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PubMed2005

Pharmacological management of paracoccidioidomycosis.

A systemic and endemic emerging mycosis in Latin America, paracoccidioidomycosis, is characterised by its chronicity and by the severity of the disseminated form in healthy individuals, as well as in immunocompromised individuals co-infected with HIV, resulting, in the latter, in a mortality rate in the range of 30 - 45%. The long (several years) duration of treatment results from the immunosuppression induced by the disease or from the survival capacity of the fungus in tissue. A few controlled studies and case reports have shown that fast-acting azolic and sulfa derivatives are useful treatment alternatives for patients presenting milder forms of the disease. However, when using such drugs, treatment regimens of longer duration are required for the maintenance of patients with more severe forms. The search for new alternatives for treating the most severe forms is an ongoing challenge. Novel treatments may be found among new classes of drugs, drug combinations, or agents capable of modulating the immune response, such as a peptide derived from the 43-kDa Paracoccidioides brasiliensis glycoprotein.

Amphotericin B↗

PubMed2003

The infrabuccal pellet piles of fungus-growing ants.

Fungus-growing ants (Attini) live in an obligate mutualism with the fungi they cultivate for food. Because of the obligate nature of this relationship, the success of the ants is directly dependent on their ability to grow healthy fungus gardens. Attine ants have evolved complex disease management strategies to reduce their garden's exposure to potential parasitic microbes, to prevent the establishment of infection in their gardens, and to remove infected garden sections. The infrabuccal pocket, a filtering device located in the oral cavity of all ants, is an integral part of the mechanisms that leaf-cutter ants use to prevent the invasion and spread of general microbial parasites and the specific fungal-garden parasite Escovopsis. Fungus-growing ants carefully groom their garden, collecting general debris and pathogenic spores of Escovopsis in their infrabuccal pocket, the contents of which are later expelled in dump chambers inside the nest or externally. In this study we examined how a phylogenetically diverse collection of attine ants treat their infrabuccal pellets. Unlike leaf-cutters that deposit their infrabuccal pellets directly in refuse piles, ants of the more basal attine lineages stack their infrabuccal pellets in piles located close to their gardens, and a separate caste of workers is devoted to the construction, management, and eventual disposal of these piles.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Cloning and characterization of a probenazole-inducible gene for an intracellular pathogenesis-related protein in rice.

Probenazole (3-allyloxy-1,2-benzisothiazole-1,1-dioxide) induces disease resistance in rice against rice blast fungus. To investigate the molecular mechanism of probenazole-induced resistance, we isolated and characterized a cDNA clone of a probenazole-inducible gene in rice, which encoded a protein designated PBZ1. Sequence analysis revealed that significant homology at the amino acid level exists between the predicted PBZ1 protein and intracellular pathogenesis-related (IPR) proteins. Accumulation of PBZ1 mRNA was not induced by wounding, but markedly induced by inoculation with rice blast fungus. In addition, it was induced sooner by inoculation with an incompatible race than that with a compatible race. On the other hand, when the accumulation of the PBZ1 mRNA was examined after treatment with probenazole-related compounds, it was not fully correlated with anti-rice blast activity. However, it was induced after treatment with N-cyano-methyl-2-chloro-isonicotinamide (NCI), which belongs to another group of compounds known to induce disease resistance. Thus, although the accumulation of the PBZ1 mRNA was not fully correlated with anti-rice blast activity, our findings suggest that the PBZ1 gene has an important function during the disease resistance response in rice.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Unequal exchange and meiotic instability of disease-resistance genes in the Rp1 region of maize.

The Rp1 region of maize was originally characterized as a complex locus which conditions resistance to the fungus Puccinia sorghi, the causal organism in the common rust disease. Some alleles of Rp1 are meiotically unstable, but the mechanism of instability is not known. We have studied the role of recombination in meiotic instability in maize lines homozygous for either Rp1-J or Rp1-G. Test cross progenies derived from a line that was homozygous for Rp1-J, but heterozygous at flanking markers, were screened for susceptible individuals. Five susceptible individuals were derived from 9772 progeny. All five had nonparental combinations of flanking markers; three had one combination of recombinant flanking markers while the other two had the opposite pair. In an identical study with Rp1-G, 20 susceptible seedlings were detected out of 5874 test cross progeny. Nineteen of these were associated with flanking marker exchange, 11 and 8 of each recombinant marker combination. Our results indicate that unequal exchange is the primary mechanism of meiotic instability of Rp1-J and Rp1-G.

