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International Journal of Molecular... Mar 2022The study of the Mucoralean fungi physiology is a neglected field that the lack of effective genetic tools has hampered in the past. However, the emerging fungal... (Review)
Review
The study of the Mucoralean fungi physiology is a neglected field that the lack of effective genetic tools has hampered in the past. However, the emerging fungal infection caused by these fungi, known as mucormycosis, has prompted many researchers to study the pathogenic potential of Mucorales. The main reasons for this current attraction to study mucormycosis are its high lethality, the lack of effective antifungal drugs, and its recent increased incidence. The most contemporary example of the emergence character of mucormycosis is the epidemics declared in several Asian countries as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, this pressure to understand mucormycosis and develop new treatment strategies has encouraged the blossoming of new genetic techniques and methodologies. This review describes the history of genetic manipulation in Mucorales, highlighting the development of methods and how they allowed the main genetic studies in these fungi. Moreover, we have emphasized the recent development of new genetic models to study mucormycosis, a landmark in the field that will configure future research related to this disease.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; COVID-19; Genetic Techniques; Humans; Mucorales; Mucormycosis; Pandemics
PubMed: 35408814
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073454 -
Monaldi Archives For Chest Disease =... Nov 2020Opportunistic infections caused by fungi and unusual bacteria are predominantly encountered in the setting of immunosuppressed host. Co-infections with multiple such...
Opportunistic infections caused by fungi and unusual bacteria are predominantly encountered in the setting of immunosuppressed host. Co-infections with multiple such organisms can pose multiple challenges even to the astute clinician from establishing the diagnosis to drug interactions during treatment of such infections. We hereby present one such case of a triple opportunistic infection in an immunocompetent host and the difficulties faced in the therapeutic decision making.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Aspergillus niger; Bronchoalveolar Lavage; Bronchoscopy; Cough; Dyspnea; Fever; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Male; Middle Aged; Mucorales; Nocardia; Opportunistic Infections; Pneumonia; Sputum; Thoracentesis; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonography
PubMed: 33169596
DOI: 10.4081/monaldi.2020.1493 -
Journal of Preventive Medicine and... Jun 2021In recent times, improved diagnostic techniques have revealed an alarming number of cases of mucormycosis in immunocompetent individuals. The Saksenaea species, is a... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
In recent times, improved diagnostic techniques have revealed an alarming number of cases of mucormycosis in immunocompetent individuals. The Saksenaea species, is a rare cause of mucormycosis, and is often associated with skin and subcutaneous infection due to trauma in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent subjects. The purpose of this study was therefore, through a review of the literature, to investigate the problem of infections caused by Saksenaea Erythrospora, evaluating the clinical manifestations of the infection, the triggering factors, the therapies and patients' outcomes, implementing and updating what already reported in literature.
METHODS
A research of peer-reviewed literature in the electronic databases MEDLINE (PubMed) and Scopus was conducted in the period June 2020-January 2021 using the key word "Saksenaea erythrospora". Studies in Italian, English, French, Spanish focused on cases of Saksenaea erythrospora were included, without time restrictions. Studies that provided ambiguous or insufficient data were excluded.
RESULTS
Bibliographic research yielded 23 publications; 7 were included in the review. The studies were published between 2011 and 2015 and involved a total of 11 patients of average age 37.9 years (SD 17.23) hospitalized in several hospitals in: USA, India, Argentina, Colombia, Thailand. 6 patients were women, 5 men. All patients had an almost normal immune status. The causes of the infection were: injections, traumas, surgery. Two patients, despite surgical and medical therapy, died.
CONCLUSIONS
Our review partially updated what already published, because only one new study was found. Serious necrotizing infections from Saksenaea erythrospora have been observed in recent years and a early identification and timely management are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. A greater awareness and education about the risks deriving from carrying out surgical procedures abroad, especially in precarious hygiene situations, could be additional effective weapons to reduce the incidence of these infections.
