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Case Reports in Infectious Diseases 2022Tetanus has rarely been reported in Thailand since 1982 due to 100% tetanus vaccination coverage during the neonatal period of life. However, the reemergence of tetanus...
BACKGROUND
Tetanus has rarely been reported in Thailand since 1982 due to 100% tetanus vaccination coverage during the neonatal period of life. However, the reemergence of tetanus has been observed in our country during the past decade, mainly due to the increasing number of migrants traveling from neighboring countries in search of work. Acupuncture has become an essential part of alternative and complementary medicine. To our knowledge, acupuncture-associated and infections superimposed by tetanus have never been reported. . A 55-year-old Thai female with schizophrenia was hospitalized due to a 4-day course of trismus, dysphagia, and back muscle spasms. Upon admission, a clinical diagnosis of tetanus was made, which included muscle rigidity and reflex muscle spasms, despite a recent history of diphtheria-tetanus (dT) vaccination for tetanus prophylaxis after 2 episodes of falling complicated by two lacerations on the left shoulder and head. Endotracheal intubation for airway protection was given, in addition to tetanus immunoglobulin, metronidazole, and diazepam which were prescribed to the patient. Incision and drainage of the wound on the left shoulder yielded 40 mL of pus, which subsequently grew species, on anaerobic bacterial, mycobacterial, and fungal cultures, respectively. An incision of an acupuncture wound on the abdominal wall yielded 1 mL of pus, which exhibited positive acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on AFB stain. Mycobacterial culture finally grew . The organism was susceptible to amikacin and clarithromycin. Amikacin, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, and voriconazole were then added. The patient gradually improved and was discharged after one month of hospitalization. The patient was reported to be doing well, with no neurological sequelae, when last seen one month after discharge.
CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this is the first case of acupuncture-associated and infections superimposed by tetanus. In Thailand, the occurrence of acupuncture by nonqualified individuals and the reemergence of tetanus remain prevalent. Hence, it is not uncommon to see tetanus in association with acupuncture-related nontuberculous mycobacterial/fungal infection.
PubMed: 35847601
DOI: 10.1155/2022/8918020 -
Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Sep 2023
Topics: Humans; Scedosporium; Antifungal Agents
PubMed: 36642520
DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.1074-22 -
Brazilian Journal of Microbiology :... Mar 2021Cystic fibrosis (CF) causes a variety of symptoms in different organs, but the majority of the morbidity and mortality of CF is related with pulmonary conditions....
Cystic fibrosis (CF) causes a variety of symptoms in different organs, but the majority of the morbidity and mortality of CF is related with pulmonary conditions. Primary infections are usually bacterial, and when treated with antibiotics, yeast infections appear or become more evident. Studies show that different microorganisms can co-inhabit the same environment and the interactions could be synergistic or antagonistic. Using techniques including viable and non-viable cell-to-cell interactions, mixed culture in liquid, and solid media sharing or not the supernatant, this study has evaluated interactions between the fungal species Scedosporium apiospermum and Scedosporium boydii with the bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Burkholderia cepacia. Cell-to-cell interactions in liquid medium showed that P. aeruginosa and B. cepacia were able to reduce fungal viability but only in the presence of alive bacteria. Interactions without cell contact using a semi-permeable membrane showed that all bacteria were able to inhibit both fungal growths/viabilities. Cell-free supernatants from bacterial growth reduced fungal viability in planktonic fungal cells as well as in some conditions for preformed fungal biomass. According to the chemical analysis of the bacterial supernatants, the predominant component is protein. In this work, we verified that bacterial cells and their metabolites, present in the supernatants, can play anti-S. apiospermum and anti-S. boydii roles on fungal growth and viability.
Topics: Cystic Fibrosis; Humans; Microbial Viability; Mycoses; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Scedosporium; Staphylococcus aureus
PubMed: 33442865
DOI: 10.1007/s42770-020-00415-w -
Journal of Environmental Management Oct 2022Olive mill wastewater (OMW) resulting from the olive oil extraction process is usually disposed of in evaporation ponds where it concentrates generating a sludge that...
Olive mill wastewater (OMW) resulting from the olive oil extraction process is usually disposed of in evaporation ponds where it concentrates generating a sludge that pollutes the ponds nearby area. In this study, four bio-treatments were applied for the in-situ bioremediation and valorization of OMW sludge: Landfarming, phytoremediation, composting and vermicomposting. In all cases, the OMW sludge was added with organic residues (mushroom compost, rabbit manure, and chicken manure). The bio-treatments were carried out in duplicate, inoculated and non-inoculated, to determine the effect of a specialized fungal consortium (Aspergillus ochraceus H2 and Scedosporium apiospermum H16) on the efficacy of the bio-treatments. The evaluation of chemical parameters, toxicity, and functional microbial biodiversity revealed that the four techniques depleted the toxicity and favored the stimulation of functional microbiota. Landfarming and phytoremediation allowed the decontamination and improvement of soils. Composting and vermicomposting also offered high-quality products of agronomic interest. Inoculation improved the bioremediation effectiveness. Biological treatments are effective for the safe recovery of contaminated OMW sludge into high-quality services and products.
