Biomedical subjects

J Guarro

Publications and source records attributed to J Guarro.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

Mixed infection caused by two species of Fusarium in a human immunodeficiency virus-positive patient.

We report on a case of mixed infection caused by two species of Fusarium in a human immunodeficiency virus-positive patient with lymphoma who was neutropenic due to chemotherapy. The patient showed the typical signs of a disseminated fusarial infection, with Fusarium solani isolated from skin lesions and F. verticillioides isolated from blood. The report discusses how difficult it is to make an accurate diagnosis when an immunosuppressed patient is infected with more than one fungal species, especially when the species are morphologically very similar.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

PubMed2000

General assessment of the influence of a municipal landfill site and environmental factors on the occurrence of keratinolytic fungi in soil.

The study was to generally determine the influence of a municipal landfill site and environmental factors on the distribution of keratinolytic fungi in soil. The landfill site in Sosnowiec was selected for examination. Keratinolytic fungi occurred abundantly in soils of the landfill site examined and its surrounding area. Of 495 soil samples (Petri dishes) examined, 379 (76.56%) were found to be positive for keratinolytic fungi. Altogether, 1131 strains from 26 species were isolated from the samples. Among the fungi, some species with pathogenic properties (Microsporum racemosum, M. cookei, M. gypseum, Aphanoascus fulvescens and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis) were recorded. The influence of environmental factors on the qualitative and quantitative composition of keratinolytic fungi in the soils was complex. Among these factors, exchangeable acidity (pH in 1 M KCl, in particular), faecal bacterial contamination and the level of water deficit in soil were the most important. The conclusion has been drawn that municipal landfill sites are the sources of potentially pathogenic fungi with keratinolytic properties.

Environment↗

PubMed2000

[Two cases of scalp wound colonization and respiratory tract by mycelial fungi].

One case of colonization of a post-traumatic scalp wound by Aspergillus nidulans and Fusarium solani in a healthy adult patient is discussed. A second case of respiratory colonization by Acrophialophora fusispora in a child with cystic fibrosis is presented. Both cases are reported to illustrate the need of combined histologic and mycologic studies in evaluating patients in order to distinguish between colonization and invasion.

English Abstract↗

PubMed1999

Studies on keratinophilic fungi. XI. Chrysosporium undulatum sp. nov.

Chrysosporium undulatum sp. nov., showing intermediate characteristics between Chrysosporium and Malbranchea, is described and illustrated. This taxon is characterised by long and curved to loosely coiled hyphal appendages, deflected to wavy fertile hyphae forming dense tufts and small, subglobose, frequently intercalary, verrucose conidia. Restriction enzyme analysis and comparison of sequences of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 ribosomal DNA region of the most similar species strongly support this proposal.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Prevalence of Salmonella serotypes in environmental waters and their relationships with indicator organisms.

The incidence of serotypes of Salmonella in three types of environmental water (sea, river and fresh reservoirs) from north-east Spain was investigated. The study was performed at specific sampling locations during the summer for a period of five years (1992-1996). A total of 823 strains were isolated and 55 different serotypes were identified, 42 were recovered from sea water, 32 from river water and 12 from freshwater reservoirs. The most frequently isolated serotypes coincided with those involved in clinical cases in the area studied. Salmonella enteritidis was the most common (111 isolates), it was found in all types of water, although most predominantly in sea water (16.1% of the isolates). This serotype, together with S. hadar, significantly increased in frequency during the five year study period. The most frequent serotypes in river water and freshwater reservoirs were S. virchow (9.5%) and S. mikawasima (23.8%) respectively. Significant differences were assessed in the indicator organism densities between the samples with serotypes of clinical significance (S. enteritidis, S. infantis, S. typhimurium, S. virchow and S. paratyphi B) and those without clinical significance. Therefore their presence in all environmental waters may be of epidemiological significance.

Fresh Water↗

PubMed1999

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of dematiaceous filamentous fungi: effect of medium composition at different temperatures and times of reading.

