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G3 (Bethesda, Md.) Nov 2017Here we describe the sequencing and assembly of the pathogenic fungus using a combination of short, highly accurate Illumina reads and additional coverage in very long...
Here we describe the sequencing and assembly of the pathogenic fungus using a combination of short, highly accurate Illumina reads and additional coverage in very long Oxford Nanopore reads. The resulting assembly is highly contiguous, containing a total of 37,627,092 bp with over 98% of the sequence in just 26 scaffolds. Annotation identified 8896 protein-coding genes. Pulsed-field gel analysis suggests that this organism contains at least 7 and possibly 11 chromosomes, the two longest of which have sizes corresponding closely to the sizes of the longest scaffolds, at 6.6 and 5.7 Mb.
Topics: Fungal Proteins; Genome, Fungal; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Scedosporium; Whole Genome Sequencing
PubMed: 28963165
DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.300107 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Aug 2007Scedosporium apiospermum and S. prolificans are fungi of increasing clinical importance, particularly in persons with underlying diseases. We reviewed the records of 59...
Scedosporium apiospermum and S. prolificans are fungi of increasing clinical importance, particularly in persons with underlying diseases. We reviewed the records of 59 patients in Australia from whom Scedosporium spp. were isolated from June 30, 1997, through December 31, 2003. S. apiospermum was isolated predominantly from the respiratory tracts of 28 of 31 patients with underlying lung diseases and resulted in 2 infections and 1 death. The annual number of S. apiospermum isolates remained constant. S. prolificans was isolated from 28 patients only after November 1999. Eight patients with acute myeloid leukemia or hematopoietic stem cell transplants had invasive infection; 4 had fungemia and 6 died from infection. S. prolificans caused locally invasive infection in 2 immunocompetent patients and was found in the respiratory tract of 18 patients with underlying respiratory disease but did not cause fungemia or deaths in these patients. Scedosporium spp. showed distinct clinical and epidemiologic features.
Topics: Adult; Australia; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Immunosuppression Therapy; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mycetoma; Retrospective Studies; Scedosporium
PubMed: 17953087
DOI: 10.3201/eid1308.060576 -
The Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical... Jan 2017Scedosporium boydii and Lomentospora prolificans are filamentous fungi reported to cause infection in immunocompromized individuals. We studied the effect of farnesol to...
Scedosporium boydii and Lomentospora prolificans are filamentous fungi reported to cause infection in immunocompromized individuals. We studied the effect of farnesol to inhibit growth of S. boydii and L. prolificans by measuring colony diameter and determining minimal effective concentration (MEC). S. boydii and L. prolificans were grown on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) at 37oC for 5 days. Conidia were collected and adjusted to a concentration of 104 conidia/ ml. Twenty microliters of conidia suspension was placed in each well of a sixwell plate containing serial dilutions of farnesol (10 μM, 100 μM, 1,000 μM, and 10,000 μM) in SDA. Colony morphology and diameter were observed on days 1, 2, 3, and 4. Farnesol at concentrations of 1,000 μM or higher caused the colony diameter of both S. boydii and L. prolificans to be smaller than untreated controls in a dose-dependent manner. The MEC of farnesol to inhibit growth of both S. boydii and L. prolificans was 3.2 mM. This study reveals the antifungal property of farnesol against S. boydii and L. prolificans, which can be used for further study as an alternative antifungal agent against these fungal infections.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Ascomycota; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Farnesol; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Scedosporium
PubMed: 29644833
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis : Official... Mar 2015Detection of hyphomycetes of the Scedosporium apiospermum complex and Lomentospora prolificans (Sac-Lp) is not yet standardized. Prevalence rates in patients with cystic...
OBJECTIVE
Detection of hyphomycetes of the Scedosporium apiospermum complex and Lomentospora prolificans (Sac-Lp) is not yet standardized. Prevalence rates in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and the resistance pattern of these pathogens in Germany are unknown.
METHODS
In a one-year prospective study 11 laboratories used a selective medium for isolation of Sac-Lp, examining >11,600 respiratory samples from 2346 patients with CF. Isolates were identified by molecular methods and tested for susceptibility to antifungal drugs.
