Fungal coinfection/superinfection in COVID-19 patients in a tertiary hospital in Mexico.

Introduction: Data on the prevalence of fungal coinfections/superinfections in patients with COVID-19 are limited.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of fungal coinfections/superinfections in patients with COVID-19, as well as risk factors and demographic, clinical, and microbiological characteristics.

Material And Methods: We included patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis and a confirmed fungal infection hospitalized in the ICU from March 2020 to December 2021.

Evaluation of Primers OPF-01, P54, and 1253 to Identify , , and from Polymorphic Patterns Obtained by RAPD-PCR.

We evaluated the specificity of the primers OPF-01, P54, and 1253 to identify , , and , respectively, with the RAPD-PCR method. Eighty-two isolates belonging to the sections , , and were used. The isolates were identified by phenotypic (macro- and micromorphology) and genotypic (partial sequences of the gene) methods.

Development of SCAR Markers for Genetic Authentication of .

In this study, molecular typing using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) was conducted on 16 original isolates of obtained from locusts ( ssp. .) in Mexico (MX).

Clinical Cases of Coccidioidomycosis in the Americas in the Period 1950-2021: Epidemiology Data, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

Coccidioidomycosis, caused by and , causes significant morbidity and mortality, both in immunocompetent and immunocompromised people, mainly in endemic areas. The present work analyzed its epidemiology, diagnostic methods, and treatment by reviewing clinical cases published from 1950 to 2021. Fifty-nine articles were included, corresponding to 275 clinical cases.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Identification of Dermatophytes from Mexico and Central American Countries.

Dermatophytes are fungi included in the genera , , , , , , and . Molecular techniques have contributed to faster and more precise identification, allowing significant advances in phylogenetic studies. This work aimed to identify clinical isolates of dermatophytes through phenotypic (macro- and micromorphology and conidia size) and genotypic methods (sequences of ITS regions, genes of β tubulin (), and elongation factor α ()) and determine the phylogenetic relationships between isolates.

-SARS-CoV-2 Coinfection: What Is Known?

COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) has had a high incidence. In addition, it has been associated with prolonged hospital stays, as well as several predisposing risk factors, such as fungal factors (nosocomial organism, the size of the conidia, and the ability of the spp. of colonizing the respiratory tract), environmental factors (remodeling in hospitals, use of air conditioning and negative pressure in intensive care units), comorbidities, and immunosuppressive therapies.

Vaccines Against COVID-19: A Review.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, various joint efforts have been made to support the creation of vaccines. Different projects have been under development, of which some are in the clinical evaluation stage and others in are in phase III with positive results. The aim of this paper was to describe the current situation of the development and production of vaccines available to the population to facilitate future research and continue developing and proposing ideas for the benefit of the population.

Selection of Polymorphic Patterns Obtained by RAPD-PCR through Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses to Differentiate .

The objective of this work was to use the random amplification of the polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) technique to select polymorphic patterns through qualitative and quantitative analyses to differentiate the species , , and . Twenty-seven isolates from different species were typified using phenotypic (macro- and micromorphology) and genotypic (partial gene sequencing) methods. Thirty-four primers were used to obtain polymorphic patterns, and with these a qualitative analysis was performed to select the primers that presented species-specific patterns to distinguish each species.

Molecular identification of yeasts from the order Trichosporonales causing superficial infections.

Background: The molecular reclassification of the order Trichosporonales placed the medically relevant Trichosporon species into three genera of the family Trichosporonaceae: Cutaneotrichosporon, Trichosporon, and Apiotrichum. From the clinical and epidemiological standpoint, it is important to identify any species of the family Trichosporonaceae because they present different antifungal susceptibility profiles. In Mexico, little is known about trichosporonosis etiology because the fungi are identified through phenotypic methods.

Sporotrichosis in Mexico.

Sporotrichosis is an endemic mycosis caused by the species of the Sporothrix genus, and it is considered one of the most frequent subcutaneous mycoses in Mexico. This mycosis has become a relevant fungal infection in the last two decades. Today, much is known of its epidemiology and distribution, and its taxonomy has undergone revisions.

Identification of CSP Types and Genotypic Variability of Clinical and Environmental Isolates of from Different Geographic Origins.

The CSP (cell surface protein) microsatellite marker is useful for typing isolates and determining relationships at the subpopulation level because it has shown high discriminatory power. In the present study, 90 isolates from Mexico (MX), Argentina (AR), France (FR), and Peru (PE) were identified through a phylogenetic analysis using the gene fragment and were typed with the CSP microsatellite, and the types were identified using the nomenclature recommended in the literature. Genetic variability was analyzed through haplotype diversity, nucleotide diversity, polymorphic sites, and nucleotide differences between pairs of sequences.