We examined the effects of the composition of five media on the MICs of three antifungal agents (amphotericin B, flucytosine and ketoconazole) against 24 dematiaceous fungi at different temperatures and times of reading. Media studied were RPMI 1640, tryptic soy broth (TSB), yeast nitrogen broth (YNB), casein-yeast-glucose broth (CYG) and high-resolution medium (HR). The degree of reproducibility was determined with ketoconazole and 5-fluorocytosine and the media TSB and RPMI showed the best results with ketoconazole, while the best results for flucytosine were in CYG. Reproducibility was higher at 25 degrees than at 30 degrees C. The media and incubation time were shown to have a significant influence on the MICs of the three antifungals, but there were no interactions between these variables and temperature, except in the case of ketoconazole, where media-temperature and media-incubation time interactions were significant. There were noteworthy differences between the MICs obtained with the different media.

Amphotericin B↗

PubMed1999

In-vitro antifungal susceptibilities of Basidiobolus and Conidiobolus spp. strains.

The in-vitro antifungal susceptibilities of nine isolates belonging to Basidiobolus spp. and seven to Conidiobolus spp. against six antifungals (amphotericin B, ketoconazole, miconazole, itraconazole, fluconazole and flucytosine) were tested. A broth microdilution method, generally following the NCCLS guidelines, was used. Inoculum concentrations of the order of 100 cfu/mL were obtained by culturing fungi in a broth medium (Czapeck broth supplemented with 2% Tween 80 and 0.07% agar). MICs and MFCs were highly variable and isolate-dependent, with the exception of those of flucytosine which were constantly very high. In general, however, Basidiobolus spp. displayed low MICs of fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole and miconazole, and Conidiobolus spp. were resistant to all antifungals tested.

Antifungal Agents↗

PubMed1999

Experimental pathogenicity of four opportunist Fusarium species in a murine model.

A murine model with immunocompetent animals was used in a comparative study of experimental pathogenicity of 13 isolates belonging to the four most frequent pathogenic species of Fusarium in man (F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum). Inocula of 5 x 10(6) conidia/mouse of each isolate of Fusarium were injected into a lateral vein of the tail of the mice to produce a systemic infection. F. solani was the most virulent species; the five strains of this species assayed caused the death of all the animals tested in <19 days. The other species of Fusarium were not virulent in this model. The organs mainly affected by F. solani were the kidneys and the heart. These findings correlate with the clinical evidence and demonstrate that there is a high risk associated with infection by F. solani, especially for immunocompromised patients.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

In vitro and in vivo experimental activities of antifungal agents against Fusarium solani.

In the treatment of disseminated Fusarium infections, amphotericin B either alone or in combination with flucytosine and rifampin is the drug therapy most frequently used. The efficacy of these antifungal drugs was evaluated in a murine disseminated-infection model, with five strains of Fusarium solani. All the treatments were clearly ineffective.

Amphotericin B↗

PubMed1999

In vitro antifungal susceptibilities of Scopulariopsis isolates.

MICs and minimum fungicidal concentrations of amphotericin B, miconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole, and flucytosine against 17 isolates of Scopulariopsis spp. were determined by a broth microdilution method. All the isolates were resistant to itraconazole, fluconazole, and flucytosine, and amphotericin B, miconazole, and ketoconazole MICs were low for only a few.

Antifungal Agents↗

PubMed1999

Developments in fungal taxonomy.

Fungal infections, especially those caused by opportunistic species, have become substantially more common in recent decades. Numerous species cause human infections, and several new human pathogens are discovered yearly. This situation has created an increasing interest in fungal taxonomy and has led to the development of new methods and approaches to fungal biosystematics which have promoted important practical advances in identification procedures. However, the significance of some data provided by the new approaches is still unclear, and results drawn from such studies may even increase nomenclatural confusion. Analyses of rRNA and rDNA sequences constitute an important complement of the morphological criteria needed to allow clinical fungi to be more easily identified and placed on a single phylogenetic tree. Most of the pathogenic fungi so far described belong to the kingdom Fungi; two belong to the kingdom Chromista. Within the Fungi, they are distributed in three phyla and in 15 orders (Pneumocystidales, Saccharomycetales, Dothideales, Sordariales, Onygenales, Eurotiales, Hypocreales, Ophiostomatales, Microascales, Tremellales, Poriales, Stereales, Agaricales, Schizophyllales, and Ustilaginales).

Ascomycota↗

PubMed1999

Case of onychomycosis caused by Microsporum racemosum.

We report the case of a Spanish 60-year-old female who presented in 1997 with onychomycosis of the left thumbnail following an injury caused by a fresh fish bone. Microsporum racemosum was repeatedly cultured from nail scrapings, and its identity was confirmed by sequencing the isolate's ITS1/ITS2 and 5.8S rRNA regions. The patient was successfully treated with itraconazole, which was administered for 12 weeks. This represents the first case of onychomycosis due to M. racemosum and the first time that this species has been isolated from a human in Europe.