RESULTS
The prevalence of Sac-Lp in patients with CF in Germany varied from 0.0 to 10.5% (mean: 3.1%) among the clinical centres. The benefit of the selective medium SceSel(+) compared to standard media for fungi was documented for >5000 samples. High antifungal resistance was detected in the S. apiospermum complex, and the multiresistance of L. prolificans was confirmed.
CONCLUSION
Microbiology laboratories should be aware of these resistant species in patients with CF and consider using a selective medium.
Topics: Adult; Antifungal Agents; Culture Media; Cystic Fibrosis; Drug Resistance, Fungal; Female; Germany; Humans; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mycoses; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Scedosporium
PubMed: 25595044
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcf.2014.12.014 -
ANZ Journal of Surgery Jul 2006Septic arthritis due to fungal infection is uncommon, but when it does occur it can have a devastating effect. Scedosporium prolificans is an emerging fungal pathogen...
Septic arthritis due to fungal infection is uncommon, but when it does occur it can have a devastating effect. Scedosporium prolificans is an emerging fungal pathogen that appears to have a predilection for bone and cartilaginous surfaces. This fungus is resistant to most commonly prescribed antifungal agents. We report the successful treatment of Scedosporium prolificans septic arthritis with a combination of surgery and new antifungal agents.
Topics: Ankle Joint; Antifungal Agents; Arthritis, Infectious; Child, Preschool; Diagnosis, Differential; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Mycetoma; Radiography; Scedosporium
PubMed: 16813638
DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2006.03796.x -
International Journal of Antimicrobial... Jan 2018The number of fungal isolates resistant to antifungal drugs has increased dramatically over the last few years and has become an important concern for clinicians. Among... (Review)
Review
The number of fungal isolates resistant to antifungal drugs has increased dramatically over the last few years and has become an important concern for clinicians. Among these isolates, fungi showing multidrug resistance are particularly worrying because of the difficulties associated with their treatment. These factors hamper the successful recovery of patients and drastically raise mortality rates. Antifungal resistance is multifactorial and several mechanisms in different fungi have been described. There is a need to study these mechanisms in depth; however, the study of antifungal drug resistance separately for each individual species makes progress in the field very slow and tedious. The selection of a multiresistant microorganism as a model for understanding resistance mechanisms and extrapolating the results to other species could help in the search for a solution. In this mini-review, we describe the pathobiology of Lomentospora (Scedosporium) prolificans, paying special attention to its intrinsic resistance to all currently available antifungal agents. The characteristics of L. prolificans offer several advantages: the possibility of using a single microorganism for the study of resistance to different drugs, even cases of double and triple resistance; it is biologically safe for society in general as no new genetically-modified strains are needed for the experiments; it is homologous with other fungal species, and there is repetitiveness between different strains. In conclusion, we propose L. prolificans as a candidate for consideration as a fungal model for the study of resistance mechanisms against antifungal agents.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Fungal; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Models, Biological; Mycoses; Scedosporium
PubMed: 28669833
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2017.06.009 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Sep 2002
Topics: Contact Lenses; Diagnostic Errors; Humans; Keratitis; Mitosporic Fungi; Mycoses; Scedosporium; Uveitis
PubMed: 12227340
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal de Mycologie Medicale Dec 2013Aggressive chemotherapy and immunosuppressive treatment may prolong patients' life, but influence the risk of severe, life-threatening infections. Here, we report the...
Aggressive chemotherapy and immunosuppressive treatment may prolong patients' life, but influence the risk of severe, life-threatening infections. Here, we report the case of a 21-year-old caucasian female who developed a disseminated infection of Scedosporium prolificans after allogenic stem cell transplantation performed for treatment of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The pathogen was isolated from the blood and identified on the basis of its macroscopic and microscopic morphological features. The empirical treatment with amphotericin B provided no improvement. However, introduction of intravenous voriconazole resulted in amelioration of fever. Unfortunately, the patient died due to progression of underlying disease and multiorgan failure. However, this case report indicates a possible relevance of voriconazole-based treatment regimens in invasive S. prolificans infections.
