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Mycopathologia Jun 2021This report describes the phenotypic characteristics of a novel fungal species, isolated from a prosthetic hip infection. The patient, who had undergone multiple total...
This report describes the phenotypic characteristics of a novel fungal species, isolated from a prosthetic hip infection. The patient, who had undergone multiple total hip arthroplasties due to Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, presented with continued fever and wound dehiscence. Findings upon incision and draining were notable for necrotic tissue and a sinus tract from the fluid collection. Intraoperative cultures were positive for a sterile filamentous fungus. BLASTn results following DNA sequencing placed the isolate within the family Chaetomiaceae close to the genera Madurella, Canariomyces, Stolonocarpus, Stellatospora, Ovatospora, Carteria and Melanocarpus. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the isolate was a new thielavia-like species, Pseudocanariomyces americanus. Antifungal susceptibility was performed, and low minimum inhibitory concentrations were observed with amphotericin B, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole. The patient was initially treated with voriconazole but was switched to posaconazole secondary to a photosensitivity reaction. Acceptable posaconazole trough concentrations were achieved, and the patient remained stable without pain or drainage from her surgical incision.
Topics: Amphotericin B; Antifungal Agents; Ascomycota; Female; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Phylogeny; Voriconazole
PubMed: 34013385
DOI: 10.1007/s11046-021-00555-z -
Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology Apr 2021Simultaneous double mycetoma is a rare presentation. Worldwide only three to four cases are found in literature. Here we report such an unusual case, to the best of our...
Simultaneous double mycetoma is a rare presentation. Worldwide only three to four cases are found in literature. Here we report such an unusual case, to the best of our knowledge first documented case from India, where a 60 years old male farmer presented with double eumycetoma in different sites of same limb with discharge of black and white grains, which conventionally diagnosed as Madurella grisea from foot and Acremonium falciformi from buttock respectively.
Topics: Buttocks; Foot; Fusarium; Humans; India; Madurella; Male; Middle Aged; Mycetoma
PubMed: 33966864
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmmb.2020.09.002 -
Clinical Microbiology and Infection :... Mar 2022
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Humans; Itraconazole; Madurella; Mycetoma; Neglected Diseases
PubMed: 33915283
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2021.04.018 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Mar 2021Mycetoma is a neglected tropical disease which is endemic in Senegal. Although this subcutaneous mycosis is most commonly found on the foot, extrapodal localisations...
Mycetoma is a neglected tropical disease which is endemic in Senegal. Although this subcutaneous mycosis is most commonly found on the foot, extrapodal localisations have also been found, including on the leg, knee, thigh, hand, and arm. To our knowledge, no case of blood-spread eumycetoma has been reported in Senegal. Here, we report a case of pulmonary mycetoma secondary to a Madurella mycetomatis knee eumycetoma. The patient was a 41-year-old farmer living in Louga, Senegal, where the Sudano-Sahelian climate is characterised by a short and unstable rainy season and a steppe vegetation. He suffered a trauma to the right more than 20 years previously and had received treatment for more than 10 years with traditional medicine. He consulted at Le Dantec University Hospital in Dakar for treatment of a right knee mycetoma which had been diagnosed more than 10 years ago. He had experienced a chronic cough for more than a year; tuberculosis documentation was negative. Grains collected from the knee and the sputum isolated M. mycetomatis, confirmed by the rRNA gene ITS regions nucleotide sequence analysis. An amputation above the knee was performed, and antibacterial and antifungal therapy was started with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and terbinafine. The patient died within a month of his discharge from hospital.
Topics: Adult; Fatal Outcome; Humans; Knee; Knee Injuries; Lung Diseases, Fungal; Madurella; Mycetoma; Senegal
PubMed: 33764976
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009238 -
Transactions of the Royal Society of... Apr 2021Currently there is a wide knowledge gap in our understanding of mycetoma epidemiological characteristics, including the infection route.
BACKGROUND
Currently there is a wide knowledge gap in our understanding of mycetoma epidemiological characteristics, including the infection route.
