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Journal of Fish Diseases Jun 2020The use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in biomedical research has expanded at a tremendous rate over the last two decades. Along with increases in laboratories using this... (Review)
Review
The use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in biomedical research has expanded at a tremendous rate over the last two decades. Along with increases in laboratories using this model, we are discovering new and important diseases. We review here the important pathogens and diseases based on some 20 years of research and findings from our diagnostic service at the NIH-funded Zebrafish International Resource Center. Descriptions of the present status of biosecurity programmes and diagnostic and treatment approaches are included. The most common and important diseases and pathogens are two parasites, Pseudoloma neurophilia and Pseudocapillaria tomentosa, and mycobacteriosis caused by Mycobacterium chelonae, M. marinum and M. haemophilum. Less common but deadly diseases are caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri and infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV). Hepatic megalocytosis and egg-associated inflammation and fibroplasia are common, apparently non-infectious, in zebrafish laboratories. Water quality diseases include supersaturation and nephrocalcinosis. Common neoplasms are spindle cell sarcomas, ultimobranchial tumours, spermatocytic seminomas and a small-cell carcinoma that is caused by a transmissible agent. Despite the clear biosecurity risk, researchers continue to use fish from pet stores, and here, we document two novel coccidia associated with significant lesions in zebrafish from one of these stores.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Laboratory; Communicable Disease Control; Fish Diseases; Oregon; Research; Zebrafish
PubMed: 32291793
DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13165 -
International Journal of... Dec 2016Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) that can cause ulcerating cutaneous or subcutaneous nodular skin lesions in...
INTRODUCTION
Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) that can cause ulcerating cutaneous or subcutaneous nodular skin lesions in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Acid-fast staining cannot distinguish NTM from M. tuberculosis; culturing at two temperatures with iron-supplemented media and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are needed for optimal detection of M. haemophilum.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 32-year-old man with end-stage renal disease, undergoing hemodialysis twice a week, presented with multiple, painless, nonpruritic nodular lesions. A formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue block from his finger lesion was sent to the Department of Pathology, Masih Daneshvari Hospital for consultation. The lesions were primarily diagnosed to be dermatofibroma by another pathologist. On microscopic examination, vague granuloma with areas of necrosis was observed. The diagnosis was established by positive acid-fast staining, negative PCR results for M. tuberculosis complex, and positive nested PCR results for M. haemophilum.
CONCLUSION
Cutaneous lesions in immunocompromised patients with positive results in acid-fast staining and negative results for M. tuberculosis should be further assessed using skin culture and molecular techniques to identify rare, atypical mycobacterial species like M. haemophilum.
PubMed: 28043577
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmyco.2016.09.024 -
Medicine Mar 2020A remarkable increase in the prevalence of cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection has occurred worldwide. However, updated data regarding cutaneous NTM...
A remarkable increase in the prevalence of cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection has occurred worldwide. However, updated data regarding cutaneous NTM infection in Thailand is limited.This study aim to describe the clinical manifestations, pathogenic organism, and prognostic factors of cutaneous NTM infections among patients living in Thailand.The electronic medical records of all patients with confirmatory diagnosis of cutaneous NTM infection from either positive cultures or polymerase chain reaction were retrospectively reviewed at a university-based hospital.From 2011 to 2017, a total of 88 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of cutaneous NTM infection were included. Mycobacterium abscessus was the most common pathogens followed by M haemophilum and M marinum (61.4%, 10.2%, and 8.1%, respectively). Nodule and plaque were 2 most common lesions (26.4% and 25.5%, respectively) and lower leg is the most common site of involvement (50.9%). The majority of patients presented with single lesion (67%). Seven patients (7.9%) had history of surgical procedure and/or cosmetic injection before the development of lesion and all pathogenic organisms in this group were rapidly growing mycobacteria. Sweet's syndrome and erythema nodosum were the 2 most common reactive dermatoses, presented in 3.4% and 2.3%, respectively. The majority of patients infected with cutaneous M haemophilum infections were immunocompromised and lacked history of preceding trauma (77.8%). Patients with cutaneous NTM that receiving less than 3 medications was associated with higher disease relapse (odds ratio 65.86; P = .02).M abscessus is the most common pathogen of cutaneous NTM infection in Thailand. The prevalence of M haemophilum is increasing and should be particularly cautious in immunocompromised patients. Rapidly growing mycobacteria should be suspected in all cases of procedure-related cutaneous NTM. We recommend at least 3 antibiotics should be considered for cutaneous NTM infection to reduce the rate of relapse.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antifungal Agents; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; Odds Ratio; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Thailand
PubMed: 32150075
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000019355 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Nov 2020To report three cases of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) endophthalmitis following multiple ocular surgeries and to review previous literature in order to study the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
To report three cases of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) endophthalmitis following multiple ocular surgeries and to review previous literature in order to study the clinical profile, treatment modalities, and visual outcomes among patients with NTM endophthalmitis.
METHODS
Clinical manifestation and management of patients with NTM endophthalmitis in the Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand were described. In addition, a review of previously reported cases and case series from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL was performed. The clinical information and type of NTM from the previous studies and our cases were summarized.