Topics: Animals; Industrial Waste; Manure; Olea; Olive Oil; Ponds; Rabbits; Sewage; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater
PubMed: 35803069
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115647 -
Indian Journal of Dermatology 2019Disseminated infection with is an emerging opportunistic infection in immunocompromised individuals. A 41-year-old male farmer presented with a diffuse swelling in the...
Disseminated infection with is an emerging opportunistic infection in immunocompromised individuals. A 41-year-old male farmer presented with a diffuse swelling in the right foot with discharge of whitish material from the swelling for 1 year. He also had multiple cystic swellings of varying sizes in the right ankle, left leg, left foot, and right forearm for 6 months. There was a history of diabetes and steroid therapy for joint pain which had increased the risk of dissemination of fungi in our patient. Early recognition of this infection and treating the patients with systemic antifungal drugs such as voriconazole and local surgical debridement help in resolution of the lesion.
PubMed: 31516142
DOI: 10.4103/ijd.IJD_332_18 -
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Oct 2014Scedosporium species show decreased susceptibility to the majority of systemic antifungal drugs. Acquired resistance is likely to disseminate differentially with the...
Scedosporium species show decreased susceptibility to the majority of systemic antifungal drugs. Acquired resistance is likely to disseminate differentially with the mode of exchange of genetic material between lineages. Inter- and intraspecific diversities of Scedosporium species were analyzed for three partitions (rDNA internal transcribed spacer gene [ITS], partial β-tubulin gene, and amplified fragment length polymorphism profiles), with the aim to establish distribution of resistance between species, populations, and strains. Heterogeneity of and recombination between lineages were determined, and distances between clusters were calculated using a centroid approach. Clinical, geographic, and antifungal data were plotted on diversity networks. Scedosporium minutisporum, Scedosporium desertorum, and Scedosporium aurantiacum were distinguished unambiguously in all partitions and had differential antifungal susceptibility profiles (ASP). Pseudallescheria fusoidea and Pseudallescheria ellipsoidea were indistinguishable from Scedosporium boydii. Pseudallescheria angusta took an intermediate position between Scedosporium apiospermum and S. boydii. Scedosporium boydii and S. apiospermum had identical ASP. Differences in (multi)resistance were linked to individual strains. S. apiospermum and S. boydii showed limited interbreeding and were recognized as valid, sympatric species. The S. apiospermum/S. boydii group, comprising the main clinically relevant Scedosporium species, consists of separate lineages and is interpreted as a complex undergoing sympatric evolution with incomplete lineage sorting. In routine diagnostics, the lineages in S. apiospermum/S. boydii are indicated with the umbrella descriptor "S. apiospermum complex"; individual species can be identified with rDNA ITS with 96.3% confidence. Voriconazole is recommended as the first-line treatment; resistance against this compound is rare.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Pseudallescheria; Scedosporium; Voriconazole
PubMed: 25070092
DOI: 10.1128/AAC.03211-14 -
Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Jun 2016In the present study, we have investigated some growth conditions capable of inducing the conidial germination in Scedosporium apiospermum, S. aurantiacum, S....
Conidial germination in Scedosporium apiospermum, S. aurantiacum, S. minutisporum and Lomentospora prolificans: influence of growth conditions and antifungal susceptibility profiles.
In the present study, we have investigated some growth conditions capable of inducing the conidial germination in Scedosporium apiospermum, S. aurantiacum, S. minutisporum and Lomentospora prolificans. Germination in Sabouraud medium (pH 7.0, 37ºC, 5% CO2) showed to be a typically time-dependent event, reaching ~75% in S. minutisporum and > 90% in S. apiospermum, S. aurantiacum and L. prolificans after 4 h. Similar germination rate was observed when conidia were incubated under different media and pHs. Contrarily, temperature and CO2 tension modulated the germination. The isotropic conidial growth (swelling) and germ tube-like projection were evidenced by microscopy and cytometry. Morphometric parameters augmented in a time-dependent fashion, evidencing changes in size and granularity of fungal cells compared with dormant 0 h conidia. In parallel, a clear increase in the mitochondrial activity was measured during the transformation of conidia-into-germinated conidia. Susceptibility profiles to itraconazole, fluconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin B and caspofungin varied regarding each morphotype and each fungal species. Overall, the minimal inhibitory concentrations for hyphae were higher than conidia and germinated conidia, except for caspofungin. Collectively, our study add new data about the conidia-into-hyphae transformation in Scedosporium and Lomentospora species, which is a relevant biological process of these molds directly connected to their antifungal resistance and pathogenicity mechanisms.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Culture Media; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Scedosporium; Spores, Fungal; Time Factors
PubMed: 27355215
DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760160200 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2020The detection and diagnosis of the opportunistic fungi spp. and still relies mainly on low-sensitive culture-based methods. This fact is especially worrying in Cystic...
