungal diseases. ecm proteins bind to the surface of paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells in distinct qualitative patterns. extracts from pb18 strain, before (18a) and after animal inoculation (18b), exhibited differential adhesion to ecm components. pb18b extract had a higher capacity for binding to ecm components than pb18a. laminin was the most adherent component for both samples, followed by type i collagen ... | 2006 | 16698299 |
| importance of complement 3 and mannose receptors in phagocytosis of paracoccidioides brasiliensis conidia by nramp1 congenic macrophages lines. | genetic factors influence susceptibility to paracoccidioidomycosis, a latin american endemic mycosis. the pattern of susceptibility of congenic mouse strains infected with paracoccidioides brasiliensis resembles the pattern of the nramp1 gene. thus, congenic murine bone-marrow-derived macrophage lines b10r (nramp1rgly169) and b10s (null nramp1 protein expression, nramp1sasp169) were infected with p. brasiliensis conidia and compared, under opsonic and nonopsonic conditions. opsonization increase ... | 2006 | 16706788 |
| microsatellite analysis of three phylogenetic species of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiological agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, an important human systemic mycosis in latin america. recently, the existence of three different phylogenetic species (s1, ps2, and ps3) of p. brasiliensis was demonstrated. despite being genetically isolated, all three species were capable of inducing disease in both humans and animals, although lower virulence has been found with the ps2 species. the available molecular methods developed to characterize and type ... | 2006 | 16757613 |
| an antifungal peptide from passion fruit (passiflora edulis) seeds with similarities to 2s albumin proteins. | an actual worldwide problem consists of an expressive increase of economic losses and health problems caused by fungi. in order to solve this problem, several studies have been concentrating on the screening of novel plant defence peptides with antifungal activities. these peptides are commonly characterized by having low molecular masses and cationic charges. this present work reports on the purification and characterization of a novel plant peptide of 5.0 kda, pe-afp1, purified from the seeds ... | 2006 | 16766236 |
| tnf-alpha activates human monocytes for paracoccidioides brasiliensis killing by an h2o2-dependent mechanism. | human monocytes activated by recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnf-alpha) exhibited significant fungicidal activity on the yeast cells of a highly virulent strain of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. this process was significantly inhibited in the presence of catalase (cat - a scavenger of h2o2), but not in the presence of superoxide-dismutase (sod - a scavenger of superoxide anion) or ng-monomethyl-l-arginine (ng-mmla - a nitric oxide inhibitor). furthermore, there was a direct association ... | 2006 | 16772231 |
| [central nervous system paracoccidioidomycosis: analysis of 13 cases]. | paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) is a systemic granulomatous disease caused by paracoccidioides brasiliensis, prevalent in latin america, particularly in brazil. central nervous system (cns) involvement occur in about 10% of cases. thirteen patients with pcm involving cns were studied considering clinical manifestation, neuroradiology and treatment modalities. age ranged from 30 to 71 years-old (m=47.1+/-11.6 me=46). there were eleven men and two women. the most frequent symptoms were motor deficits ... | 2006 | 16791368 |
| a case of imported paracoccidioidomycosis: an awkward infection in the netherlands. | paracoccidioidomycosis is an important endemic mycosis in south america. in europe the disease is very rare and only found as infections in travelers to latin america. we report here the first case encountered in the netherlands for which the appropriate diagnosis was not attained for several months. a dutch 60-year-old man presented with a painful ulceration in the buccal mandibular vestibular mucosa of three months duration. while his medical history was uneventful, he had worked, until 8 year ... | 2006 | 16805088 |
| comparative analyses of the structure of the 1,3-beta-glucan synthase gene in paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates. | the evolutionary origin and significance of spliceosomal introns have been the subject of many investigations. two theories, "introns-early" theory and "introns-late" theory, have been proposed to explain the evolution of introns in eukaryotic genes. intron position is generally conserved in paralogue and orthologue genes. some introns occur at similar but not necessarily identical positions in homologous genes, which were separated by great evolutionary distances. this event can be explained by ... | 2006 | 16819719 |
