暂无摘要。

Exserohilum species are environmental molds that may rarely cause skin and nasal infections, especially in immunocompromised children. We present a 3-year-old girl with acute leukemia who presented with a skin infection caused by Exserohilum rostratum. Previously published cases of skin infections by Exserohilum spp. in children are reviewed.

暂无摘要。

We report a rare case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Cladophialophora bantiana in an immunocompetent patient in Amazonas, Brazil. This dematiaceous fungus has been mainly associated with life-threatening infections affecting the central nervous systems of immunosuppressed patients. We present the clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic aspects, and in vitro susceptibility test results for different antifungal drugs. A brief review of the cases reported in the literature over the past 20 years has also been discussed. According to the literature review, the present case is the first report of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis due to C. bantiana in an immunocompetent patient in Latin America.

Aspergillus and Fusarium are the most common fungi causing mycotic keratitis. Injury to the eye with vegetable matter, cow tail injury, long-term use of topical steroids are some of the risk factors for mycotic keratitis. There are few case reports of keratitis caused by Bipolaris. The human pathogenic species in the genus are Bipolaris spicifera, Bipolaris hawaiiensis, Bipolaris papendorfii, and Bipolaris australiensis. Most commonly reported keratitis is caused by B. hawaiiensis, followed by B. spicifera. Literature review showed only one case report of keratitis due to B. australiensis reported from Australia. We present a first case report of keratitis due to B. australiensis (currently Curvularia australienis) from India.

Phaeohyphomycosis refers to infections caused by phaeoid fungi that can have an aggressive course in normal hosts. We report a case of left-sided renal phaeohyphomycosis due to Bipolaris spicifera in a 7-year-old immunocompetent male child. He presented with fever, dysuria, nausea, vomiting and flank pain. Examination revealed tenderness at the left costovertebral angle. Histological examination and culture of biopsy from left kidney and blood yielded the fungal pathogen Bipolaris spicifera. His past history revealed that he was diagnosed perinatally with bilateral hydronephrosis due to bilateral pelvic ureteric junction obstruction. He underwent an open dismembered pyeloplasty on the left side followed by the right side pyeloplasty at the age of 6 months and 1.5 years respectively. He was on a regular follow-up for 5 years and had been doing well. Now he was diagnosed as a case of unilateral renal phaeohyphomycosis. The patient was managed successfully with antifungal drugs amphotericin B and itraconazole. A review of previously reported bipolaris cases with their clinical manifestations, treatment and outcome is presented. Renal phaeohyphomycosis remains an unusual disease. Aggressive diagnostic approaches and careful management helped in survival of the patient.

The Fonsecaea species, which are the leading causes of chromoblastomycosis, are not considered neurotropic fungal agents. Fonsecaea pedrosoi is the primary species in the genus and is usually isolated from chromoblastomycosis cases. However, the recently distinguished species F. monophora has been reported in a few cerebral phaeohyphomycosis cases. Here, a case of cerebral phaeohyphomycosis caused by Fonsecaea monophora is presented in a 71-year-old female subject with chronic diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The identification of F. monophora was made through mycological and molecular analysis, and an isolate was differentiated from the closely related F. pedrosoi by sequence data on key bases on the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region. The case was successfully treated with surgical and medical approaches, and the patient has remained healthy and stable after a ten-month follow up. Given the increasing incidence of this type of infection of the central nervous system (CNS), this case provides further support for the consideration that F. monophora might represent a neurotropic agent.

Organic waste is a rich substrate for microbial growth, and because of that, workers from waste industry are at higher risk of exposure to bioaerosols. This study aimed to assess fungal contamination in two plants handling solid waste management. Air samples from the two plants were collected through an impaction method. Surface samples were also collected by swabbing surfaces of the same indoor sites. All collected samples were incubated at 27°C for 5 to 7 d. After lab processing and incubation of collected samples, quantitative and qualitative results were obtained with identification of the isolated fungal species. Air samples were also subjected to molecular methods by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) using an impinger method to measure DNA of Aspergillus flavus complex and Stachybotrys chartarum. Assessment of particulate matter (PM) was also conducted with portable direct-reading equipment. Particles concentration measurement was performed at five different sizes (PM0.5; PM1; PM2.5; PM5; PM10). With respect to the waste sorting plant, three species more frequently isolated in air and surfaces were A. niger (73.9%; 66.1%), A. fumigatus (16%; 13.8%), and A. flavus (8.7%; 14.2%). In the incineration plant, the most prevalent species detected in air samples were Penicillium sp. (62.9%), A. fumigatus (18%), and A. flavus (6%), while the most frequently isolated in surface samples were Penicillium sp. (57.5%), A. fumigatus (22.3%) and A. niger (12.8%). Stachybotrys chartarum and other toxinogenic strains from A. flavus complex were not detected. The most common PM sizes obtained were the PM10 and PM5 (inhalable fraction). Since waste is the main internal fungal source in the analyzed settings, preventive and protective measures need to be maintained to avoid worker exposure to fungi and their metabolites.

Keratomycosis is rarely reported in dogs. The purpose of this study was to review the signalment, clinical characteristics, predisposing factors, and outcome of 11 cases of canine keratomycosis. Medical records of included dogs were reviewed and follow-up information was obtained by re-examination of patients following their initial diagnosis. All 11 patients possessed predisposing factors for fungal keratitis, including an underlying endocrinopathy, pre-existing corneal disease, intraocular surgery, and/or prolonged use of either topical antibiotics or corticosteroids at the time of initial examination. Diagnostic techniques included corneal cytology demonstrating yeast or hyphae in 6 of 11 eyes, and fungal cultures with positive results in 7 of 11 eyes. Fungal organisms isolated included Cladosporium spp. (n = 1), Chrysosporium spp. (n = 1), Curvularia spp. (n = 2), Aspergillus spp. (n = 1), Penicillium spp. (n = 1), and Phialemonium spp. (n = 1). Of the 11 patients, 6 responded to medical management alone. Two resolved after a superficial keratectomy, and three were enucleated due to either endophthalmitis or progression of corneal disease. This study identified potential risk factors for developing fungal keratitis.

暂无摘要。