Molecular Identification, Genotyping, Phenotyping, and Antifungal Susceptibilities of Medically Important Trichosporon, Apiotrichum, and Cutaneotrichosporon Species.

Recently, Trichosporon taxonomy has been reevaluated and new genera of the Trichosporonaceae family have been described. Here, 26 clinical isolates were submitted for identification via sequencing of the intergenic space 1 (IGS1) region, genotyping, and investigation of virulence factors. Antifungal susceptibility was determined using the CLSI broth microdilution method for fluconazole (FLC), itraconazole (ITC), and amphotericin B (AMB).

Molecular epidemiology of mycobacteria among herds in Marajó Island, Brazil, reveals strains genetically related and potential zoonotic risk of clinical relevance.

Mycobacterium bovis is the main causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) being among the animal-adapted Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Herds can also be infected with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) causing a negative effect on the economy and on animal and human health through zoonotic infections. Molecular tools are required for mycobacteria identification; thus, it is laborious to determine the epidemiological information of mycobacteria among herds.

Clinical aspects in patients with pulmonary infection caused by mycobacteria of the Mycobacterium abscessus complex, in the Brazilian Amazon.

Objective: To describe the clinical manifestations of patients with pulmonary infection caused by mycobacteria of the Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSC), and to compare these manifestations with those of patients infected with other nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study involving 43 patients divided into two groups: the MABSC group, consisting of patients with pulmonary infection caused by MABSC (n = 17); and the NTM group, consisting of patients with pulmonary infection caused by NTM other than MABSC (n = 26). Patients were previously treated with a regimen of rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol before the diagnosis of NTM was confirmed by two culture-positive sputum samples.

A case of pulmonary infection due to from the Amazon Region.

, a slow-growing scotochromogenic mycobacterium that uses paraffinic hydrocarbons other than methane, i.e. inorganic carbon sources, was originally isolated from soil samples, but only in 2010 definitely achieved the species status.

A fatal case of pulmonary infection by Mycobacterium colombiense in Para State, Amazon Region, Brazil.

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is a heterogeneous group of species found in several environmental sources and that exhibit variable degrees of pathogenicity. Among the MAC members, Mycobacterium colombiense has been related to pulmonary disease and disseminated infection in HIV-infected patients in Colombia. Lymphadenopathy cases have also been reported.

Occurrence of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infection in an endemic area of tuberculosis.

The majority of investigations of the epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have focused on highly developed nations with a low prevalence of tuberculosis. In contrast, the Para state of north Brazil represents an area of high tuberculosis prevalence and increasing NTM incidence. Toward the goal of understanding the dynamics of infection by all Mycobacterium species, we report patient characteristics and the identification of NTM strains isolated from sputum samples from patients that were residents of Para, a state in the Amazon region, Northern of Brazil, over the period January 2010 through December 2011 (2 years).

Molecular identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolates in a Brazilian mycobacteria reference laboratory.

This study utilized the hsp65 polymerase chain reaction restriction analysis (PRA) method in the identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs) isolated in a Brazilian mycobacteria laboratory. NTM isolates from clinical specimens collected from 192 patients were characterized using the hsp65 PRA method and analyzed using both 16S rRNA and hsp65 gene sequencing. Only 30% of the NTM strains were correctly identified through PRA, though the suggested inclusion of an additional restriction enzyme could increase the resolution to roughly 90%.

Molecular identification of rapidly growing mycobacteria isolates from pulmonary specimens of patients in the State of Pará, Amazon region, Brazil.

We isolated 44 strains of rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) from 19 patients with pulmonary infections assisted at the Instituto Evandro Chagas (Pará, Brazil) from 2004 to 2007. Identification at the species level was performed by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PRA) of a 441 bp hsp65 fragment and partial 16S rRNA, hsp65, and rpoB gene sequencing. Genotyping by PRA yielded 3 digestion patterns: one identical to Mycobacterium abscessus type I (group I); another to M.