Publications by authors named "Anuradha Chowdhary"

In 2019, became the first fungal pathogen included in the list of the urgent antimicrobial threats by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) are considered the gold standard, and can be complemented by other molecular methods, for the genomic surveillance and clade classification of this multidrug-resistant yeast. However, these methods can be expensive and require time and expertise that are not always available.

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Blastomyces spp. fungi, the causal agent of blastomycosis, are common in North America but do occur in other areas of the world. The most prevalent pathogen in the genus is B.

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Unlabelled: , a multidrug-resistant human fungal pathogen, was first identified in 2009 in Japan. Since then, systemic infections have now been reported in more than 50 countries, with mortality rates of 30%-60%. A major contributing factor to its high inter- and intrahospital clonal transmission is that unlike most species, displays unique skin tropism and can stay on human skin for a prolonged period.

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Article Synopsis
  • Blastomyces is a fungal pathogen affecting people globally, with its evolutionary diversity still largely unknown.
  • Researchers sequenced genomes from 99 Blastomyces isolates to analyze their phylogenetic relationships, discovering inconsistencies in tree construction across different methods.
  • The study highlights the importance of collecting more samples to better understand the genetic variation and evolutionary processes of these significant fungi.
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Infections are well-known complications in patients following traumatic injuries, frequently leading to high morbidity and mortality. In particular, trauma occurring in disaster settings, both natural and man-made, such as armed conflicts and explosives detonation, results in challenging medical conditions that impede the best management practices. The incidence of invasive fungal infections (IFI) is increasing in trauma patients who lack the typical risk factors like an immune compromised state or others.

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  • Trichophyton indotineae is a new type of fungus that causes difficult-to-treat skin infections and has spread globally since its initial identification in India.
  • Properly identifying T. indotineae requires advanced testing techniques, as it shows unusual and extensive symptoms that aren't typical of other fungal infections.
  • The fungus exhibits high mutation rates affecting its response to the antifungal drug terbinafine, necessitating longer treatment periods and resulting in possible relapses, while other antifungals like fluconazole are ineffective.
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Unlabelled: , a multidrug-resistant human fungal pathogen, was first identified in 2009 in Japan. Since then, systemic infections have now been reported in more than 50 countries, with mortality rates of 30-60%. A major contributing factor to its high inter- and intrahospital clonal transmission is that unlike most species, displays unique skin tropism and can stay on human skin for a prolonged period.

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Article Synopsis
  • Climate change is making fungi stronger and better at surviving in warmer temperatures, which can lead to more fungal diseases.
  • As the climate changes, some fungi are spreading to new places where they didn't used to live, like cities and polluted areas.
  • People who are most affected by these changes are often those in weaker situations, so we need to pay more attention to this problem and get more funding and research to help.
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The emergence and spread of Trichophyton indotineae (T. indotineae) has led to a sea change in the prescription practices of clinicians regarding the management of dermatophytic skin infections. An infection easily managed with a few weeks of antifungals, tinea corporis or cruris, is now often chronic and recurrent and requires prolonged treatment.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The frequent renaming of medically significant fungi is complicating the work of clinical labs and healthcare providers, highlighting the need for better communication and resources in this area.
  • - Different factors drive name changes at the species and genus levels, prompting the authors to suggest maintaining larger genera and providing diagnostic markers for new classifications to help simplify identification.
  • - The authors call for an open-access online database to track these changes, recommending a committee to regularly review new names so that clinicians can access consistent and validated information about fungal species.
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Candida auris, is an emerging fungal pathogen that can cause life-threatening infections in humans. Unlike many other Candida species that colonize the intestine, C. auris most efficiently colonizes the skin.

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The incidence of invasive fungal disease (IFD) is on the rise due to increasing numbers of highly immunocompromized patients. Nosocomial IFD remains common despite our better understanding of its risk factors and pathophysiology. High-efficiency particulate air filtration with or without laminar air flow, frequent air exchanges, a positive pressure care environment, and environmental hygiene, amongst other measures, have been shown to reduce the mould burden in the patient environment.

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During recent decades, the emergence of pathogenic fungi has posed an increasing public health threat, particularly given the limited number of antifungal drugs available to treat invasive infections. In this Review, we discuss the global emergence and spread of three emerging antifungal-resistant fungi: Candida auris, driven by global health-care transmission and possibly facilitated by climate change; azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus, driven by the selection facilitated by azole fungicide use in agricultural and other settings; and Trichophyton indotineae, driven by the under-regulated use of over-the-counter high-potency corticosteroid-containing antifungal creams. The diversity of the fungi themselves and the drivers of their emergence make it clear that we cannot predict what might emerge next.

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COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the complications of secondary fungal infections that occurred globally in severe cases of coronavirus disease managed in the intensive care units. Furthermore, varied underlying host factors, such as preexisting immunosuppression, the use of immunomodulatory agents, and invasive procedures predisposing lung tissues to fungal colonization and proliferation, caused increased susceptibility to fungal infections in COVID-19 patient populations. These invasive fungal infections directly impact the overall length of hospitalization and mortality.

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is an emerging global public health threat and is resistant to most antifungal agents. Though fungi are significant pathogens for animals, the role of in animal health remains unexplored. Here, we analysed the microbial cultures of skin and ear swabs of 87 dogs in Delhi and performed fungal meta-barcode sequencing of ear and skin samples of 7 dogs with confirmed otitis externa (OE).

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is a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen that presents a serious threat to global human health. Since the first reported case in 2009 in Japan, infections have been reported in more than 40 countries, with mortality rates between 30% and 60%. In addition, has the potential to cause outbreaks in health care settings, especially in nursing homes for elderly patients, owing to its efficient transmission via skin-to-skin contact.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the detrimental effect of secondary pathogens in patients with a primary viral insult. In addition to superinfections with bacterial pathogens, invasive fungal infections were increasingly reported. The diagnosis of pulmonary fungal infections has always been challenging; however, it became even more problematic in the setting of COVID-19, particularly regarding the interpretation of radiological findings and mycology test results in patients with these infections.

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The number of dermatophytosis cases resistant to terbinafine is increasing all over the world. Therefore, there is a need for antifungal susceptibility testing of dermatophytes for better management of the patients. In the present study, we have evaluated a gradient test (GT) method for testing the susceptibility of dermatophytes to terbinafine.

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Lodderomyces elongisporus is a recently emerging yeast pathogen predominantly reported in adult patients who had immunosuppression and/or intravenous access devices. Here, we report a fungemia outbreak caused by in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Delhi, India, from September 2021 to February 2022. All 10 neonates had low birthweight, and nine of the patients survived after amphotericin B treatment.

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The emerging pathogen has been associated with nosocomial outbreaks on six continents. Genetic analysis indicates simultaneous and independent emergence of separate clades of the species in different geographical locations. Both invasive infection and colonization have been observed, warranting attention due to variable antifungal resistance profiles and hospital transmission.

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