Topics: Adult; Breast Neoplasms; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Female; Humans; Immunocompetence; Male; Mastectomy; Mucorales; Mucormycosis
PubMed: 34604577
DOI: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2021.62.2.1953 -
Molecular Biology Reports Apr 2022The COVID-19 patients, both infected and recovered are rapidly contracting mucormycetes infections due to the 'Mucorales' order, under Zygomycetes class of fungi. The... (Review)
Review
The COVID-19 patients, both infected and recovered are rapidly contracting mucormycetes infections due to the 'Mucorales' order, under Zygomycetes class of fungi. The mucorales fungi commonly known to exist in our natural surroundings including soil, but the frequency of incidences was never rampant. This sudden spike in infections, is locally known as 'black fungus,' and is affecting various organs, including- eyes, sinuses, nose, brain, skin, intestine, lungs, etc. The severity of situation is ascertainable from the fact that, in certain cases surgical eye/jaws removal persists as the only viable option to avert mortality, as therapeutic interventions are limited. This epidemic situation intrigued experts to investigate the probable reason behind this unpredicted escalation in reported cases, including in recuperated COVID-19 patients, as person-to-person spread of infection is not common. The comparison of physiological parameters in healthy and COVID-19 afflicted patients highlights that the underlying conditions including diabetes mellitus, steroidal therapy, lymphopenia (decreased CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes), deregulated cytokine release storm, elevated free iron levels (hemosiderosis) in blood and insulin insensitivity are playing major roles in deteriorating conditions in rarely pathogenic fungal infections. This review is an attempt to explain the rationalities that makes people vulnerable to mucormycetes infection.
Topics: COVID-19; Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Mucorales; Mucormycosis; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 35064406
DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-07085-3 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2022(-)-α-Bisabolol, a bioactive monocyclic sesquiterpene alcohol, has been used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and...
(-)-α-Bisabolol, a bioactive monocyclic sesquiterpene alcohol, has been used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and skin-caring properties. However, the poor water solubility of (-)-α-bisabolol limits its pharmaceutical applications. It has been recognized that microbial transformation is a very useful approach to generate more polar metabolites. Fifteen microorganisms were screened for their ability to metabolize (-)-α-bisabolol in order to obtain its more polar derivatives, and the filamentous fungus was selected for scale-up fermentation. Seven new and four known metabolites were obtained from biotransformation of (-)-α-bisabolol (), and all the metabolites exhibited higher aqueous solubility than that of the parent compound . The structures of newly formed metabolites were established as (1,5,7)- and (1,5,7)-5-hydroxy-α-bisabolol ( and ), (1,5,7,10)-5-hydroxybisabolol oxide B (), (1,7,10)-1-hydroxybisabolol oxide B (), 12-hydroxy-α-bisabolol (), (1,3,4,7)- and (1,3,4,7)-3,4-dihydroxy-α-bisabolol ( and ) on the basis of spectroscopic analyses. These compounds could also be used as reference standards for the detection and identification of the metabolic products of in the mammalian system.
Topics: Absidia; Biotransformation; Monocyclic Sesquiterpenes
PubMed: 35164145
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27030881 -
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in... Nov 2014In recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of immunocompromised cohorts as a result of infections and/or medical conditions, which has resulted in an... (Review)
Review
In recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of immunocompromised cohorts as a result of infections and/or medical conditions, which has resulted in an increased incidence of fungal infections. Although rare, the incidence of infections caused by fungi belonging to basal fungal lineages is also continuously increasing. Basal fungal lineages diverged at an early point during the evolution of the fungal lineage, in which, in a simplified four-phylum fungal kingdom, Zygomycota and Chytridiomycota belong to the basal fungi, distinguishing them from Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Currently there are no known human infections caused by fungi in Chytridiomycota; only Zygomycotan fungi are known to infect humans. Hence, infections caused by zygomycetes have been called zygomycosis, and the term "zygomycosis" is often used as a synonym for "mucormycosis." In the four-phylum fungal kingdom system, Zygomycota is classified mainly based on morphology, including the ability to form coenocytic (aseptated) hyphae and zygospores (sexual spores). In the Zygomycota, there are 10 known orders, two of which, the Mucorales and Entomophthorales, contain species that can infect humans, and the infection has historically been known as zygomycosis. However, recent multilocus sequence typing analyses (the fungal tree of life [AFTOL] project) revealed that the Zygomycota forms not a monophyletic clade but instead a polyphyletic clade, whereas Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are monophyletic. Thus, the term "zygomycosis" needed to be further specified, resulting in the terms "mucormycosis" and "entomophthoramycosis." This review covers these two different types of fungal infections.
