Molecular identification and susceptibility pattern of clinical Nocardia species: Emergence of Nocardia crassostreae as an agent of invasive nocardiosis.

Background: Nocardia species are rare, opportunistic organisms that cause disease in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals.

Objective: To investigate the clinical presentations of various Nocardia infections based on the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of the isolate, as well as related risk factors and susceptibility patterns to antimicrobial agents.

Methods: Thirteen patients with a diagnosis of nocardiosis were included in the present study.

Geographically structured populations of Cryptococcus neoformans Variety grubii in Asia correlate with HIV status and show a clonal population structure.

Cryptococcosis is an important fungal disease in Asia with an estimated 140,000 new infections annually the majority of which occurs in patients suffering from HIV/AIDS. Cryptococcus neoformans variety grubii (serotype A) is the major causative agent of this disease. In the present study, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) using the ISHAM MLST consensus scheme for the C.

Ancient dispersal of the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus gattii from the Amazon rainforest.

Over the past two decades, several fungal outbreaks have occurred, including the high-profile 'Vancouver Island' and 'Pacific Northwest' outbreaks, caused by Cryptococcus gattii, which has affected hundreds of otherwise healthy humans and animals. Over the same time period, C. gattii was the cause of several additional case clusters at localities outside of the tropical and subtropical climate zones where the species normally occurs.

Veronaea botryosa: molecular identification with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and in vitro antifungal susceptibility.

Inter- and intraspecific genomic variability of 18 isolates of Veronaea botryosa originating from clinical and environmental sources was studied using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). The species was originally described from the environment, but several severe cases of disseminated infection in apparently healthy individuals have been reported worldwide. All tested strains of V.

Identification and typing of isolates of Cyphellophora and relatives by use of amplified fragment length polymorphism and rolling circle amplification.

The species diversity and identification of black fungi belonging to Cyphellophora and Phialophora, which colonize and infect human skin and nails, were studied using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). A total of 76 Cyphellophora and Phialophora isolates were evaluated, and their delimitation was compared to earlier studies using multilocus sequencing. The results of the AFLP analysis and sequencing were in complete agreement with each other.

Clonal expansion and emergence of environmental multiple-triazole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus strains carrying the TR₃₄/L98H mutations in the cyp51A gene in India.

Azole resistance is an emerging problem in Aspergillus which impacts the management of aspergillosis. Here in we report the emergence and clonal spread of resistance to triazoles in environmental Aspergillus fumigatus isolates in India. A total of 44 (7%) A.

Genotyping of Coxiella burnetii from domestic ruminants in northern Spain.

Background: Information on the genotypic diversity of Coxiella burnetii isolates from infected domestic ruminants in Spain is limited. The aim of this study was to identify the C. burnetii genotypes infecting livestock in Northern Spain and compare them to other European genotypes.

Genotypic diversity of clinical Coxiella burnetii isolates from Portugal based on MST and MLVA typing.

The temporal and spatial diversity of Coxiella burnetii genotypes associated with human and animal disease in Portugal was analysed using a 6-locus multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and a 10-locus multi-spacer sequence typing (MST) panel. Fifteen cultured C. burnetii isolates from 13 Q fever patients and a stillborn goat and 6 additional PCR-positive ruminant tissue samples obtained during 2006-2011 were included in this study.

Autochthonous and dormant Cryptococcus gattii infections in Europe.

Until recently, Cryptococcus gattii infections occurred mainly in tropical and subtropical climate zones. However, during the past decade, C. gattii infections in humans and animals in Europe have increased.

USA300 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Cuba.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an increasing problem in the Caribbean. We investigated the molecular epidemiology of MRSA isolates on Cuba.

Findings: The predominant clone was of the spa type t149, followed by community-associated MRSA USA300.

In vitro activities of nine antifungal drugs against 81 Phialophora and Cyphellophora isolates.

Cyphellophora guyanensis (n = 15), other Cyphellophora species (n = 11), Phialophora europaea (n = 43), and other Phialophora species (n = 12) were tested in vitro against nine antifungal drugs. The MIC(90)s across all of the strains (n = 81) were, in increasing order, as follows: posaconazole, 0.063 μg/ml; itraconazole, 0.

Microsatellite genotyping clarified conspicuous accumulation of Candida parapsilosis at a cardiothoracic surgery intensive care unit.

