Fungal Disease Response Centre: Pioneering Diagnostic Approach for Regions With Dispersed Hospital Centres.

Background: Access to fungal disease diagnosis is crucial for reducing mortality, yet it varies widely across Argentina, especially outside Buenos Aires. In regions like Santa Fe and Paraná, where most healthcare facilities are under 150 beds, maintaining specialised mycology labs is challenging.

Objectives: This work describes the establishment and first-year results of a centralised Fungal Disease Response Centre (FDRC) and referral network serving this region, covering approximately 1 million inhabitants.

High histoplasmosis incidence in kidney transplant recipients in Santa Fe city, Argentina.

Histoplasmosis is endemic in the central/northeast region of Argentina. It is estimated that the incidence of this mycosis is low in solid organ transplant recipients. This work aims to describe the epidemiology, clinical forms, and evolution of kidney transplant recipients diagnosed with histoplasmosis in Santa Fe city, Argentina.

Mechanism of azole resistance in Candida vulturna, an emerging multidrug resistant pathogen related with Candida haeumulonii and Candida auris.

Background: Candida vulturna is an emerging pathogen belonging to the Metshnikowiaceae family together with Candida auris and Candida haemulonii species complex. Some strains of this species were reported to be resistant to several antifungal agents.

Objectives: This study aims to address identification difficulties, evaluate antiungal susceptibilities and explore the molecular mechanisms of azole resistance of Candida vulturna.

Antifungal susceptibility testing following the CLSI M27 document, along with the measurement of MFC/MIC ratio, could be the optimal approach to detect amphotericin B resistance in () . Susceptibility patterns of contemporary isolates of this species.

Antifungal susceptibility testing (AST) is crucial in clinical settings to guide appropriate therapy. Nevertheless, discrepancies between treatment response and some results still persist, particularly in detecting resistance to amphotericin B (AMB) in () . This study aimed to assess the susceptibility patterns of 48 recent isolates of to 9 antifungal agents and explore the feasibility of using a CLSI reference-based method to identify AMB resistance.

Black grain eumycetoma due to . Taxonomical update of previous agents of infections due to spp.

A black-grain eumycetoma due to in a kidney transplant recipient is presented. The isolate was identified by using the newly available NCBI's curated database (rRNA_typestrains/ITS_RefSeq_Fungi) and the NCBI's GenBank + EMBL + DDBI + PDB + RefSeq database. The isolate's antifungal susceptibility was evaluated.

Candida auris and some Candida parapsilosis strains exhibit similar characteristics on CHROMagarTMCandida Plus.

Candida auris is considered a public health problem due to its resistance and its tendency to cause nosocomial outbreaks. CHROMagarTMCandida Plus has recently been marketed as capable of presumptively identifying C. auris.

The natural occurring Y129F polymorphism in Rhizopus oryzae (R. arrhizus) Cyp51Ap accounts for its intrinsic voriconazole resistance.

Unlabelled: Rhizopus oryzae (heterotypic synonym: R. arrhizus) intrinsic voriconazole and fluconazole resistance has been linked to its CYP51A gene. However, the amino acid residues involved in this phenotype have not yet been established.

'We had to take a hammer to get some roots out' - experiences, motivations and challenges among volunteer dentists: a qualitative study.

Objectives To address a gap in the literature by examining the experiences, motivations and challenges among volunteer dentists engaged in short-term missions to low- and middle-income countries.Methods In-depth interviews among volunteer dentists (n = 20) who had provided voluntary dental care in low- or middle-income countries within the preceding five years. Interviews lasted on average 55 minutes and were recorded, transcribed and analysed using NVivo.

Emergence of Triazole Resistance in spp. in Latin America.

Purpose Of Review: Azole resistance in spp. is becoming a public health problem worldwide. However, data about this subject is lacking in Latin American countries.

Use of unconventional agro-industrial by-products for supplementation of grazing dairy cattle in the Peruvian Amazon region.

The effect of supplementation of grazing cattle with unconventional agro-industrial by-products on milk production and economic performance was evaluated in the Amazon region of Peru. Ten lactating cows were used in a simple crossover design with two periods of 21 days (11 days of adaptation and 10 days of measurements), and two treatments: conventional supplementation (rice polishing) and a mixture of unconventional agro-industrial by-products-MUABP (rice polishing, rice middling, cocoa hull, and coconut meal). Cattle supplemented with MUABP produced more milk than those fed the conventional supplement (10.

Control of an outbreak of post-transplant cutaneous mucormycosis by removing the vehicle: An intervention study of contiguous cohorts.

Background: An outbreak of post-kidney transplant cutaneous mucormycosis (PK-CM), a severe and even fatal complication in immunocompromised patients, occurred in our institution. The objective of this study was to compare the usual fixation of sterile wound dressings with non-sterile elastic bandages and fixation with sterile bandages processed at our centralized sterile services department with regard to PK-CM prevention.

Methods: We conducted a before-and-after trial in a private tertiary care hospital.

Antifungal activity and killing kinetics of anidulafungin, caspofungin and amphotericin B against Candida auris.

Background: Candida auris is an emerging MDR pathogen. It shows reduced susceptibility to azole drugs and, in some strains, high amphotericin B MICs have been described. For these reasons, echinocandins were proposed as first-line treatment for C.