RESULTS
We reported three cases of NTM endophthalmitis caused by M. haemophilum, M. fortuitum and M. abscessus and a summarized review of 112 additional cases previously published. Of 115 patients, there were 101 exogenous endophthalmitis (87.8%) and 14 endogenous endophthalmitis (12.2%). The patients' age ranged from 13 to 89 years with mean of 60.5 ± 17.7 years with no gender predominance. Exogenous endophthalmitis occurred in both healthy and immunocompromised hosts, mainly caused by cataract surgery (67.3%). In contrast, almost all endogenous endophthalmitis patients were immunocompromised. Among all patients, previous history of tuberculosis infection was identified in 4 cases (3.5%). Rapid growing NTMs were responsible for exogenous endophthalmitis, while endogenous endophthalmitis were commonly caused by slow growers. Treatment regimens consisted of macrolides, fluoroquinolones or aminoglycosides, which were continued for up to 12 months. Initial and final vision were generally worse than 6/60.
CONCLUSIONS
NTM endophthalmitis is a serious intraocular infection that leads to irreversible loss of vision. The presentation can mimic a chronic recurrent or persistent intraocular inflammation. History of multiple intraocular surgeries or immune-deficiency in patient with chronic panuveitis should raise the practioner's suspicion of NTM endophthalmitis. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment are important to optimize visual outcome.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aminoglycosides; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cataract Extraction; Endophthalmitis; Female; Fluoroquinolones; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Macrolides; Male; Middle Aged; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; Postoperative Complications; Thailand; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
PubMed: 33228593
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05606-2 -
Journal of Visualized Experiments : JoVE Dec 2017Health monitoring systems are developed and used in zebrafish research facilities because pathogens of Danio rerio such as Aeromonas hydrophila, Mycobacterium spp., and...
Health monitoring systems are developed and used in zebrafish research facilities because pathogens of Danio rerio such as Aeromonas hydrophila, Mycobacterium spp., and Pseudocapillaria tomentosa have the potential to impair animal welfare and research. The fish are typically analyzed post mortem to detect microbes. The use of sentinels is a suggested way to improve the sensitivity of the surveillance and to reduce the number of animals to sample. The setting of a pre-filtration sentinel tank out of a recirculating system is described. The technique is developed to prevent water pollution and to represent the fish population by a careful selection of age, gender, and strains. In order to use the minimum number of animals, techniques to screen the environment are also detailed. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) on surface sump swabs is used to significantly improve the detection of some prevalent and pathogenic mycobacterial species such as Mycobacterium fortuitum, Mycobacterium haemophilum, and Mycobacterium chelonae. Another environmental method consists of processing the sludge at the bottom of a holding tank or sump to look for P. tomentosa eggs. This is a cheap and fast technique that can be applied in quarantine where a breeding device is submerged into the holding tank of imported animals. Finally, PCR is applied to the sludge sample and A. hydrophila is detected at the sump's bottom and surface. Generally, these environmental screening techniques applied to these specific pathogens have led to an increased sensitivity compared to the testing of pre-filtration sentinels.
Topics: Aeromonas hydrophila; Animals; Fish Diseases; Mycobacterium; Trichuroidea; Zebrafish
PubMed: 29286459
DOI: 10.3791/55306 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Feb 2018Although atypical mycobacteria had been increasingly found in various ocular infections in the past decades, a slow-growing Mycobacterium haemophilum (M. haemophilum)...
BACKGROUND
Although atypical mycobacteria had been increasingly found in various ocular infections in the past decades, a slow-growing Mycobacterium haemophilum (M. haemophilum) was scarcely reported. Similar to tuberculous infection, the presentation can masquerade as low-grade granulomatous intraocular inflammation with partial response to corticosteroids. Besides, the special requirements for culture make this pathogen difficult to diagnose. The study aims to report the clinical presentation and notify the awareness of NTM endophthalmitis among clinicians. This is the first case report of late-onset, postoperative M. haemophilum endophthalmitis in the literature.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 66-year-old man with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) manifested chronic granulomatous inflammation in the left eye after multiple glaucoma surgeries. With a diagnosis of noninfectious panuveitis, he was treated with systemic corticosteroids. The inflammation initially responded to therapy although it subsequently worsened and became purulent endophthalmitis. The vitreous cultures grew M. haemophilum. Intraocular and systemic antimicrobial treatments were administered early, but the patient eventually turned blind.
CONCLUSIONS
M. haemophilum endophthalmitis is a rare but serious intraocular complication leading to loss of vision or eyeball. Awareness of atypical mycobacterial infections is necessary especially in patients with impaired immune function, previous intraocular surgery, and corticosteroid resistance. Proper laboratory investigations and treatments should be performed. However, due to the rarity of the disease, the development of guidelines for its investigation and therapy is still challenging.
Topics: Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Endophthalmitis; Glaucoma; Humans; Male; Mycobacterium Infections; Mycobacterium haemophilum; Postoperative Complications; Uveitis
PubMed: 29415658
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-018-2985-0 -
MSphere Oct 2018Nodular thelitis is a chronic enzootic infection affecting dairy cows and goats. The causative agent was recently shown to be related to the leprosy-causing bacilli and...