| evaluation of polymerase chain reaction for the detection of paracoccidioides brasiliensis dna on serum samples from patients with paracoccidioidomycosis. | the aim of this study was to demonstrate the dna of paracoccidioides brasiliensis in human serum samples of patients with paracoccidioidomycosis using the polymerase chain reaction (pcr). the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) was defined by microscopic observation of the fungus on direct exam or histopathology, culture, and serological positivity. dna from serum of 33 patients with pcm was extracted and submitted to nested-pcr using primers from the gp 43 gene. only one sample was positi ... | 2006 | 16830716 |
| virulence attenuation and phenotypic variation of paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates obtained from armadillos and patients. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiological agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most important systemic mycosis in latin america. the virulence profiles of five isolates of p. brasiliensis were studied in two different moments and correlated with some colonial phenotypic aspects. we observed a significant decrease in the virulence and an intense phenotypic variation in the mycelial colony. the recognition of all ranges of phenotypic and virulence variation of p. brasiliensis, as well as it ... | 2006 | 16862332 |
| peptide immunization as an adjuvant to chemotherapy in mice challenged intratracheally with virulent yeast cells of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | immunization with peptide p10, derived from gp43, and chemotherapy were used together in an attempt to improve treatment of paracoccidioidomycosis and prevent relapses. the combined treatment showed an additive protective effect when administered at 48 h or 30 days after intratracheal challenge. its use is recommended to improve regular chemotherapy and reduce the duration of treatment. | 2006 | 16870776 |
| genome size and ploidy of paracoccidioides brasiliensis reveals a haploid dna content: flow cytometry and gp43 sequence analysis. | the aim of this study was to evaluate genome size and ploidy of the dimorphic pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. the cell cycle analysis of 10 p. brasiliensis isolates by flow cytometry (fcm) revealed a genome size ranging from 26.3+/-0.1mb (26.9+/-0.1fg) to 35.5+/-0.2mb (36.3+/-0.2fg) per uninucleated yeast cell. the dna content of conidia from p. brasiliensis atcc 60855-30.2+/-0.8mb (30.9+/-0.8fg) -showed no significant differences with the yeast form, possibly excluding the occu ... | 2007 | 16879998 |
| cell organisation, sulphur metabolism and ion transport-related genes are differentially expressed in paracoccidioides brasiliensis mycelium and yeast cells. | mycelium-to-yeast transition in the human host is essential for pathogenicity by the fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis and both cell types are therefore critical to the establishment of paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm), a systemic mycosis endemic to latin america. the infected population is of about 10 million individuals, 2% of whom will eventually develop the disease. previously, transcriptome analysis of mycelium and yeast cells resulted in the assembly of 6,022 sequence groups. gene expressio ... | 2006 | 16907987 |
| transcriptome analysis and molecular studies on sulfur metabolism in the human pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | the dimorphic pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis can grow as a prototroph for organic sulfur as a mycelial (non-pathogenic) form, but it is unable to assimilate inorganic sulfur as a yeast (pathogenic) form. temperature and the inability to assimilate inorganic sulfur are the single conditions known to affect p. brasiliensis mycelium-to-yeast (m-y) dimorphic transition. for a comprehensive evaluation of genes that have their expression modulated during the m-y transition in differen ... | 2006 | 16924544 |
| differential gene expression by paracoccidioides brasiliensis in host interaction conditions: representational difference analysis identifies candidate genes associated with fungal pathogenesis. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis causes infection by the host inhalation of airborne propagules of the mycelia phase of the fungus. these particles reach the lungs, and disseminate to virtually all organs. here we describe the identification of differentially expressed genes in studies of host-fungus interaction. we analyzed two cdna populations of p. brasiliensis, one obtained from infected animals and the other an admixture of fungus and human blood thus mimicking the hematologic events of the fu ... | 2006 | 16962356 |