The detection and diagnosis of the opportunistic fungi spp. and still relies mainly on low-sensitive culture-based methods. This fact is especially worrying in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients in whom these fungal species are frequently isolated and may increase the risk of suffering from an infection or other health problems. Therefore, with the purpose of developing a serologic detection method for /, four different protein extracts (whole cell protein extract, secretome, total cell surface and conidial surface associated proteins) were studied by ELISA to select the most useful for IgG detection in sera from CF patients. The four extracts were able to discriminate the /-infected from infected and non-infected patients. However, the whole cell protein extract was the one selected, as it was the one with the highest output in terms of protein concentration per ml of fungal culture used, and its discriminatory capacity was the best. The ELISA test developed was then assayed with 212 sera from CF patients and it showed to be able to detect spp. and with very high sensitivity and specificity, 86%-100% and 93%-99%, respectively, depending on the cut-off value chosen (four values were proposed A= 0.5837, A= 0.6042, A= 0.6404, and A= 0.7099). Thus, although more research is needed to reach a standardized method, this ELISA platform offers a rapid, low-cost and easy solution to detect these elusive fungi through minimally invasive sampling, allowing the monitoring of the humoral response to fungal presence.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Ascomycota; Cystic Fibrosis; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Scedosporium
PubMed: 33324582
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.602089 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023Over the last years, the interkingdom microbial interactions concerning bacteria and fungi cohabiting and/or responsible for human pathologies have been investigated. In...
Over the last years, the interkingdom microbial interactions concerning bacteria and fungi cohabiting and/or responsible for human pathologies have been investigated. In this context, the Gram-negative bacterium and fungal species belonging to the genera are widespread, multidrug-resistant, emergent, opportunistic pathogens that are usually co-isolated in patients with cystic fibrosis. The available literature reports that can inhibit the in vitro growth of species; however, the complex mechanisms behind this phenomenon are mostly unknown. In the present work, we have explored the inhibitory effect of bioactive molecules secreted by (3 mucoid and 3 non-mucoid strains) on ( = 6 strains), ( = 3), ( = 6) and ( = 6) under cultivation in a cystic fibrosis mimic environment. It is relevant to highlight that all bacterial and fungal strains used in the present study were recovered from cystic fibrosis patients. The growth of species was negatively affected by the direct interaction with either mucoid or non-mucoid strains of . Moreover, the fungal growth was inhibited by the conditioned supernatants obtained from bacteria-fungi co-cultivations and by the conditioned supernatants from the bacterial pure cultures. The interaction with fungal cells induced the production of pyoverdine and pyochelin, 2 well-known siderophores, in 4/6 clinical strains of . The inhibitory effects of these four bacterial strains and their secreted molecules on fungal cells were partially reduced with the addition of 5-flucytosine, a classical repressor of pyoverdine and pyochelin production. In sum, our results demonstrated that distinct clinical strains of can behave differently towards species, even when isolated from the same cystic fibrosis patient. Additionally, the production of siderophores by was induced when co-cultivated with species, indicating competition for iron and deprivation of this essential nutrient, leading to fungal growth inhibition.
PubMed: 37233213
DOI: 10.3390/jof9050502 -
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Aug 2018spp. cause infections (scedosporiosis) in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals and may persistently colonize the respiratory tract in patients with...
spp. cause infections (scedosporiosis) in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals and may persistently colonize the respiratory tract in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). They are less susceptible against azoles than are other molds, such as spp., suggesting the presence of resistance mechanisms. It can be hypothesized that the decreased susceptibility of spp. to azoles is also CYP51 dependent. Analysis of the and genomes revealed one gene encoding the 14-α-lanosterol demethylase. This gene from 159 clinical or environmental isolates and three isolates has been sequenced and analyzed. The CYP51 protein clustered with the group of known CYP51B orthologues and showed species-specific polymorphisms. A tandem repeat in the 5' upstream region of like that in could not be detected. Species-specific amino acid alterations in CYP51 of , , , and isolates were located at positions that have not been described as having an impact on azole susceptibility. In contrast, two of the three specific amino acid changes (Y136F and G464S) corresponded to respective mutations in CYP51A at amino acid positions 121 and 448 (Y121F and G448S, respectively) that had been linked to azole resistance.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Azoles; Drug Resistance, Fungal; Fungal Proteins; Mutation; Scedosporium; Sterol 14-Demethylase
PubMed: 29891611
DOI: 10.1128/AAC.02599-17