We describe 157 cases of Trichophyton indotineae infection in the United Kingdom, mostly in patients linked to southern Asia. T. indotineae is spreading in the United Kingdom and accounts for 38% of dermatophyte isolates referred to the UK National Mycology Reference Laboratory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedically important pathogenic fungi invade vertebrate tissue and are considered primary when part of their nature life cycle is associated with an animal host and are usually able to infect immunocompetent hosts. Opportunistic fungal pathogens complete their life cycle in environmental habitats or occur as commensals within or on the vertebrate body, but under certain conditions can thrive upon infecting humans. The extent of host damage in opportunistic infections largely depends on the portal and modality of entry as well as on the host's immune and metabolic status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNPJ Antimicrob Resist
September 2024
is a globally emerged fungal pathogen causing nosocomial invasive infections. Here, we use cutting-edge genomic approaches to elucidate the temporal and geographic epidemiology of drug-resistant within the UK. We analysed a representative sample of over 200 isolates from multiple UK hospitals to assess the number and timings of introductions and infer subsequent patterns of inter- and intra-hospital transmission of azole drug-resistant isolates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) present significant challenges, especially among immunocompromised patients, with associated high morbidity, mortality and significant economic impact. Diagnostic difficulties and the emergence of antifungal resistance necessitates enhanced antifungal stewardship (AFS) efforts.
Methods: We report outcomes from a review of our multidisciplinary approach to AFS, based in a 1300-bed teaching hospital in the South-West of England.
Fungal diseases represent a considerable global health concern, affecting >1 billion people annually. In response to this growing challenge, the World Health Organization introduced the pivotal fungal priority pathogens list (FPPL) in late 2022. The FPPL highlights the challenges in estimating the global burden of fungal diseases and antifungal resistance (AFR), as well as limited surveillance capabilities and lack of routine AFR testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCandida auris is an emerging fungal pathogen associated with multi-drug resistance rates and widespread outbreaks in hospitals and healthcare units worldwide. Sequencing studies have revealed that different clonal lineages of the fungus seem to be prevalent among distinct geographical sites. The first case of C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe emergent fungal pathogen is increasingly recognised as an important cause of healthcare-associated infections globally. It is highly transmissible, adaptable, and persistent, resulting in an organism with significant outbreak potential that risks devastating consequences. Progress in the ability to identify in clinical specimens is encouraging, but laboratory diagnostic capacity and surveillance systems are lacking in many countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a known cause of fungal infection in humans and animals. It is found to be more refractory to antifungal treatment in comparison to other species. With this report we present a case of proven invasive infection with in a child with chronic myeloid leukaemia after haematopoietic stem cell transplant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Rare yeasts species are increasingly reported as causative agents of invasive human infection. Proper identification and antifungal therapy are essential to manage these infections. Candida blankii is one of these emerging pathogens and is known for its reduced susceptibility to multiple antifungals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are serious and potentially career-ending. Reconstruction surgery and extended rehabilitation typically follow, but some athletes never attain the same level of sport performance. The psychosocial experiences of athletes who sustain ACL injuries and their cognitive appraisal, emotional and behavioral responses to the injury, and reconstruction require further attention during the different recovery phases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: is frequently associated with biofilm-related invasive infections. The resistant profile of these biofilms necessitates innovative therapeutic options, where quorum sensing may be a potential target. Farnesol and tyrosol are two fungal quorum-sensing molecules with antifungal effects at supraphysiological concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile rare, the likelihood of encountering a case of a pulmonary endemic mycosis (PEM) in the UK is increasing. Diagnosis may be challenging, often leading to considerable delay to appropriate treatment. Clinical suspicion must be present for respiratory disease, particularly in the immunocompromised or in those not responding to empiric treatment approaches, and an extended travel history should be obtained.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Microbiol Rev
December 2023
Numerous fungal species of medical importance have been recently subjected to and will likely continue to undergo nomenclatural changes as a result of the application of molecular approaches to fungal classification together with abandonment of dual nomenclature. Here, we summarize those changes affecting key groups of fungi of medical importance, explaining the mycological (taxonomic) rationale that underpinned the changes and the clinical relevance/importance (where such exists) of the key nomenclatural revisions. Potential mechanisms to mitigate unnecessary taxonomic instability are suggested, together with approaches to raise awareness of important changes to minimize potential clinical confusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To report the identification and results of susceptibility testing for fungal isolates from the cornea or contact lens care systems.
Materials And Methods: In this retrospective epidemiological study, we searched the results of fungal cultures from cornea or contact lens systems referred for identification and susceptibility testing to the United Kingdom National Mycology Reference Laboratory between October 2016 and March 2022. For each fungal isolate, we recorded the genus and species of the fungus and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to six antifungal agents available to treat corneal infection (amphotericin, econazole, itraconazole, natamycin, posaconazole, and voriconazole).
is a multi-drug resistant human fungal pathogen that has become a global threat to human health due to its drug resistant phenotype, persistence in the hospital environment and propensity for patient to patient spread. Isolates display variable aggregation that may affect the relative virulence of strains. Therefore, dissection of this phenotype has gained substantial interest in recent years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTyrosol, a secondary metabolite of Candida species, regulates fungal morphogenesis, and its application may represent a novel innovative therapy against emerging multi-resistant fungal superbug such as Candida auris. In the current study, the effects of tyrosol on growth, redox homeostasis, intracellular microelement contents and activities of virulence-related enzymes released by C. auris were examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUsing a citizen science approach, we identify a country-wide exposure to aerosolized spores of a human fungal pathogen, , that has acquired resistance to the agricultural fungicide tebuconazole and first-line azole clinical antifungal drugs. Genomic analysis shows no distinction between resistant genotypes found in the environment and in patients, indicating that at least 40% of azole-resistant infections are acquired from environmental exposures. Hotspots and coldspots of aerosolized azole-resistant spores were not stable between seasonal sampling periods.
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