Activity of Combinations of Zinc Chelators with Amphotericin B and Posaconazole against Six Mucorales Species.

Mucormycosis is an emerging disease with high mortality rates. Few antifungal drugs are active against Mucorales. Considering the low efficacy of monotherapy, combination-therapy strategies have been described.

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Voriconazole-Containing Antifungal Combinations against Mucorales Using a Model of Mucormycosis.

Mucorales are resistant to most antifungals. Mucormycosis associated mortality is unacceptable and new treatment approaches are needed. The objectives of this work were (i) to evaluate the nature and intensity of the in vitro effect of three drugs combinations which included voriconazole (plus amphotericin B, posaconazole and caspofungin) against 25 strains of six different Mucorales species; (ii) to evaluate a mucormycosis model; and (iii) to establish if any in vitro⁻in vivo correlation exists.

Mucormycosis outbreak due to Rhizopus microsporus after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery evaluated by RAPD and MALDI-TOF Mass spectrometry.

Background: Rhizopus microsporus is one of the main causative agents of mucormycosis. These mycoses are mostly described as isolated cases involving uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or immunosuppressed patients. In this work we report a nosocomial outbreak of mucormycosis due to R.

Molecular Confirmation of the Linkage between the Gene Coding Region and Its Intrinsic Voriconazole and Fluconazole Resistance.

is the most prevalent causative agent of mucormycosis, an increasingly reported opportunistic fungal infection. These Mucorales are intrinsically resistant to - and -active antifungal azole drugs, such as fluconazole (FLC) and voriconazole, respectively. Despite its importance, the molecular mechanisms of its intrinsic azole resistance have not been elucidated yet.

Single-tube classical PCR for Candida auris and Candida haemulonii identification.

Background: Candida auris and Candida haemulonii are emerging and multiresistant pathogens. C. auris has produced hospital outbreaks and is misidentified by phenotypic-based methods.

Molecular Confirmation of the Relationship between Candida guilliermondii Fks1p Naturally Occurring Amino Acid Substitutions and Its Intrinsic Reduced Echinocandin Susceptibility.

shows intrinsic reduced echinocandin susceptibility. It harbors two polymorphisms (L633M and T634A) in the Fks1p hot spot 1 region. Our objective was to confirm that the reduced echinocandin susceptibility of is due to those naturally occurring substitutions.

First itraconazole resistant Aspergillus fumigatus clinical isolate harbouring a G54E substitution in Cyp51Ap in South America.

Background: A 27-year-old male rural worker was admitted with a fungal keratitis due to an injury involving plant detritus.

Materials And Methods: Specimens were collected for microscopy examination and culture. The isolate was identified by morphological and molecular criteria.

Multiplex PCR designed to differentiate species within the Candida glabrata complex.

Background: No phenotypic methods are available to unequivocally differentiate species within the Candida glabrata complex.

Aims: To develop a new multiplex PCR method to differentiate between the three species of the C. glabrata species complex, as well as using it to study a C.

Control of an outbreak of postoperative bone mucormycosis: An intervention study of contiguous cohorts.

An outbreak of postoperative bone mucormycosis following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in a tertiary referral center in Paraná, Argentina, could have been transmitted through an arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction-exclusive contaminated item. The outbreak was controlled after changing from a system of direct delivery of implants and instruments to the operating room without proper verification, to a controlled and centralized process; specifically, the institution's pharmacy verified the quality and traceability of implants, and instruments were processed only by the institution's central sterile services department.

Aspergillus fumigatus Intrinsic Fluconazole Resistance Is Due to the Naturally Occurring T301I Substitution in Cyp51Ap.

Aspergillus fumigatus intrinsic fluconazole resistance has been demonstrated to be linked to the CYP51A gene, although the precise molecular mechanism has not been elucidated yet. Comparisons between A. fumigatus Cyp51Ap and Candida albicans Erg11p sequences showed differences in amino acid residues already associated with fluconazole resistance in C.

Prevalence and antifungal susceptibility of Candida albicans and its related species Candida dubliniensis and Candida africana isolated from vulvovaginal samples in a hospital of Argentina.

Candida africana taxonomical status is controversial. It was proposed as a separate species within the Candida albicans species complex; however, phylogenetic analyses suggested that it is an unusual variety of C. albicans.

Quick Detection of FKS1 Mutations Responsible for Clinical Echinocandin Resistance in Candida albicans.

A rapid molecular-based assay for the detection of the Candida albicans FKS1 gene mutations responsible for resistance to echinocandin drugs was designed and evaluated. The assay consisted of a multiplexed PCR set of 5 tubes able to detect the most commonly described resistance mechanism, including FKS1 hot spot 1 and hot spot 2 mutations. The performance and specificity of the assay was evaluated using a double-blinded panel of 50 C.

Candida dubliniensis and Candida albicans differentiation by colony morphotype in Sabouraud-triphenyltetrazolium agar.

Background: Candida dubliniensis is a germ tube and chlamydoconidia producing Candida species that may be misidentified as Candida albicans. Molecular-based methods are the most reliable techniques for C. albicans and C.