DNA, Fungal↗

PubMed1999

Fatal case of Trichoderma harzianum infection in a renal transplant recipient.

We describe the second known case of human infection by Trichoderma harzianum. A disseminated fungal infection was detected in the postmortem examination of a renal transplant recipient and confirmed in culture. The only other reported infection by this fungus caused peritonitis in a diabetic patient. The in vitro antifungal susceptibilities of the clinical strain and three other strains of Trichoderma species to six antifungal drugs are provided. This case illustrates the widening spectrum of opportunistic Trichoderma spp. in immunocompromised patients and emphasizes the problems in diagnosing invasive fungal diseases.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Mycotic keratitis due to Curvularia senegalensis and in vitro antifungal susceptibilities of Curvularia spp.

A case of mycotic keratitis due to Curvularia senegalensis is reported. This case represents the third known reported infection caused by this rare species. Fungal hyphae were detected in corneal scrapings, and repeated cultures were positive for this fungi. The patient was presumed cured after a corneal transplant and treatment with itraconazole, but the infection recurred and the patient is waiting for a keratoplasty. The in vitro antifungal susceptibilities of the case strain and another 24 strains belonging to seven species of Curvularia were tested for six antifungal agents. With the exception of flucytosine, and occasionally fluconazole, the other drugs assayed (amphotericin B, miconazole, itraconazole, and ketoconazole) were highly effective in vitro.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Phialemonium fungemia: two documented nosocomial cases.

Two fungal isolates recovered from the blood of two immunosuppressed patients are described as Phialemonium curvatum. One patient died, while the other, who was infected with Exophiala jeanselmei at the same time, survived after successful treatment with itraconazole. Analysis of internal transcribed spacer sequences demonstrated that the isolates belonged to the same strain and that the source of infection was probably a catheter. The taxonomic position of P. curvatum is discussed, and Phialemonium dimorphosporum is considered a synonym. The in vitro inhibitory activities of six antifungal agents (amphotericin B, itraconazole, ketaconazole, miconazole, flucytosine, and fluconazole) were determined against seven isolates of Phialemonium. Except for flucytosine, all of them were remarkably effective. Phialemonium should be added to the list of potential causes of nosocomial fungemia in cancer patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Microsphaeropsis olivacea as an etiological agent of human skin infection.

Microsphaeropsis olivacea is reported as the agent of a case of human skin infection in an otherwise healthy woman. This fungus has not been reported previously as causing disease in humans. It was identified on the basis of its production of pycnidia and conidial structures typical of the Coelomycetes, and by its light brown, ellipsoid to cylindrical and thick walled conidia. The in vitro inhibitory activity of amphotericin B, fluconazole, flucytosine, itraconazole, ketoconazole and miconazole was determined.

Antifungal Agents↗

PubMed1999

DNA fingerprinting of Fusarium solani isolates related to a cutaneous infection in a sea turtle.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting was applied to Fusarium solani from a cutaneous hyalohyphomycosis in a loggerhead sea turtle. A total of seven F. solani isolates were examined, three from culture collections and four from the turtle infection (one from the turtle's lesions and three from the sand of the tank in which the turtle was kept). The banding patterns of the isolates from culture collections were markedly different from the patterns of the isolates from both the turtle and the sand. The RAPD banding patterns were the same with all the primers used, suggesting that this opportunistic infection may be related to the presence of F. solani in the tank. RAPD techniques can be particularly useful for large-scale epidemiological studies and for identifying sources of infection.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Relationship between presence of Salmonella and indicators of faecal pollution in aquatic habitats.

The presence of Salmonella and its relationship with indicators of faecal pollution was investigated in aquatic habitats. The highest frequency was obtained in rivers (58.7% of samples) followed by freshwater reservoirs (14.8%) and sea water (5.9%). The sporadic presence of Salmonella (< 30%) on beaches with low concentrations of faecal streptococci (mean 25 CFU (100 ml)-1) may represent a potential risk for bathers in agreement with data found in previous epidemiological studies. Absence of Salmonella was observed only on beaches with very low densities (CFU (100 ml)-1) of indicator organisms (25 total coliforms, 13 faecal coliforms and 17 faecal streptococci).

Bathing Beaches↗