Basidiomycota↗

PubMed2002

Stat6-deficient mice develop airway hyperresponsiveness and peribronchial fibrosis during chronic fungal asthma.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (Stat6) is critical for Th2-mediated responses during allergic airway disease. To investigate the role of Stat6 in fungus-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling, Stat6-deficient (Stat6-/-) and Stat6-wildtype (Stat6+/+) mice were sensitized to Aspergillus fumigatus and airway disease was subsequently assessed in both groups at days 21, 30, 38, and 44 after an intratracheal challenge with live A. fumigatus conidia. At all times after conidia, histological analysis revealed an absence of goblet cell hyperplasia and markedly diminished peribronchial inflammation in Stat6-/- mice in contrast to Stat6+/+ mice. Airway hyperresponsiveness and peribronchial fibrosis in Stat6-/- mice were significantly reduced at day 21 after conidia compared with Stat6+/+ mice, but both groups exhibited significant, similar increases in these parameters at all subsequent times after conidia. In separate experiments, IL-13-responsive cells in Stat6-/- mice were targeted via the daily intranasal administration of 200 ng of IL-13-PE38QQR (IL13-PE), comprised of human IL-13 and a derivative of Pseudomonas exotoxin, from days 38 to 44 after the conidia challenge. IL13-PE treatment abolished airway hyperresponsiveness, but not peribronchial fibrosis in Stat6-/- mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the chronic development of airway hyperresponsiveness during fungal asthma is IL-13-dependent but Stat6-independent.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Fungal meningitis.

Fungal meningitis tends to be a subacute or chronic process; however, it may be just as lethal as bacterial meningitis if untreated. There are many similarities between the pathogenic fungi. Most of the fungi are aerosolized and inhaled, and initiate a primary pulmonary infection which is usually self-limited. Hematogenous dissemination may follow the initial infection, with subsequent involvement of the CNS. Rarely, trauma or local extension provides the route to CNS infection. The host is frequently, although not always, immunosuppressed. The hyphae of molds generally cause focal disease with hemorrhagic necrosis secondary to vascular thrombosis. The yeasts tend to cause a more diffuse process with the base of the brain being primarily affected, such that hydrocephalus is seen as a frequent complication of chronic disease. Diagnosis may be difficult, as the CSF may be normal, with negative smears and sterile cultures, although more often there is at least one abnormality indicating disease. Serologies (if available, depending on the fungus) may point towards the proper diagnosis, as may a careful travel history. Currently, amphotericin B is still the drug of choice in most situations; however, the newer azole antifungal agents offer great promise, especially in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis. The precise role of such agents will remain unclear until appropriate large-scale studies of their effectiveness have been completed. The treatment of the unusual CNS mycoses will continue to be based on clinical experience, and reports of the use of new azoles in these diseases need to be critically evaluated.

Blastomycosis↗

PubMed2026

Integrated Functional Characterization of Hemileia vastatrix Effector Candidates Reveals Coordinated Immune Suppression, Sequential Deployment and Compartment-Specific Targeting.