Topics: Amphotericin B; Animals; Conidiobolus; Entomophthorales; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Mice; Mucorales; Mucormycosis; Potassium Iodide; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Zygomycosis
PubMed: 25377138
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a019562 -
Mycoses Dec 2014Mucormycosis is a fungal infection caused by organisms belonging to the order Mucorales. Although considered uncommon, mucormycosis has been steadily increasing in... (Review)
Review
Mucormycosis is a fungal infection caused by organisms belonging to the order Mucorales. Although considered uncommon, mucormycosis has been steadily increasing in incidents for the last two decades. Mortality of the disease is unacceptably high despite antifungal therapy and surgical interventions. The lack of understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and the absence of rapid diagnostic assay contribute to the poor prognosis of mucormycosis. The hyper susceptibility of patients with elevated available serum iron points to the critical role of the ability of Mucorales to acquire host iron as a critical virulence factor. Specifically patients with deferoxamine-therapy, hyperglycaemic with or without ketoacidosis, or other forms of acidosis are uniquely predisposed to mucormycosis. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of infection in these patient categories in an attempt to identify novel therapies for a disease with poor prognosis. Emphasis on the effect of glucose and free iron on host-pathogen interactions are also covered.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Iron; Ketosis; Mucorales; Mucormycosis; Risk Factors; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 25178879
DOI: 10.1111/myc.12232 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Jan 2023We performed a case–control study across 25 hospitals in India for the period of January–June 2021 to evaluate the reasons for an COVID-19–associated mucormycosis... (Review)
Review
We performed a case–control study across 25 hospitals in India for the period of January–June 2021 to evaluate the reasons for an COVID-19–associated mucormycosis (CAM) outbreak. We investigated whether COVID-19 treatment practices (glucocorticoids, zinc, tocilizumab, and others) were associated with CAM. We included 1,733 cases of CAM and 3,911 age-matched COVID-19 controls. We found cumulative glucocorticoid dose (odds ratio [OR] 1.006, 95% CI 1.004–1.007) and zinc supplementation (OR 2.76, 95% CI 2.24–3.40), along with elevated C-reactive protein (OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.002–1.006), host factors (renal transplantation [OR 7.58, 95% CI 3.31–17.40], diabetes mellitus [OR 6.72, 95% CI 5.45–8.28], diabetic ketoacidosis during COVID-19 [OR 4.41, 95% CI 2.03–9.60]), and rural residence (OR 2.88, 95% CI 2.12–3.79), significantly associated with CAM. Mortality rate at 12 weeks was 32.2% (473/1,471). We emphasize the judicious use of COVID-19 therapies and optimal glycemic control to prevent CAM.
Topics: Humans; Mucormycosis; COVID-19; Case-Control Studies; Mucorales; India; Multicenter Studies as Topic
PubMed: 36573628
DOI: 10.3201/eid2901.220926 -
Journal of Infection and Public Health Oct 2021This review aimed to study molecular mechanisms for high incidence of life-threatening mucormycosis infection in COVID19 cases during second wave of SARS CoV2 pandemic... (Review)
Review
This review aimed to study molecular mechanisms for high incidence of life-threatening mucormycosis infection in COVID19 cases during second wave of SARS CoV2 pandemic in India. Hyperglycaemia, impaired immunity, acidosis, raised ferritin, glucocorticoid therapy, and COVID19 specific other factors have been implicated in pathogenesis of COVID19 associated mucormycosis (CAMM). Endoplasmic reticulum chaperone 'Glucose Related Protein 78' (GRP78), also involved in SARS CoV2 entry, is the host receptor for invasion by Mucorales. GRP78 is over-expressed by SARS CoV2, hyperglycaemia and ferritin. Delta variant of SARS CoV2 and indiscriminate use of steroids were distinguishing features of second wave and appear to upregulate GRP78 through intricate interplay between internal and external milieu. Common invasive fungal infections like candidiasis and aspergillosis, not utilizing GRP78 as receptor, were inconspicuous. Further molecular research to unravel mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of CAMM shall effectively complement existing strategies for its prevention and treatment.
Topics: COVID-19; Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; Humans; Mucormycosis; Rhizopus; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34538732
DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.09.004 -
ELife Jul 2019Mutualistic interactions between free-living algae and fungi are widespread in nature and are hypothesized to have facilitated the evolution of land plants and lichens....
Mutualistic interactions between free-living algae and fungi are widespread in nature and are hypothesized to have facilitated the evolution of land plants and lichens. In all known algal-fungal mutualisms, including lichens, algal cells remain external to fungal cells. Here, we report on an algal-fungal interaction in which algal cells become internalized within the hyphae of the fungus . This apparent symbiosis begins with close physical contact and nutrient exchange, including carbon and nitrogen transfer between fungal and algal cells as demonstrated by isotope tracer experiments. This mutualism appears to be stable, as both partners remain physiologically active over months of co-cultivation, leading to the eventual internalization of photosynthetic algal cells, which persist to function, grow and divide within fungal hyphae. and are biotechnologically important species for lipids and biofuel production, with available genomes and molecular tool kits. Based on the current observations, they provide unique opportunities for studying fungal-algal mutualisms including mechanisms leading to endosymbiosis.
Topics: Biofuels; Endocytosis; Lipid Metabolism; Mortierella; Mycelium; Photosynthesis; Stramenopiles; Symbiosis
PubMed: 31307571
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.47815