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Virulence Dec 2023Pulmonary infections caused by the mould pathogen are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Compromised lung defences arising from immunosuppression,... (Review)
Review
Pulmonary infections caused by the mould pathogen are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Compromised lung defences arising from immunosuppression, chronic respiratory conditions or more recently, concomitant viral or bacterial pulmonary infections are recognised risks factors for the development of pulmonary aspergillosis. In this review, we will summarise our current knowledge of the mechanistic basis of pulmonary aspergillosis with a focus on emerging at-risk populations.
Topics: Humans; Aspergillus fumigatus; Virulence; Aspergillosis; Virulence Factors; Pulmonary Aspergillosis
PubMed: 36752587
DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2023.2172264 -
Nature Reviews. Microbiology Dec 2023During recent decades, the emergence of pathogenic fungi has posed an increasing public health threat, particularly given the limited number of antifungal drugs... (Review)
Review
During recent decades, the emergence of pathogenic fungi has posed an increasing public health threat, particularly given the limited number of antifungal drugs available to treat invasive infections. In this Review, we discuss the global emergence and spread of three emerging antifungal-resistant fungi: Candida auris, driven by global health-care transmission and possibly facilitated by climate change; azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus, driven by the selection facilitated by azole fungicide use in agricultural and other settings; and Trichophyton indotineae, driven by the under-regulated use of over-the-counter high-potency corticosteroid-containing antifungal creams. The diversity of the fungi themselves and the drivers of their emergence make it clear that we cannot predict what might emerge next. Therefore, vigilance is critical to monitoring fungal emergence, as well as the rise in overall antifungal resistance.
Topics: Humans; Antifungal Agents; Fungi; Aspergillus fumigatus; Azoles; Drug Resistance, Fungal; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 37648790
DOI: 10.1038/s41579-023-00960-9 -
Seminars in Respiratory and Critical... Feb 2024The filamentous fungus causes a wide spectrum of diseases in the human lung, with being the most pathogenic and allergenic subspecies. The broad range of clinical... (Review)
Review
The filamentous fungus causes a wide spectrum of diseases in the human lung, with being the most pathogenic and allergenic subspecies. The broad range of clinical syndromes that can develop from the presence of in the respiratory tract is determined by the interaction between host and pathogen. In this review, an oversight of the different clinical entities of pulmonary aspergillosis is given, categorized by their main pathophysiological mechanisms. The underlying immune processes are discussed, and the main clinical, radiological, biochemical, microbiological, and histopathological findings are summarized.
Topics: Humans; Lung; Aspergillus; Pulmonary Aspergillosis; Aspergillus fumigatus
PubMed: 38286136
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1777259 -
Mycopathologia Oct 2023Aspergillus fumigatus is one the most ubiquitous airborne opportunistic human fungal pathogens. Understanding its interaction with host immune system, composed of... (Review)
Review
Aspergillus fumigatus is one the most ubiquitous airborne opportunistic human fungal pathogens. Understanding its interaction with host immune system, composed of cellular and humoral arm, is essential to explain the pathobiology of aspergillosis disease spectrum. While cellular immunity has been well studied, humoral immunity has been poorly acknowledge, although it plays a crucial role in bridging the fungus and immune cells. In this review, we have summarized available data on major players of humoral immunity against A. fumigatus and discussed how they may help to identify at-risk individuals, be used as diagnostic tools or promote alternative therapeutic strategies. Remaining challenges are highlighted and leads are given to guide future research to better grasp the complexity of humoral immune interaction with A. fumigatus.
Topics: Humans; Aspergillus fumigatus; Immunity, Humoral; Aspergillosis
PubMed: 37289362
DOI: 10.1007/s11046-023-00742-0 -
Medicina 2024
Topics: Humans; Bronchitis; Tracheitis; Aspergillosis; Male; Aspergillus; Middle Aged; Female
PubMed: 38907982
DOI: No ID Found -
Seminars in Respiratory and Critical... Feb 2024Pulmonary aspergillosis constitutes an increasingly prevalent and potentially fatal complex of mycotic diseases, caused by different species of The broad spectrum of... (Review)
Review
Pulmonary aspergillosis constitutes an increasingly prevalent and potentially fatal complex of mycotic diseases, caused by different species of The broad spectrum of pathological manifestations associated with pulmonary aspergillosis necessitates a differentiation of commensalism from saprophytic colonization, hypersensitivity reactions, and true invasive infections, which highlights the importance of histopathology as a gold standard in a diagnostic setting. For the past decades, changes in terminology and contradicting contributions from different diagnostic disciplines have made the classification of pulmonary aspergillosis rather confusing. This review offers a categorization of aspergillosis lesions based on what can be histopathologically identified and distinguished, differentiating between acute invasive infection and forms of subacute, chronic, and allergic diseases and coinfections, and summarizes important manifestations of lesions associated with the different forms of pulmonary aspergillosis.
Topics: Humans; Pulmonary Aspergillosis; Aspergillosis; Aspergillus
PubMed: 38266999
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1776757 -
Seminars in Respiratory and Critical... Feb 2024Aspergilli may cause various pulmonary diseases in humans, including allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), and acute...