Coffee leaf rust, caused by the obligate biotrophic fungus Hemileia vastatrix, remains the most destructive disease of coffee worldwide. Although genomic and transcriptomic studies have identified a large number of candidate effectors, experimental evidence supporting their biological roles during infection remains limited. Here, we integrated functional assays, temporal expression profiling during coffee infection and subcellular localization analyses to investigate the biological properties of 44 H. vastatrix effector candidates (HvECs). Using the Pseudomonas fluorescens EtHAn effector delivery system in Nicotiana benthamiana, 15 HvECs consistently suppressed pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), indicating that immune suppression is a widespread property among the H. vastatrix effector repertoire, as assessed in this heterologous system. Five HvECs also attenuated AvrB-triggered effector-triggered immunity (ETI), and three suppressed both PTI and ETI, suggesting that a subset of HvECs targets conserved regulatory nodes shared by these interconnected immune pathways. Temporal expression profiling revealed sequential deployment of HvECs throughout infection, with distinct subsets predominating during pre-biotrophic development, host penetration or biotrophic colonization, consistent with stage-specific functions during fungal pathogenesis. Subcellular localization analyses further showed that HvECs preferentially accumulated in the nucleus or chloroplasts, compartments known as central hubs of plant immune regulation. This study provides the most comprehensive functional characterization of H. vastatrix effector candidates to date, establishes a biologically informed framework for prioritizing candidates for future identification of avirulence determinants recognized by SH resistance genes, and advances our understanding of how the coffee rust fungus orchestrates immune suppression across time and cellular space during pathogenesis.

Nicotiana↗

PubMed2000

[Edmond Sergent (1876-1969) and the Pasteur Institute of Algeria].

Edmond Sergent, supported by a distinguished team of colleagues, directed the Pasteur Institute of Algeria for over 60 years, from 1900 to 1963. As a student of Emile Roux, Sergent had received a Pasteurian training. His institute devoted extensive study to malaria. Sergent defined the concept of prevention and extended it to other pathologies. For many years, the Institute persevered in carrying out successful antimalarial campaigns such that Algeria was freed of the disease. In 1916-1917, Sergent and his brother were called upon to organise anti-malarial efforts for the Armée d'Orient. By way of systematic and energetic curative and prophylactic measures, they were able to eradicate the disease. In 1908, the Sergent brothers were the first to discover the role of the louse in the transmission of another disease, relapsing fever. The Pasteur Institute team also discovered the sand fly vector which transmits the parasite causing leishmaniasis. The Sergents found a new form of oculonasal myiasis, called "Thimni". In addition, they led effective campaigns against tuberculosis based on BCG vaccination administered throughout Algeria. The Pasteur Institute of Algeria conducted important research in plant and animal diseases. For example, they detected a trypanosome agent causing dromedary "debab", as well as its vector, the horsefly. They also studied in depth bovine piroplasmosis, which causes widespread and destructive disease, and demonstrated the role of the tick in promoting transmission generally. Their work in botany included the discovery that a Fusarium-type fungus was the causal agent for "baïoudh", the main disease of date palms. They also demonstrated the basic role of the fruit fly in alcoholic grape fermentation.

Academies and Institutes↗

PubMed2005

Functional genome of the human pathogenic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a dimorphic and thermo-regulated fungus which is the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, an endemic disease widespread in Latin America. Pathogenicity is assumed to be a consequence of the cellular differentiation process that this fungus undergoes from mycelium to yeast cells during human infection. In an effort to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in this process a network of Brazilian laboratories carried out a transcriptome project for both cell types. This review focuses on the data analysis yielding a comprehensive view of the fungal metabolism and the molecular adaptations during dimorphism in P. brasiliensis from analysis of 6022 groups, related to expressed genes, which were generated from both mycelium and yeast phases.

Expressed Sequence Tags↗

PubMed2004

Surgical management of pulmonary cavity associated with fungus ball.

Surgery for pulmonary cavity associated with fungus ball is challenged by chronic lung disease. The purpose of this report was to review patient data, operative procedures and results of surgery. This was a retrospective study. Twenty patients were operated on between January 1997 and December 2002. Fourteen (70%) patients were male and the mean age was 46.30 +/- 13.10 years (range, 24 to 76 years). The most common underlying pulmonary disorder was tuberculosis (70%). Ninety five percent of the patients had a history of hemoptysis, and 35% presented with massive hemoptysis. Lobectomy was performed in 11 (55%) patients and 6 (30%) patients were operated on by cavernostomy with transposition of muscle flap technique. There was no operative mortality and 8 complications (3 prolonged airleaks, 2 wound infections, 1 postoperative bleeding, 1 seroma and 1 empyema). It was also found that emergency surgery and cavernostomy with transposition of muscle flap compromised the postoperative course. Surgery is very effective in controlling and preventing hemoptysis in patients who have pulmonary cavity associated with fungus ball. Elective surgery and formal pulmonary resection may be the proper option for low risk patients. Cavernostomy with transposition of muscle flap may be suitable for patients who have poor pulmonary reserve.