Nodular thelitis is a chronic enzootic infection affecting dairy cows and goats. The causative agent was recently shown to be related to the leprosy-causing bacilli and In this study, the genome of this pathogen was sequenced and analyzed. Phylogenomic analyses confirmed that the pathogen present in nodular thelitis and tuberculoid scrotitis is a distinct species related to the leprosy bacilli and Because the pathogen was originally isolated from a bovine udder, it was named "" The genome of "" is only 3.12 Mb in length, which represents the smallest mycobacterial genome identified so far but which is close to that of leprosy bacilli in size. The genome contains 1,759 protein-coding genes and 1,081 pseudogenes, indicative of extensive reductive evolution and likely the reason that cannot be grown axenically. The pseudogenization and genome reduction in seem to have been to some extent independent from the results determined for the genomes of the leprosy bacilli. is an emerging skin pathogen in dairy animals. Its genome underwent massive reduction and gene decay, leading to a minimal set of genes required for an obligatory intracellular lifestyle, which highly resembles the evolution of the leprosy agents and The genomic similarity between and the leprosy bacilli can help in identifying key virulence factors of these closely related species or in identifying genes responsible for the distinct differences between thelitis or scrotitis and leprosy with respect to clinical manifestations. Specific DNA markers can now be developed for quick detection of this pathogen.
Topics: Animals; Genome, Bacterial; Genomics; Leprosy, Tuberculoid; Livestock; Mycobacterium leprae; Phylogeny; Pseudogenes; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Skin
PubMed: 30282756
DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00405-18 -
Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and... Dec 2020Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow growing nontuberculous mycobacterium which prefers cooler temperatures and requires iron for growth. It usually causes skin and soft...
Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow growing nontuberculous mycobacterium which prefers cooler temperatures and requires iron for growth. It usually causes skin and soft tissue infections in immunocompromised hosts and cervical lymphadenitis in healthy children. We present the case of fatal disseminated M. haemophilum in an immunocompromised host with central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Our case is a 65-year-old Hispanic male with history of end-stage renal disease status post renal transplantation six years prior (on maintenance immunosuppression with mycophenolate, tacrolimus and prednisone), diabetes mellitus type 2, coronary artery disease, ventricular arrhythmias with implantable cardioverter defibrillator, prior stroke and cochlear implant. In the four months preceding admission to our institution he had frequent hospitalizations for altered mental status (AMS), sepsis syndromes and failure to thrive. Two months prior to presentation he developed progressive swelling and redness of the wrists, right third and left fifth digits. Computed tomography (CT) showed extensive cellulitis in distal right forearm and hand with chronic osteomyelitis. Serial incision and drainage (I&D) of right wrist yielded positive AFB stain and growth on AFB culture. PCR was negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Patient was started on rifampin, clarithromycin and ethambutol. Two days later patient developed AMS and severe septic shock requiring transfer to our facility. CT head revealed indeterminate lesion in the left frontal lobe along with nonspecific hypodensities in the pons and thalamus. Repeat CT upper extremities showed osteomyelitis of distal radius and small hand bones with adjacent abscesses. I&D also revealed bilateral tenosynovitis. Cultures were resent. With suspicion for rapidly growing mycobacterial infection, the regimen was changed to linezolid, imipenem and azithromycin. Several changes in antimicrobials were necessary throughout hospitalization due to complicated hospital course. Unfortunately, despite aggressive measures, patient developed multiorgan failure culminating in death 10 days after starting anti-mycobacterial drugs. On the day of death, the organism was identified as M. haemophilum. Susceptibilities were not done as patient had died. On autopsy the brain was noted to have multiple abscesses containing AFB. The organism also grew from the wrists and right finger cultures. M. haemophilum of the CNS is extremely rare and has been reported in HIV or AIDS patients. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of M. haemophilum brain abscesses in a patient without HIV/AIDS. Because of its fastidious growth requirements, M. haemophilum usually shows on acid fast stains but does not grow on routine AFB cultures. Although it prefers lower temperatures for growth and is usually limited to skin and soft tissues, disseminated disease occurs in immunocompromised patients and has high mortality. It is usually treated with a multi drug regimen including clarithromycin, rifampin, ciprofloxacin and amikacin.
PubMed: 33294628
DOI: 10.1016/j.jctube.2020.100197 -
Open Forum Infectious Diseases Apr 2022is a nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) with a predilection for skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) in the immunocompromised host. We report a case of disseminated...
is a nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) with a predilection for skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) in the immunocompromised host. We report a case of disseminated infection initially presenting as a nonresolving subacute cellulitis of bilateral lower extremities. Genetic sequencing was used for final identification, while a commercially available polymerase chain reaction test returned a false-positive result for . Consequently, we highlight the importance of as a major differential diagnosis of SSTI in the immunocompromised host and the need for careful interpretation of rapid diagnostic tests.
PubMed: 35308485
DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofac074