Epidemiology and Prognostic Factors Associated With Mold-Positive Blood Cultures: 10-Year Data From a French Prospective Surveillance Program (2012-2022).

Background: While invasive fusariosis and lomentosporiosis are known to be associated with fungemia, overall data on mold-related fungemia are limited, hampering early management. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of mold-positive blood cultures.

Methods: Epidemiological and clinical data on mold-positive blood cultures from 2012 to 2022 were obtained from the RESSIF database.

A new quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay to improve the routine diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis.

Paracoccidioides are dimorphic fungal pathogens and the etiological agents of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). This severe systemic mycosis is restricted to Latin America, where it has been historically endemic. Currently, PCM presents the fewest diagnostic tools available when compared to other endemic mycoses.

Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii and Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum infections on tissue sections: diagnostic pitfalls and relevance of an integrated histomolecular diagnosis.

Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii and Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum may present atypical histopathological features inducing diagnostic errors. We aimed to estimate the frequency of these atypical features on formalin-fixed tissue samples (FT) and to assess the relevance of an integrated histomolecular diagnosis using specific Histoplasma capsulatum PCR and panfungal PCR followed by Sanger sequencing and/or targeted-massive parallel sequencing (MPS).

Immunometabolic reprogramming in macrophages infected with active and dormant : differential modulation of respiration, glycolysis, and fatty acid utilization.

Dormancy is an adaptation in which cells reduce their metabolism, transcription, and translation to stay alive under stressful conditions, preserving the capacity to reactivate once the environment reverts to favorable conditions. Dormancy and reactivation of () are closely linked to intracellular residency within macrophages. Our previous work showed that murine macrophages rely on the viable but not cultivable (VBNC-a dormancy phenotype) fungus from active , with striking differences in immunometabolic gene expression.

Combined antifungal therapy with immunostimulation for refractory cutaneous and peritoneal mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus microsporus.

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection typically affecting immunocompromised patients. Here, we report a severe case of invasive cutaneous and peritoneal mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus microsporus, successfully treated with a combination of antifungal therapy, PD-1 inhibitor, and interferon-gamma. We highlight the importance of personalized immunotherapy in refractory cases of invasive mucormycosis.

Implementation and validation of a new qPCR assay to detect imported human species.

Diagnosis of imported malaria is based on microscopic examination of blood smears (BS), detection of circulating plasmodial antigen by immunochromatography (ICT), or detection of spp. DNA by loop mediated isothermal amplification. We have developed duplex ( spp.

Dynamics of Histoplasma fungal load in people living with HIV with disseminated histoplasmosis under treatment with liposomal amphotericin B.

Objectives: Disseminated histoplasmosis (DH) is a lethal fungal disease in patients living with HIV in endemic regions of the world. Diagnosis relies mainly on microscopy, culture, and antigen detection. Our goal was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic role of our RT-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in blood specimens allowing to quantify the whole nucleic acids (WNA) load.

Laboratory practices for the diagnosis and management of mucormycosis in France, 2024.

This study investigates the diagnostic practices for mucormycosis among 30 French University Hospital mycology laboratories, in 2024. All laboratories perform both direct examination and culture, with fluorescent brighteners being the most commonly used method for direct examination. While 77 % of the participating laboratories routinely identify Mucorales to the species level, with 70 % having adopted Mucorales-specific quantitative PCR, primarily for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections.

Reverse-transcriptase real-time PCR in the diagnostic strategy for invasive infections caused by .

The aim was to develop an RT-qPCR targeting and compare its performance to that of qPCR for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA). Samples from patients of the Lyon University hospitals for whom a suspicion of IA led to the realization of an qPCR molecular diagnostic test over a 2-year period were included. The patients were classified according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group (EORTC-MSGERC) criteria for suspected IA; RT-qPCR and qPCR assays were performed on all included samples.

Auranofin is active against Histoplasma capsulatum and reduces the expression of virulence-related genes.

Background: Auranofin is an approved anti-rheumatic drug that has a broad-range inhibitory action against several microorganisms, including human pathogenic fungi. The auranofin activity against Histoplasma capsulatum, the dimorphic fungus that causes histoplasmosis, has not been properly addressed. Since there are few therapeutic options for this life-threatening systemic mycosis, this study evaluated the effects of auranofin on H.

Risk Factors and Outcome Associated With Fungal Infections in Patients With Severe Burn Injury: 10-year Retrospective IFI-BURN Study.

Background: In burn patients, skin barrier disruption and immune dysfunctions increase susceptibility to invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) like invasive candidiasis (IC) and invasive mold infections (IMI). We provide an in-depth analysis of IFD-related factors and outcomes in a 10-year cohort of severe burn patients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study includes adult patients admitted to the burn intensive care unit (BICU) between April 2014 and May 2023 with total burn surface area (TBSA) ≥15%.

Polymerase Chain Reaction on Respiratory Tract Specimens of Immunocompromised Patients to Diagnose Pneumocystis Pneumonia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: This meta-analysis examines the comparative diagnostic performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) on different respiratory tract samples, in both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and non-HIV populations.

Methods: A total of 55 articles met inclusion criteria, including 11 434 PCR assays on respiratory specimens from 7835 patients at risk of PCP. QUADAS-2 tool indicated low risk of bias across all studies.

In Vitro Titan Cell Generation in Cryptococcus neoformans and Automated Cell Size Measurements.

A special feature of the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is its morphological changes triggered by the interaction with the host. During infection, a specific increase in cell size is observed, particularly in lung tissue, from a typical cell size of 5-7 μm cells to cells larger than 10 μm, dubbed titan cells (TCs). However, the study of this specific cell subpopulation was, until now, only possible via recovery of TCs from lungs of mice during experimental infections where stable and reproducible generation of TCs occurs.

Induction of Dormancy in Cryptococcus neoformans In Vitro: The HypNOS Protocol.

Cryptococcus neoformans is the second major cause of death in patients with HIV. During a latent infection, this pathogenic fungus survives in the host for years without causing symptoms of active disease. Upon favorable conditions, such as immunosuppression due to HIV infection, or other conditions (steroid use or organ transplantation), the yeast may reactivate and cause active cryptococcosis.

Assessing Phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans Cells in Human Monocytes or the J774 Murine Macrophage Cell Line.

Monocyte/macrophage cells play a central role in innate immunity against C. neoformans and C. gattii, species known to cause human disease.