| cytokine production in lungs and adrenal glands of high and low antibody producing mice infected with paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | mice genetically selected for high (h) and low (l) antibody production (hiv-a and liv-a) were used in an experimental model of paracoccidioidomycosis. in a previous work, it was observed that male hiv-a animals were more susceptible to the infection due to adrenal gland damage. male hiv-a and liv-a animals were intravenously inoculated with paracoccidioides brasiliensis (strain 18) and sacrificed 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks after inoculation. at each time interval, lungs and adrenals were removed to ... | 2006 | 16966167 |
| intercellular adhesion molecule-1 is required for the early formation of granulomas and participates in the resistance of mice to the infection with the fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | the migration of leukocytes to inflammatory sites elicited by paracoccidioides brasiliensis is supposed to be coordinated by cytokines and chemokines. here, we investigated the role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (icam-1) in recruiting inflammatory cells to lungs of mice infected with p. brasiliensis and in determining the outcome of the disease. expression of icam-1 was up-regulated on t lymphocytes after infection with the fungus, and its expression was dependent on interferon-gamma, tum ... | 2006 | 17003484 |
| diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis by detection of antigen and antibody in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. | paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) is a systemic infection caused by the fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis and is believed to be the leading cause of fungal pulmonary infection. in this study, we used an inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to diagnose pulmonary pcm based on the detection of 43-kda and 70-kda molecules in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. the results were compared with results obtained by classical methods for antibody detection. | 2006 | 17035512 |
| flow-cytometric analysis of cytokine production in human paracoccidioidomycosis. | human infection with paracoccidioides brasiliensis may result in three major outcomes: paracoccidioidomycosis-infection (pi), which is observed in healthy carriers living in endemic areas and the adult form (af) and juvenile form (jf) of the disease. in this study we proposed to examine the intracellular expression of ifn-gamma, tnf-alpha, il-2, il-10, il-12, cxcl8, cxcl9 and cxcl10 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) of patients with the jf and af of the disease, as well as of pi indiv ... | 2006 | 17045486 |
| systemic and local characterization of regulatory t cells in a chronic fungal infection in humans. | the long-term persistence of pathogens in a host is a hallmark of certain infectious diseases, including schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm). natural regulatory t (treg) cells are involved in control of the immune responses, including response to pathogens. because ctla-4 is constitutively expressed in treg cells and it acts as a negative regulator of t cell activation in patients with pcm, here we investigated the involvement of treg cells in the control of systemic ... | 2006 | 17056505 |
| epithelial cells treated with genistein inhibit adhesion and endocytosis of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | paracoccidioidomycosis is caused by paracoccidioides brasiliensis, which although not formally considered an intracellular pathogen, can be internalized by epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. the mechanisms used by p. brasiliensis to adhere to and invade non-professional phagocytes have not been identified. the signal-transduction networks, involving protein tyrosine kinase (ptk) and protein phosphatase activities, can modulate crucial events during fungal infections. in this study, the invol ... | 2007 | 17120081 |
| serological detection of antibodies against paracoccidioides brasiliensis in dogs with leishmaniasis. | the aim of this study was to detect antibodies against paracoccidioides brasiliensis in dogs seropositive and seronegative for leishmaniasis. sera from 836 dogs (449 positive and 387 negative to leishmaniasis) were analysed by elisa and the immunodiffusion test using gp43 and exoantigen, respectively. the analysis of the 836 serum samples by elisa and the immunodiffusion test showed a positivity of 67.8 % and 7.3%, respectively, for p. brasiliensis infection. the dogs positive to leishmaniasis s ... | 2006 | 17123030 |