METHODS
A cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological study was carried out to determine the role of exposure to animals and insects such as ticks in the transmission of eumycetoma in two adjacent villages at eastern Sudan.
RESULTS
Significant differences were found between the two villages in the level of contact and exposure to animals and ticks, the percentages of people bitten by ticks, participation in cleaning animal pens and knowledge of the medical importance of ticks. In the village with a high mycetoma prevalence rate, there were high infestation rates of ticks in domestic animals. Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus species were the most prevalent species in houses with mycetoma patients and together they constituted 83% of the total collection. Pool screening of vectors for the detection of Madurella mycetomatis recombinant RNA genes showed one positive pool from Rhipicephalus evertsi following amplification of the universal fungal primer and one positive sample from Hyalomma rufipes following the use of a specific primer.
CONCLUSION
The findings indicate a possible role of ticks in the transmission of eumycetoma causative agents. However, further in-depth studies are needed to verify this.
Topics: Animals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Madurella; Mycetoma; Sudan; Ticks
PubMed: 33690861
DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trab030 -
Colloids and Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces Jun 2021In this study, a laccase from Madurella mycetomatis (MmLac) was produced heterologously in Pichia pastoris; the initial immobilization in a metal-organic framework (MOF)...
In this study, a laccase from Madurella mycetomatis (MmLac) was produced heterologously in Pichia pastoris; the initial immobilization in a metal-organic framework (MOF) (MmLac/ZIF-8) was achieved using zinc nitrate and 2-methylimidazole. Due to the instability of MmLac/ZIF-8 in an acidic medium, a silica layer was created on the surface of MmLac/MOF-8. The immobilized laccase composite (silica@MmLac/ZIF-8) obtained was further treated with glutaraldehyde (silica@Glu-MmLac/ZIF-8) to increase stability of composite. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to confirm the immobilization of MmLac and to investigate the morphology of the immobilized laccase samples. The MmLac samples were also characterised in terms of optimum pH, temperature and thermal stability. The optimum pH of all the MmLac samples was determined to be 4.0. The free MmLac showed maximum activity at 55 °C, whereas both silica@MmLac/ZIF-8 and silica@Glu-MmLac/ZIF-8 were maximumly active at 65 °C. The silica@MmLac/ZIF-8 and silica@Glu-MmLac/ZIF-8 were 9.3- and 11.8-fold higher in stability, respectively, than the free MmLac at 65 °C. Furthermore, both silica@MmLac/ZIF-8 and silica@Glu-MmLac/ZIF-8 showed a higher bleaching performance than free MmLac on cotton woven fabric. According to these results, silica@MmLac/ZIF-8 and silica@Glu-MmLac/ZIF-8 may be promising candidates for biocatalysts in laccase-based biotechnological applications.
Topics: Enzyme Stability; Enzymes, Immobilized; Laccase; Madurella; Nanocomposites; Saccharomycetales; Silicon Dioxide
PubMed: 33690061
DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2021.111672 -
Transactions of the Royal Society of... Apr 2021Mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous disease that significant affects the subcutaneous tissue and deep structures. Mycetoma is caused by certain fungi (eumycetoma) or...
Mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous disease that significant affects the subcutaneous tissue and deep structures. Mycetoma is caused by certain fungi (eumycetoma) or higher bacteria (actinomycetoma). The clinical presentation is variable and depends on the causative agent. For proper treatment and patient management, an accurate diagnosis of the species is mandatory. The disease mainly involves the extremities and it is rarely seen in the head and neck or other sites. In this communication, we present an interesting case of both invasive and aggressive mastoid bone eumycetoma caused by Madurella mycetomatis. Such cases are defied by complex challenges in finding effective surgical and medical treatments when the patient does not respond to both prolonged and different antifungal therapies.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Humans; Madurella; Mastoid; Mycetoma
PubMed: 33682008
DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trab031 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2021Hydroxybenzoic acids, like gallic acid and protocatechuic acid, are highly abundant natural compounds. In biotechnology, they serve as critical precursors for various...