Aspergilli may cause various pulmonary diseases in humans, including allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), and acute invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). In addition, chronic colonization may occur in cystic fibrosis (CF). represents the main pathogen, which may employ different morphotypes, for example, conidia, hyphal growth, and asexual sporulation, in the various diseases. These morphotypes determine the ease by which can adapt to stress by antifungal drug exposure, usually resulting in one or more resistance mutations. Key factors that enable the emergence of resistance include genetic variation and selection. The ability to create genetic variation depends on the reproduction mode, including, sexual, parasexual, and asexual, and the population size. These reproduction cycles may take place in the host and/or in the environment, usually when specific conditions are present. Environmental resistance is commonly characterized by tandem repeat (TR)-mediated mutations, while in-host resistance selection results in single-resistance mutations. Reported cases from the literature indicate that environmental resistance mutations are almost exclusively present in patients with IA indicating that the risk for in-host resistance selection is very low. In aspergilloma, single-point mutations are the dominant resistance genotype, while in other chronic diseases, for example, ABPA, CPA, and CF, both TR-mediated and single-resistance mutations are reported. Insights into the pathogenesis of resistance selection in various diseases may help to improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Topics: Humans; Antifungal Agents; Pulmonary Aspergillosis; Aspergillus fumigatus; Aspergillus; Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary; Cystic Fibrosis; Chronic Disease; Persistent Infection
PubMed: 38196063
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1776997 -
Toxins Jul 2023Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi belonging, in particular, to the , , and genera [...].
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi belonging, in particular, to the , , and genera [...].
Topics: Mycotoxins; Food Microbiology; Fungi; Aspergillus; Edible Grain; Fusarium; Penicillium; Food Contamination
PubMed: 37505714
DOI: 10.3390/toxins15070445 -
Mycoses Aug 2023Epidemiological knowledge is important to guide antifungal therapy.
BACKGROUND
Epidemiological knowledge is important to guide antifungal therapy.
OBJECTIVE
This multicentre study aimed to investigate the species distribution and antifungal susceptibility of Aspergillus isolates in Taiwan.
METHOD
Four hundred and ninety-two clinical Aspergillus isolates, collected during 2016-2020, were identified by calmodulin sequencing and tested for antifungal susceptibility using CLSI M38-A3. The Cyp51A sequences of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus isolates were analysed.
RESULTS
This collection comprised 30 species from eight Aspergillus sections-Flavi (33.5%), Nigri (26.0%), Fumigati (24.2%), Terrei (10.0%), Nidulantes (5.1%), Circumdati (0.8%), Restricti (0.2%) and Aspergillus (0.2%). Sections Fumigati, Flavi and Terrei were primarily represented by A. fumigatus (99.2%), A. flavus (95.8%) and A. terreus (100%), respectively. Section Nigri comprised nine species, mostly A. welwitschiae (60.2%), A. niger (12.5%), A. brunneoviolaceus (10.9%) and A. tubingensis (10.2%). A. fumigatus (39.6%) and A. flavus (26.4%) predominated among 53 isolates from lower respiratory samples, whereas section Nigri species (46.2%) and A. terreus (29.2%) predominated among 65 isolates from ear samples. Reduced susceptibility to amphotericin B (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) > 1 μg/mL) was noted in A. flavus (7.0%), A. terreus (6.1%), A. nidulans and section Circumdati (A. flocculosus, A. subramanianii and A. westerdijkiae) isolates. Acquired azole resistance was observed in seven A. fumigatus (5.9%), all of which carried TR /L98H or TR /L98H/S297T/F495I mutation, and three A. flavus (1.9%), one of which carried G441S mutation. Reduced susceptibility to itraconazole (MIC >1 μg/mL) was noted in 55.5% of section Nigri isolates, mainly in A. welwitschiae, A. niger and A. tubingensis, whereas A. brunneoviolaceus, A. aculeatinus and A. japonicus were hypersusceptible to azoles. Anidulafungin was active against all isolates except for one isolate.
CONCLUSIONS
This study depicted the molecular epidemiology and species-specific characteristics of Aspergillus in Taiwan, which aids in appropriate antifungal therapy and underlines the need of speciation and susceptibility testing of disease-causing Aspergillus.
Topics: Humans; Antifungal Agents; Taiwan; Aspergillus; Itraconazole; Azoles; Aspergillus fumigatus; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Drug Resistance, Fungal; Fungal Proteins
PubMed: 37186489
DOI: 10.1111/myc.13593 -
Bioscience, Biotechnology, and... Feb 2024Plants synthesize large amounts of stored and structural polysaccharides. Aspergillus oryzae is used in traditional Japanese fermentation and produces many types of... (Review)
Review
Plants synthesize large amounts of stored and structural polysaccharides. Aspergillus oryzae is used in traditional Japanese fermentation and produces many types of plant polysaccharide degradation-related enzymes. The carbohydrate-active enzymes of A. oryzae are important in the fermentation process and biotechnological applications. Because plant polysaccharides have a complex structure, cooperative and synergistic actions of enzymes are crucial for the degradation of plant polysaccharides. For example, the cooperative action of isoprimeverose-producing oligoxyloglucan hydrolase, β-galactosidase, and α-xylosidase is important for the degradation of xyloglucan, and A. oryzae coordinates these enzymes at the expression level. In this review, I focus on the plant polysaccharide degradation-related enzymes identified in A. oryzae.
Topics: Aspergillus oryzae; Glycoside Hydrolases; Polysaccharides
PubMed: 38066701
DOI: 10.1093/bbb/zbad177