| role of mast cells as il10 producing cells in paracoccidioidomycosis skin lesions. | recent works have demonstrated that mast cells may have an important role in immunologic reactions and inflammation once they synthesize and secrete many cytokines including il4, il5, il6 and tnf-alpha. we have conducted research in order to verify if mast cells would participate in the local inflammatory immune response against paracoccidioides brasiliensis in skin lesions characterized by a th2 pattern of cytokines. fifty-nine skin biopsies with previous histopathological diagnosis of paracocc ... | 2006 | 17123031 |
| expression of antibodies directed to paracoccidioides brasiliensis glycosphingolipids during the course of paracoccidioidomycosis treatment. | paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) is a granulomatous disease caused by the dimorphic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. the immunoglobulin classes and isotypes of antibodies directed to acidic glycosphingolipids (gsls) and glucosylceramide of p. brasiliensis were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of sera from 31 pcm patients. the reactivities of 38 serum samples were analyzed by considering the stage of treatment: before antifungal treatment (n = 10), during 1 to 4 months of treatmen ... | 2007 | 17135452 |
| interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha single nucleotide gene polymorphism frequency in paracoccidioidomycosis. | allelic variants of cytokine genes seem to be involved in mechanisms of resistance or susceptibility to several diseases. the aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of genotypes with the tumor necrosis factor-alpha tnf-alpha gene polymorphism g/a at position -308 and the il-10 gene polymorphism g/a at position -1082, and to verify a possible association of these polymorphisms with paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) caused by paracoccidioides brasiliensis. genotyping was performed by allele ... | 2006 | 17145373 |
| [laboratory evolutive aspects of children under paracoccidioidomycosis treatment]. | the study of 38 children with paracoccidioidomycosis, aged up to 14, treated for 24 to 30 months with either a sulfonamide derivative or ketoconazole either alone or, after the use of amphotericin b. laboratory data at admission were analyzed and compared with those of sequential tests after up to 30 months follow-up. anemia, eosinophilia, increased bilirubin and aminotransferases normalized, in most patients, after three months treatment and hypoalbuminemia normalized after six months, suggesti ... | 2006 | 17160327 |
| identification of transcription elements in the 5' intergenic region shared by lon and mdj1 heat shock genes from the human pathogen paracoccidioides brasiliensis. evaluation of gene expression. | the mdj1/lon locus is conserved among pathogenic dimorphic fungi. we have mapped using dnase i footprinting and mobility shift assays three putative heat shock elements and one ap-1 binding domain (are) in the 5' intergenic region shared by pbmdj1and pblon (ml) from paracoccidioides brasiliensis. the region bearing an are-like towards pblon also has an opposite skn-1-like element. we studied genetically and pathogenically distinct isolates pb18 and pb3, where ml is polymorphic and the number of ... | 2007 | 17166750 |
| cloning, characterization and expression of a calnexin homologue from the pathogenic fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | we report the cloning of a paracoccidioides brasiliensis cdna, here named pbcnx, encoding the homologue of the endoplasmic reticulum molecular chaperone calnexin. calnexin specifically recognizes monoglucosylated glycoproteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, thus being an essential component of the complex that interacts with the folded state of nascent secreted glycoproteins. the pbcnx open reading frame was found in a 1701 base pair (bp) fragment that encodes a 567 amino acid protein with an est ... | 2007 | 17173330 |
| fungal invasion of normally non-phagocytic host cells. | many fungi that cause invasive disease invade host epithelial cells during mucosal and respiratory infection, and subsequently invade endothelial cells during hematogenous infection. most fungi invade these normally non-phagocytic host cells by inducing their own uptake. candida albicans hyphae interact with endothelial cells in vitro by binding to n-cadherin on the endothelial cell surface. this binding induces rearrangement of endothelial cell microfilaments, which results in the endocytosis o ... | 2006 | 17196036 |
| adrenal function in 23 children with paracoccidioidomycosis. | adrenal involvement by paracoccidioides brasiliensis was described at necropsies and in many clinical studies, but only in adults. therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate adrenal function in children with paracoccidioidomycosis. twenty-three children with the systemic form of paracoccidioidomycosis were evaluated and divided in two groups: group a (n = 8) included children before treatment and group b (n = 15) children after the end of treatment. plasma cortisol (basal and after acth te ... | 2006 | 17221130 |
