Pythium insidiosum sp. nov., the etiologic agent of pythiosis.
Pythium insidiosum sp. nov., the etiologic agent of pythiosis, a cosmopolitan disease of horses, cattle, and dogs, is described and illustrated.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Ajello.
Pythium insidiosum sp. nov., the etiologic agent of pythiosis, a cosmopolitan disease of horses, cattle, and dogs, is described and illustrated.
A bilateral nasal phaeohyphomycotic infection caused by Bipolaris hawaiiensis in an immunocompromised woman from India is described. Repeated direct microscopic examinations of the nasal scrapings revealed the presence of septate, branched, pigmented hyphal fragments intermingled with cells that divided internally by one transverse septum and a few cells that were chestnut brown dividing internally by septa in different planes to become muriform. Cultures of the scrapings yielded B. hawaiiensis. Local excision of the crusted lesion followed by application of 0.03% nystatin solution four times a day for 3 weeks cured the infection.
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Keratinomyces ceretanicus was described as a new taxon distinct from Trichophyton ajelloi. Because of the morphological similarity between the two species, their mating behaviour was studied. The optimum temperature for growth of K. ceretanicus was found to be 25 degrees C rather than 17 degrees C. The type culture produced moderate numbers of microconidia on potato glucose agar after 2 weeks at 25 degrees C and a large number of smooth, thick-walled, cylindro-fusiform, 7-to 12-celled macroconidia. On Sabouraud glucose agar containing chloramphenicol and cycloheximide growth was partially but not completely inhibited. When crossed on a soil-hair medium, K. ceretanicus produced fertile gymnothecia typical of Arthroderma uncinatum with 10 (-) mating type isolates of A. uncinatum. As a result, it is concluded that K. ceretanicus is a facultative synonym of T. ajelloi.
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Two relatively new opportunistic diseases--hyalohyphomycosis and phaeohyphomycosis--are the byproduct, in most cases, of the progress being made in combating microbial and non-microbial diseases. Immunologically impaired hosts have become vulnerable to infection by fungi that were long considered to be innocuous. The currently known etiologic agents of these two diseases are listed and pertinent literature references are cited. The basic histologic differences between phaeohyphomycosis and chromoblastomycosis was emphasized and illustrated.
Seventeen cases of histoplasmosis involving 2 dogs and 15 cats have occurred in the Upper Rio Grande Valley of El Paso since 1978. The diagnosis, based on clinical signs and radiographic findings, was confirmed by one or more of the following laboratory procedures: demonstration of intracellular Histoplasma capsulatum yeast cells in tissue, positive serology, or isolation of H. capsulatum from various organs of necropsied animals. H. capsulatum was isolated also from a bat cave and soil in the vicinity of some of the houses where the affected animals had resided. Skin-tests of 97 persons for histoplasmosis indicated a 14% positive prevalance in this locale.
Three male college students from Florida developed acute onsets of fever, chills, shortness of breath, and cough within one day of each other, and all were eventually hospitalized for four to 29 days. All chest x-ray films showed diffuse reticulonodularities in both lung fields. Laboratory studies confirmed the diagnosis of histoplasmosis. The three students had been 'spelunking' (cave exploring) 6 to 7 days before their onset of symptoms. One of four soil samples collected in the caves was positive for Histoplasma capsulatum by the indirect mouse inoculation procedure. Of three investigators who entered the implicated caves, two developed acute febrile illness within 15-21 days. One investigator was hospitalized for 18 days with a confirmed diagnosis of histoplasmosis. Investigation identified an additional case (the person had entered the caves 6 months before this episode), but was not reported to health authorities. Spelunkers should be aware of the potential risk of histoplasmosis and how to avoid infection. Physicians should be cognizant of cave-associated histoplasmosis, inquire about spelunking in persons who develop febrile respiratory illnesses with diffuse nodularities on chest x-ray films, and report such cases to their health department. A review of 42 reported outbreaks of cave-associated histoplasmosis and the approach to environmental control of infected caves are included.
Fourteen cases of penicilliosis marneffei occurred in persons in the Guangxi region of the People's Republic of China; the first known case of that disease had been found in Vietnamese bamboo rats (Rhizomys sinensis). A survey of the wild rats in this region was initiated to determine if any of these animals were infected by Penicillium marneffei. Although R. sinensis rats live in the study area, they are relatively rare. The only rats captured were another species of bamboo rat (R. pruinosus). Of the 19 rats captured, 18 yielded cultures of P. marneffei from one or more of their internal organs. The implications of this finding in respect to the epidemiology of penicilliosis marneffei are discussed.
Sarcinomyces phaeomuriformis is described as a new species in the genus Sarcinomyces Lindner. Currently, the taxon is known to occur only in Japan as a causal agent of phaeohyphomycosis. The colonies are initially yeast-like, which on aging become dry, granular, heaped, friable and black. The initial growth consists of single cells which form multiple broad-based buds and by a successive budding process produce chains of blastoconidia. In its blastic conidiogenesis, S. phaeomuriformis resembles Phaeococcomyces catenatus. However, mature colonies consist of thick-walled, pale to dark brown muriform cells which develop broad-based buds. The buds, after separating from their parent cells, either bud or enlarge and divide internally by septations laid down in different planes to become muriform. Conidiogenesis that gives rise to multiple, broad-based blastic and thallic-sarcinic conidia characterizes S. phaeomuriformis.