Topics: Allografts; Amphotericin B; Antifungal Agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Drug Substitution; Fatal Outcome; Female; Fluconazole; Fungemia; Graft vs Host Disease; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Immunosuppressive Agents; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Recurrence; Scedosporium; Triazoles; Voriconazole; Young Adult
PubMed: 24135648
DOI: 10.1016/j.mycmed.2013.08.003 -
Medical Mycology Jun 2009Scedosporium apiospermum and Scedosporium prolificans cause therapy-refractory infections in immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. While innate immune response is... (Review)
Review
Scedosporium apiospermum and Scedosporium prolificans cause therapy-refractory infections in immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. While innate immune response is believed to be critical for the host defense against these fungi, its role has only recently been elucidated. Undefined pathogen-associated molecular patterns on the surface of conidia and hyphae are recognized by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) on the membrane of phagocytes, and the signal is transmitted intracellularly. PRRs that are important in the recognition of both fungal species are human Toll-like receptors (or Toll receptors in Drosophila melanogaster) and dectin-1. These induce signals responsible for the activation of genes leading to an effective host defense, especially those encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines. Both species are efficiently phagocytosed and elicit an oxidative burst by neutrophils and monocytes. While cytokines, such as interleukin-15, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and interferon-gamma, have been found in vitro to variably modulate antifungal activity of human phagocytes, cytokines in vivo activities are less well documented. Certain antifungal agents exert immunopharmacological effects on phagocytes against S. apiospermum and S. prolificans. Translation of these in vitro findings to appropriate in vivo systems and into clinical trials may lead to improved strategies for augmenting innate host defenses in patients infected with these emerging pathogens.
Topics: Cytokines; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Mycoses; Phagocytes; Scedosporium
PubMed: 19184770
DOI: 10.1080/13693780902738006 -
Clinical Infectious Diseases : An... Jan 2005Unique characteristics, impact of therapy with antifungal agents, and outcome of infections with Scedosporium species were assessed in transplant recipients.
Infections due to Scedosporium apiospermum and Scedosporium prolificans in transplant recipients: clinical characteristics and impact of antifungal agent therapy on outcome.
BACKGROUND
Unique characteristics, impact of therapy with antifungal agents, and outcome of infections with Scedosporium species were assessed in transplant recipients.
METHODS
The patients comprised a total of 80 transplant recipients with Scedosporium infections, including 13 patients from our institutions (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center [Pittsburgh, PA], University of Maryland [Baltimore], Duke University Medical Center [Durham, NC], Emory University [Atlanta, GA], and Hospital Gregorio Maranon [Madrid, Spain]) and 67 reported in the literature. The transplant recipients were compared with 190 non-transplant recipients with scedosporiosis who were described in the literature.
RESULTS
Overall, 69% of the infections in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients and 53% of the infections in organ transplant recipients were disseminated. HSCT recipients, compared with organ transplant recipients, were more likely to have infections caused by Scedosporium prolificans (P=.045), to have an earlier onset of infection (P=.007), to be neutropenic (P<.0001), and to have fungemia (P=.04). Time elapsed from transplantation to Scedosporium infection in transplant recipients has increased in recent years (P=.002). The mortality rate among transplant recipients with scedosporiosis was 58%. In a logistic regression model using amphotericin B as comparison treatment, voriconazole was associated with a trend towards better survival (odds ratio [OR], 10.40; P=.08). Presence of disseminated infection (OR, 0.20; P=.03) predicted lower survival, and receipt of adjunctive surgery as treatment (OR, 5.52; P=.02) independently predicted a better survival in this model.
CONCLUSIONS
Scedosporium infections in transplant recipients were associated with a high rate of dissemination and a poor outcome overall. The use of newer triazole agents warrants consideration as a therapeutic modality for these infections.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Amphotericin B; Antifungal Agents; Female; Humans; Itraconazole; Male; Middle Aged; Mycetoma; Pyrimidines; Scedosporium; Transplantation; Treatment Outcome; Triazoles; Voriconazole
PubMed: 15614697
DOI: 10.1086/426445