| effect of interleukin-10 on the paracoccidioides brasiliensis killing by gamma-interferon activated human neutrophils. | paracoccidioidomycosis, a deep mycosis endemic in latin america, is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by the fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. phagocytic cells play a critical role against this fungus, and several studies have shown the effects of activator and suppressive cytokines on macrophage and monocyte functions. however, studies on polymorphonuclear neutrophils (pmns), that are the first cells recruited to the infection sites, are scarcer. thus, the objective of this paper was t ... | 2007 | 17237601 |
| histological and serological evidence of experimental paracoccidioidomycosis in calomys callosus (rodentia: cricetidae). | the responses of animal experimental models related to the infectivity, virulence and pathogenicity of paracoccidioides brasiliensis is constantly used to develop new perspectives of investigation. the rodent calomys callosus, rengger 1830 (rodentia: cricetidae) is an indigenous inhabitant of the savannah environment found in the central regions of brazil. the aim of the present work was to evaluate the histopathological and serological features of c. callosus after inoculation with the pb18 str ... | 2007 | 17244339 |
| lobomycosis in venezuela. | lobomycosis is a chronic dermal infection that presents a wide spectrum of clinical- dermatological manifestations, mainly characterized by the development of keloid lesions as well as nodular, verrucoid and sometimes ulcerous forms. the etiological agent at an international level, according to the consensus nomenclature, has been called loboa loboi, even though recently it has been accommodated as lacazia loboi. the present review extensively covers the clinical-epidemiological aspects as well ... | 2007 | 17269972 |
| diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis by a dot blot assay using a recombinant paracoccidioides brasiliensis p27 protein. | a variety of immunological methods have proven useful for paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) diagnosis; however, they are often time consuming and many lack sensitivity and specificity, partially attributed to the use of crude antigens, which give cross reactivity. until now, attempts to clone and express paracoccidioides brasiliensis immunodominant antigens have presented difficulties of process and problems of cost. in an attempt to obtain a more rapid, sensitive, and specific test for pcm diagnosis ... | 2007 | 17302747 |
| a primary subcutaneous infection with paracoccidioides brasiliensis leads to immunoprotection or exacerbated disease depending on the route of challenge. | in human and experimental paracoccidioidomycosis the severe disease is characterized by depressed cellular immunity whereas the mild disease is associated with persistent t cell immunity. since the subcutaneous route of antigen inoculation is an efficient inducer of cellular immunity, we decided to study this route of infection and verify its effect on a lethal secondary infection of susceptible hosts. it was observed that the s.c. infection induces positive delayed type hypersensitivity (dth) r ... | 2007 | 17306589 |
| paracoccidioides brasiliensis killing by ifn-gamma, tnf-alpha and gm-csf activated human neutrophils: role for oxygen metabolites. | paracoccidioidomycosis, a deep mycosis endemic in latin america, is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by the fungus paracoccidioides brasiliensis. phagocytic cells play a critical role against the fungus and several papers show the effects of activator and suppressive cytokines on macrophage and monocyte functions. however, the studies focusing on polymorphonuclear neutrophils (pmns) antifungal functions are scarcer. thus, the objective of the present paper was to assess the capacity of hum ... | 2007 | 17325941 |
| generic human leukocyte antigen class ii (drb1 and dqb1) alleles in patients with paracoccidioidomycosis. | human leukocyte antigen (hla) class ii alleles are involved in antigen processing and in the presentation of antigens to t lymphocytes. few studies have investigated hla genes in paracoccidioidomycosis. in the present investigation, we analyzed the distribution of the hla class ii alleles drb1 and dqb1 in 45 healthy volunteers and in 80 patients with paracoccidioidomycosis. the patients presented with various clinical forms of the disease, and allele distribution was evaluated individually in ea ... | 2007 | 17325942 |
| molecular detection of paracoccidioides brasiliensis in soil. | 2007 | 17325951 | |