Design and evaluation of an AFLP molecular marker for the detection of Coccidioides spp. in biological samples.

At present, there is no standardized marker that is routinely used in clinical laboratories to diagnose coccidioidomycosis. Thus, the goals of this study were to obtain a sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker for the identification of Coccidioides spp., evaluate its specificity and sensitivity in fungal DNA-spiked blood and sputum samples, and compare it with previously described molecular markers.

Usefulness of a multiplex PCR for the rapid identification of Candida glabrata species complex in Mexican clinical isolates.

Candida glabrata complex includes three species identified through molecular biology methods: C. glabrata sensu stricto , C. nivariensis and C.

Genotyping of Leptospira interrogans isolates from Mexican patients.

The aim of this study was genotypically characterize Leptospira sp. clinical isolates from Mexico which were previously identified as Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona (POM) by phenotypic methods. The Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method was used for DNA amplification with five oligonucleotides.

Selection of Specific Peptides for spp. Obtained from Antigenic Fractions through SDS-PAGE and Western Blot Methods by the Recognition of Sera from Patients with Coccidioidomycosis.

Antigenic fractions of 100, 50, 37, and 28 kDa obtained through the SDS-PAGE method that were more frequently recognized by anti- antibodies in the sera of coccidioidomycosis patients were selected using western blotting. Subsequently, these bands were sequenced, and the obtained proteins were analysed by BLAST to choose peptides specific for spp. from among the shared aligned sequences of related fungi.

Diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis in a non-endemic area: Inference of the probable geographic area of an infection.

Background: Coccidioidomycosis is one of the most important endemic mycoses in Northern Mexico. However, diagnosing this disease can be challenging, particularly in patients who do not reside in endemic areas.

Case Report: The case of a Mexican HIV+ patient who developed fever, general malaise, a severe cough, and dyspnea during a stay in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, is presented.

The habitat of Coccidioides spp. and the role of animals as reservoirs and disseminators in nature.

Background: Coccidioidomycosis, a potentially fatal fungal infection, is considered an emergent mycotic disease because of the increased incidence of fungal infections registered over recent years. Infection occurs through the inhalation of arthroconidia from two main species of Coccidioides: Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii, which are both endemic to arid and semi-arid regions of North America.

Fungal diversity and Aspergillus species in hospital environments.

Introduction And Objective: Nosocomial invasive fungal infections, particularly aspergillosis, are an increasing problem in immunocompromised patients. The presented study evaluates fungal diversity and the presence of Aspergillus in air samples from two hospitals.

Materials And Methods: Over the course of one year (rainy and dry seasons), the air was sampled from three areas in two hospitals (1 and 2) using a single-stage Andersen viable particle sampler (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA).

[Molecular markers: an important tool in the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of invasive aspergillosis].

Increase in the incidence of invasive aspergillosis has represented a difficult problem for management of patients with this infection due to its high rate of mortality, limited knowledge concerning its diagnosis, and therapeutic practice. The difficulty in management of patients with aspergillosis initiates with detection of the fungus in the specimens of immunosuppressed patients infected with Aspergillus fumigatus; in addition, difficulty exists in terms of the development of resistance to antifungals as a consequence of their indiscriminate use in prophylactic and therapeutic practice and to ignorance concerning the epidemiological data of aspergillosis. With the aim of resolving these problems, molecular markers is employed at present with specific and accurate results.

Molecular markers in the epidemiology and diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis.

The prevalence of coccidioidomycosis in endemic areas has been observed to increase daily. To understand the causes of the spread of the disease and design strategies for fungal detection in clinical and environmental samples, scientists have resorted to molecular tools that allow fungal detection in a natural environment, reliable identification in clinical cases and the study of biological characteristics, such as reproductive and genetic structure, demographic history and diversification. We conducted a review of the most important molecular markers in the epidemiology of Coccidioides spp.

AFLP analysis reveals high genetic diversity but low population structure in Coccidioides posadasii isolates from Mexico and Argentina.

Background: Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii cause coccidioidomycosis, a disease that is endemic to North and South America, but for Central America, the incidence of coccidioidomycosis has not been clearly established. Several studies suggest genetic variability in these fungi; however, little definitive information has been discovered about the variability of Coccidioides fungi in Mexico (MX) and Argentina (AR).