Hydroxybenzoic acids, like gallic acid and protocatechuic acid, are highly abundant natural compounds. In biotechnology, they serve as critical precursors for various molecules in heterologous production pathways, but a major bottleneck is these acids' non-oxidative decarboxylation to hydroxybenzenes. Optimizing this step by pathway and enzyme engineering is tedious, partly because of the complicating cofactor dependencies of the commonly used prFMN-dependent decarboxylases. Here, we report the crystal structures (1.5-1.9 Å) of two homologous fungal decarboxylases, AGDC1 from Arxula adenivorans, and PPP2 from Madurella mycetomatis. Remarkably, both decarboxylases are cofactor independent and are superior to prFMN-dependent decarboxylases when heterologously expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The organization of their active site, together with mutational studies, suggests a novel decarboxylation mechanism that combines acid-base catalysis and transition state stabilization. Both enzymes are trimers, with a central potassium binding site. In each monomer, potassium introduces a local twist in a β-sheet close to the active site, which primes the critical H86-D40 dyad for catalysis. A conserved pair of tryptophans, W35 and W61, acts like a clamp that destabilizes the substrate by twisting its carboxyl group relative to the phenol moiety. These findings reveal AGDC1 and PPP2 as founding members of a so far overlooked group of cofactor independent decarboxylases and suggest strategies to engineer their unique chemistry for a wide variety of biotechnological applications.
PubMed: 33542397
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82660-z -
Transactions of the Royal Society of... Apr 2021Mycetoma is a chronic subcutaneous granulomatous disease of the soft tissue and extremities. Herein we report four cases of mycetoma caused by different agents, two...
Mycetoma is a chronic subcutaneous granulomatous disease of the soft tissue and extremities. Herein we report four cases of mycetoma caused by different agents, two caused by Madurella mycetomatis, with Actinomadura madurae and Streptomyces somaliensis affecting the others. These lesions originated at different sites but eventually spread to the inguinal region. The exact mechanism for such spread is still unknown and the clinical presentation of our case series was distinctive and required intensive follow-up for appropriate management.
Topics: Humans; Madurella; Mycetoma; Streptomyces
PubMed: 33476389
DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/traa181 -
Transactions of the Royal Society of... Apr 2021Eumycetoma is a chronic subcutaneous granulomatous disease that is endemic in Sudan and other countries. It can be caused by eight different fungal orders. The gold...
BACKGROUND
Eumycetoma is a chronic subcutaneous granulomatous disease that is endemic in Sudan and other countries. It can be caused by eight different fungal orders. The gold standard diagnostic test is culture, however, culture-independent methods such as imaging, histopathological and molecular techniques can support diagnosis, especially in cases of negative cultures.
METHODS
The amplicon-based internal transcribed spacer 2 metagenomic technique was used to study black grains isolated from 14 tissue biopsies from patients with mycetoma. Furthermore, mycological culture and surgical biopsy histopathological examinations of grains were performed.
RESULTS
Madurella mycetomatis (n=5) and Falciformispora spp. (n=4) organisms were identified by culture and confirmed by metagenomics. Metagenomics recognised, at the species level, Falciformispora as Falciformispora tompkinsii (n=3) and Falciformispora senegalensis (n=1), while in culture-negative cases (n=5), Madurella mycetomatis (n=3), Falciformispora senegalensis (n=1) and Fusarium spp. (n=1) were identified. Interestingly, the metagenomics results showed a 'consortium' of different fungi in each sample, mainly Ascomycota phylum, including various species associated with eumycetoma. The microbial co-occurrence in eumycetoma showed the co-presence of Madurella with Trichoderma, Chaetomium, Malasseziales and Sordariales spp., while Falciformispora co-presented with Inocybe and Alternaria and was in mutual exclusion with Subramaniula, Aspergillus and Trichothecium.
CONCLUSION
Metagenomics provides new insights into the aetiology of eumycetoma in samples with negative culture and into the diversity and complexity of grains mycobiota, calling into question the accuracy of traditional culture for the identification of causative agents.
Topics: Black or African American; Ascomycota; Humans; Metagenomics; Mycetoma; Sudan
PubMed: 33449116
DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/traa177