| c-npys (s-3-nitro-2-pyridinesulfenyl) and peptide derivatives can inhibit a serine-thiol proteinase activity from paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | the inhibitory capacity of c-npys (s-[3-nitro-2-pyridinesulfenyl]) derivatives over thiol-containing serine proteases has never been tested. in the present work we used an extracellular serine-thiol proteinase activity from the fungal pathogen paracoccidioides brasiliensis (pbst) to describe a potent inhibitory capacity of bzl-c(npys)krltl-nh(2) and bzl-mkrltlc(npys)-nh(2). the assays were performed with pbst enriched upon affinity chromatography in a p-aminobenzamidine (paba)-sepharose column. ... | 2007 | 17328865 |
| t-cell recognition of paracoccidioides brasiliensis gp43-derived peptides in patients with paracoccidioidomycosis and healthy individuals. | vaccines with synthetic peptides induce the immune response to epitopes that bind to several hla alleles. by using a tepitope algorithm, we selected and analyzed the t-cell responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 29 paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) patients to peptides of the immunodominant gp43 antigen of paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the causative agent of pcm. | 2007 | 17329443 |
| background selection at the chitin synthase ii (chs2) locus in paracoccidioides brasiliensis species complex. | in fungi, chitin synthases have been classified into five classes according to differences in regions of high sequence conservation. the current investigation was initiated to examine the causes for the polymorphism patterns found in a class ii chitin synthase gene (chs2) of paracoccidioides brasiliensis, in an attempt to determine the evolutionary forces affecting the chitin synthesis metabolic pathway. neutrality tests were applied to the chs2 sequences exhibited by p. brasiliensis species com ... | 2007 | 17331762 |
| protection induced in balb/c mice by the high-molecular-mass (hmm) fraction of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm) is a granulomatous disease caused by a dimorphic fungus, paracoccidioides brasiliensis. the present study investigated the protective activity of the p. brasiliensis high-molecular-mass (hmm) fraction (approximately 380 kda) in experimental murine pcm. in the first step, lymphocyte proliferation and production of ifngamma (but not il-4) were observed in "in vitro" spleen cells (from female balb/c mice infected (i.v.) with p. brasiliensis) that were stimulated with hm ... | 2007 | 17356792 |
| the actin gene in paracoccidioides brasiliensis: organization, expression and phylogenetic analyses. | pbract1, the gene responsible for the synthesis of actin in paracoccidioides brasiliensis, was found as a single copy, organized into six exons and five introns. its open reading frame (orf) codes for a putative protein of 375 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 41.5 kda and an isoelectric point of 5.6. analysis of the nucleotide sequence revealed a high homology to other fungal actins, the presence of characteristic fungal actin sequences, and heat shock elements at the 5' untranslated region ... | 2007 | 17363236 |
| prostaglandin e(2) production by high and low virulent strains of paracoccidioides brasiliensis. | the production of prostaglandins (pgs) during fungal infections could be an important suppressor factor of host immune response. host cells are one source of prostaglandin e(2) (pge(2)); however another potential source of pge(2) is the fungal pathogen itself. thus, both host and fungal pge2 production is theorized to play a role in pathogenesis, being critical for growth of the fungus and to modulate the host immune response. the purpose of this work was to investigate if high and low virulent ... | 2007 | 17364218 |
| role of iron in the nitric oxide-mediated fungicidal mechanism of ifn-gamma-activated murine macrophages against paracoccidioides brasiliensis conidia. | iron is an essential growth element of virtually all microorganisms and its restriction is one of the mechanisms used by macrophages to control microbial multiplication. paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, an important systemic mycosis in latin america, is inhibited in its conidia-to-yeast conversion in the absence of iron. we studied the participation of iron in the nitric oxide (no)-mediated fungicidal mechanism against conidia. peritoneal murine macrophages act ... | 2007 | 17384814 |
| early transcriptional response of paracoccidioides brasiliensis upon internalization by murine macrophages. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a thermal dimorphic fungus, is the etiologic agent of the most common systemic mycosis in latin america, paracoccidioidomycosis. the yeast form of p. brasiliensis acts as a facultative intracellular pathogen being able to survive and replicate within the phagosome of nonactivated murine and human macrophages. this ability has been proposed to be crucial to the development of disease. thus, p. brasiliensis may have evolved mechanisms that counteract the constraints ... | 2007 | 17387029 |