Emergency Medical Services↗

PubMed2003

Genetic dissection of partial resistance to race 6 of Venturia inaequalis in apple.

Scab, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, is one of the most important diseases of apple (Malus x domestica). The major resistance gene, Vf, has been widely used in apple breeding programs, but two new races of the fungus (races 6 and 7) are able to overcome this gene. A mapped F1 progeny derived from a cross between the cultivars Prima and Fiesta has bee n inoculated with two monoconidial strains of race 6. These strains originated from sporulating leaves of 'Prima' and a descendant of 'Prima' that were grown in an orchard in northern Germany. 'Prima' carries the Vf resistance gene, whereas 'Fiesta' lacks Vf. A large variation in resistance and (or) susceptibility was observed among the individuals of the progeny. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for resistance were identified that mapped on four genomic regions. One of them was located in the very close vicinity of the Vf resistance gene on linkage group LG-1 of the 'Prima' genetic map. This QTL is isolate specific because it was only detected with one of the two isolates. Two out of the three other genomic regions were identified with both isolates (LG-11 and LG-17). On LG-11, a QTL effect was detected in both parents. The genetic dissection of this QTL indicated a favourable intra-locus interaction between some parental alleles.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed1997

Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of a putative ras gene of the phytopathogenic fungus Botryotinia fuckeliana.

We solated and determined the complete nucleotide sequence of a ras gene from Botryotinia fuckeliana, the causal agent of gray mold disease. Furthermore, in two other phytopathogenic fungi, Magnaporthe grisea (rice blast fungus) and Colletotrichum lagenarium (an anthracnose fungus), ras gene homologs were identified by amplifying gene fragments in polymerase chain reactions. The putative ras gene of B. fuckeliana encoded a polypeptide of 212 amino acids, and the coding sequence was interrupted by three short introns. The amino-terminal one third of the predicted Ras protein was highly homologous, and the next one third moderately homologous, to those of mammalian Ras proteins. The carboxy-terminal one third showed no homology, except in the last several amino acids that conformed to the acylation consensus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Fungus-induced arthritis caused by Scedosporium apiospermum (Pseudallescheria Boydii)].

Scedosporium (monosporium) apiospermum is the most common causative agent of maduro mycosis. Recent research reports claim that this fungus can also induce arthritis. We report on the disease in a woman from a rural area who was admitted to our clinic because of arthritis symptoms. We were able to detect Scedosporium apiospermum, i.e., it was probably a fungus-induced arthritis which had developed after an intraarticular steroid injection.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗

PubMed2001

Aspects of fungal pathogenesis in humans.

Fungal diseases have become increasingly important in the past few years. Because few fungi are professional pathogens, fungal pathogenic mechanisms tend to be highly complex, arising in large part from adaptations of preexisting characteristics of the organisms' nonparasitic lifestyles. In the past few years, genetic approaches have elucidated many fungal virulence factors, and increasing knowledge of host reactions has also clarified much about fungal diseases. The literature on fungal pathogenesis has grown correspondingly; this review, therefore, will not attempt to provide comprehensive coverage of fungal disease but focuses on properties of the infecting fungus and interactions with the host. These topics have been chosen to make the review most useful to two kinds of readers: fungal geneticists and molecular biologists who are interested in learning about the biological problems posed by infectious diseases, and physicians who want to know the kinds of basic approaches available to study fungal virulence.

Fungi↗

PubMed2005

[Study of the association between human leukocyte antigens and Jorge Lobo's disease].