Phialemonium obovatum was found to be the cause of osteomyelitis in a German shepherd dog. Histologic examination of the biopsied material from the left tibia revealed septate, irregularly branched hyphae, swollen cells, and ovate-to-spherical cells divided by a transverse septum. The majority of the fungal elements were hyaline, but a few had lightly pigmented cell walls that had a greenish yellow tint. The presence of melanin in the cell walls of the hyphae and especially in their septa was verified by the use of the Fontana-Masson silver stain. P. obovatum formed moist, off-white-to-ochraceous, spreading colonies with a characteristic green pigment on their reverse side. The pigment was more prominent in cultures grown at 37 degrees C than in those grown at 25 degrees C. The isolate also grew at 40 degrees C. The dog isolate produced characteristic adelophialides without conspicuous collarettes and also basal septa from the creeping vegetative hyphae growing on the surface of the medium. The numerous obovate phialoconidia were smooth and one-celled.
It is proposed that the dematiaceous hyphomycete Cladosporium bantianum (Saccardo) Borelli be transferred to the genus Xylohypha (Fries) Mason as Xylohypha bantiana (Saccardo) McGinnis, Padhye, Borelli, et Ajello. This new combination is necessary because X. bantiana produces conidiophores that are indistinguishable from its vegetative hyphae and one-celled, smooth-walled conidia that are borne in long, infrequently branched chains. The blastoconidia do not possess darkly pigmented hila. In contrast, members of the genus Cladosporium Link produce erect, distinct conidiophores and one- to four-celled smooth-to-rough-walled conidia that occur in short, frequently branched, fragile chains. The blastoconidia have darkly pigmented hila. Cladosporium trichoides Emmons is a later synonym of X. bantiana.
A 27-year-old man with a 6-year history of allergies developed nasal polyps that occluded his nose and prevented visual examination beyond the nasal vestibules. Histological examination of the polyps and bony tissue revealed septate, dematiaceous hyphae invading the bone trabeculae. A dematiaceous fungus was isolated in pure culture from the diseased tissue. Detailed mycological examination of the isolate showed that it produced numerous, distinctive poroconidia from erect, geniculate, sympodial conidiophores. The conidia were straight and cylindroellipsoidal, had 8 to 13 distosepta, and had protruding hila. The outer cell walls of the conidia, which were initially smooth, became unevenly roughened on aging. Comparison with other Exserohilum species revealed that the isolate represented an undescribed species; it is named Exserohilum mcginnisii sp. nov.
We report a case of chronic lobomycosis, contracted by a rural resident of the westernmost Brazilian state, Acre, and substantiate that western Amazonia is now an endemic area for Loboa loboi. No changes in lesion morphology resulted from a prolonged course of oral therapy with ketoconazole administered in an attempt to prevent the progressive and destructive extension of the disease.
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Phialophora verrucosa and P. americana, two dematiaceous hyphomycetes, are known to cause chromoblastomycosis. Even though most medical mycologists consider P. americana as synonymous with P. verrucosa, others maintain them as two distinct species on the basis that the phialides of P. americana have deeper collarettes than those of P. verrucosa. Thirty-two isolates, identified either as P. americana or P. verrucosa, were studied for their morphologic, physiologic, and antigenic characteristics to evaluate their taxonomic status. Collarette morphology was found to be a variable character in 12 of the 32 isolates. Those 12 produced phialides with both shallow and deep collarettes. All of the isolates hydrolysed urea within 7 days at 25 degrees C, and failed to liquefy gelatin after 3 weeks at 25 degrees C. None of the isolates decomposed casein, xanthine, or hypoxanthine at the end of 3 weeks at 25 degrees C. All decomposed tyrosine. They grew at 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C, but failed to grow at 40 degrees C. The antigenic relationship between the two species was studied by the exoantigen procedure. The 32 isolates showed close antigenic relatedness. Adsorptions of antisera with homologous and heterologous antigens rendered the antisera free of precipitin bands when studied by the microimmunodiffusion test. The depth of phialide collarettes produced by the two species, being found to be variable character, and the identical nature of the two species with respect to their physiologic and antigenic characteristics, led us to conclude that P. americana should be considered as a synonym of P. verrucosa.
To evaluate temporal trends in the incidence of systemic mycoses resulting in hospitalization, we reviewed hospital discharge data from the Professional Activity Study of the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities for 1980-1982. In comparison with results from similar studies in 1970 and 1976, the incidences of the mycoses that are more likely to be opportunistic and/or hospital-acquired infections (candidiasis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis) increased in 1980-1982 as did the incidences of sporotrichosis and actinomycosis. At the same time the incidences of most community-acquired mycoses (histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, and blastomycosis) remained stable or declined. These results are consistent with the increasing number of immunocompromised patients with severe underlying illnesses, who are at risk of developing opportunistic mycoses.