Candida parapsilosis has become a significant cause of invasive fungal infections in seriously ill patients. Nosocomial outbreaks through direct and indirect contact have been described. The aim of this study was the molecular characterization of what appeared to be an ongoing C.

Molecular epidemiology of Aspergillus fumigatus isolates harboring the TR34/L98H azole resistance mechanism.

A rapid emergence of azole resistance has been observed in Aspergillus fumigatus in The Netherlands over the past decade. The dominant resistance mechanism appears to be of environmental origin and involves the TR(34)/L98H mutations in cyp51A. This resistance mechanism is now also increasingly being found in other countries.

Genotyping reveals the presence of a predominant genotype of Coxiella burnetii in consumer milk products.

Real-time PCR shows the widespread presence of Coxiella burnetii DNA in a broad range of commercially available milk and milk products. MLVA genotyping shows that this is the result of the presence of a predominant C. burnetii genotype in the dairy cattle population.

Extensive genetic diversity within the Dutch clinical Cryptococcus neoformans population.

A set of 300 Dutch Cryptococcus neoformans isolates, obtained from 237 patients during 1977 to 2007, was investigated by determining the mating type, serotype, and AFLP and microsatellite genotype and susceptibility to seven antifungal compounds. Almost half of the studied cases were from HIV-infected patients, followed by a patient group of individuals with other underlying diseases and immunocompetent individuals. The majority of the isolates were mating type α and serotype A, followed by αD isolates and other minor categories.

Black yeast-like fungi associated with Lethargic Crab Disease (LCD) in the mangrove-land crab, Ucides cordatus (Ocypodidae).

Lethargic Crab Disease (LCD) caused extensive epizootic mortality of the mangrove land crab Ucides cordatus (Brachyura: Ocypodidae) along the Brazilian coast, mainly in the Northeastern region. The disease was named after the symptoms of slow movement of infected crabs. Causative agents were suspected to be two black yeast-like fungi of the family Herpotrichiellaceae (ascomycete order Chaetothyriales), judged by infected tissue biopsies from moribund U.

Resistance of Asian Cryptococcus neoformans serotype A is confined to few microsatellite genotypes.

Background: Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic yeast that causes cryptococcosis, a life threatening disease. The prevalence of cryptococcosis in Asia has been rising after the onset of the AIDS epidemic and estimates indicate more than 120 cases per 1,000 HIV-infected individuals per year. Almost all cryptococcal disease cases in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients in Asia are caused by C.

Triazole fungicides can induce cross-resistance to medical triazoles in Aspergillus fumigatus.

Background: Azoles play an important role in the management of Aspergillus diseases. Azole resistance is an emerging global problem in Aspergillus fumigatus, and may develop through patient therapy. In addition, an environmental route of resistance development has been suggested through exposure to 14α-demethylase inhibitors (DMIs).

Species-specific antifungal susceptibility patterns of Scedosporium and Pseudallescheria species.

Since the separation of Pseudallescheria boydii and P. apiosperma in 2010, limited data on species-specific susceptibility patterns of these and other species of Pseudallescheria and its anamorph Scedosporium have been reported. This study presents the antifungal susceptibility patterns of members affiliated with both entities.

Genotypic diversity of Coxiella burnetii in the 2007-2010 Q fever outbreak episodes in The Netherlands.

The genotypic diversity of Coxiella burnetii in clinical samples obtained from the Dutch Q fever outbreak episodes of 2007-2010 was determined by using a 6-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis panel. The results are consistent with the introduction of one founder genotype that is gradually diversifying over time while spreading throughout The Netherlands.

High prevalence of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in adults with cystic fibrosis exposed to itraconazole.

Aspergillus fumigatus is the most frequent fungus found in the sputum of cystic fibrosis (CF) subjects. Itraconazole is prescribed for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) or Aspergillus bronchitis in CF subjects. We hypothesized that A.

Evidence for genetic differentiation and variable recombination rates among Dutch populations of the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus.

As the frequency of antifungal drug resistance continues to increase, understanding the genetic structure of fungal populations, where resistant isolates have emerged and spread, is of major importance. Aspergillus fumigatus is an ubiquitously distributed fungus and the primary causative agent of invasive aspergillosis (IA), a potentially lethal infection in immunocompromised individuals. In the last few years, an increasing number of A.