Jorge Lobo's disease is a cutaneous/subcutaneous mycosis with a chronic course, caused by the fungus Lacazia loboi. Considering its epidemiology and the few studies on immunological aspects of this disease, the objective of the present study was to investigate a possible association between HLA class II specificities in 21 Jorge Lobo's disease patients, by comparing them with healthy individual of the same ethnic group. HLA typing was performed using PCR-SSP method. The result did not show any association between HLA antigens and Jorge Lobo's disease. Although not statistically significant, a decreased frequency of HLA-DR7 was observed in the patients compared to the controls (0% x 18%). This suggests a negative association (protective) between HLA-DR7 and Jorge Lobo's disease. Further studies, however, are needed for a better understanding of the susceptibility and/or protection mechanisms involved.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

[Clinical significance of fungi-bearing status of hospitalized patients].

The samples for fungi culture were collected from 11 body parts of 1109 patients who had been admitted to hospitals in Wuhan for more than 3 days. The body parts included the cavities and foramina (inner canthus, nasal vestibule, external auditory canal), skin (finger raphe, cubital fossa, axillary fossa, nipple), and mucosa (pharynx, vagina, coronary sulcus and anal canal). 201 healthy subjects were also examined and served as controls. It was found that the total fungus-bearing rate in hospitalized patients was 88.73% (984/1109), while the rate in healthy subject was 76.62% (154/201) (X2 = 21.61). Among the hospitalized patients, the fungus-bearing rate in patients with leukemia, tumors, connective tissue diseases or severe infectious diseases was significantly higher than other patients (X2 = 4.30-9.87). In the hospitalized patients, the body parts with highest fungus-bearing rates were cavities and foramina, 80.70% (895/1109) for patients and 71.64% (144/201) for healthy subjects respectively. The skin had lowest fungus-bearing rate. 20.02% (222/1109) and 13.43% (26/201), and the mucosa had a rate of 50.77% (563/1109) for patients and 32.34% (65/201) respectively. The fungi in the hospitalized patients included 1884 strains (mean = 1.92 strains per case) in which the Candida accounted for 29.78% (561/1884) and Aspergilla 24.31% (458/1884) and those identified in healthy subjects covered 234 strains (mean = 1.52 strains per person) in which Penicillia accounted for 45.30% (106/234) and Saccharomycetes 26.07% (61/234). The patients who had been hospitalized for 3-10 days and over 20 days had higher fungus-bearing rate as compared with those who had been hospitalized for 10 to 20 days (X2 = 5.633-97.09). The patients before the administration of antibiotics and adrenocortical steroid and those who had been given these medicines for over 20 days had a higher fungus-bearing rate than those who had been on these medicines for 1-20 days.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Dead flower buds of pear: effect of tree growth control, and Alternaria alternata as causal agent.

Dead (dormant) flower buds of pear is an important phenomenon in pear production in the Netherlands. Vigourous or unbalanced tree growth and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae are mentioned as likely causes of dead flower buds. Several tree growth control treatments including ethephon. Regalis (Prohexadione-Ca) and root pruning were evaluated. Regalis increased disease incidence. The plant stimulant (foliar fertilizer) Resistim (potassium phosphonate) reduced disease incidence. Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae was occasionally isolated from diseased flower buds. However, Alternaria alternata was nearly always isolated from diseased buds. Indicating a strong relation between this fungus and dead flower buds of pear.

Alternaria↗

PubMed2002

[Health threats for children in the modern building trade].

Changes in building industry during last 30 years in search of economic technologies and building materials ended in creating airtight and energy-saving constructions with reduced ventilation. As a result, diminish exchange between internal and external air, leads to cumulation of various chemicals and organic substances in our houses. Concentrated oxidation products (CO2, CO, NO2, nicotine smoke), vaporizing substances (formaldehyde, NH3, aromatic hydrocarbons) might irritate mucouses, promote or intense respiratory tract infections, allergic diseases or bronchial asthma. Higher risk of atopic diseases and bronchial asthma also arises from proliferation of fungus, bacteria and mites in modern interiors, which are quite convenient for it. Buildings with microclimate, which is dangerous for human health, are termed "sick buildings". Diseases that develop under their influence are called BRI (building related illnesses). Children are most exposed on them, especially under municipal conditions, because they spend majority of their time at home.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