Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria Isolated from Foods in Cuba.

INTRODUCTION Antimicrobial drug resistance constitutes a health risk of increasing concern worldwide. One of the most common av-enues for the acquisition of clinically-relevant antimicrobial resistance can be traced back to the food supply, where resistance is acquired through the ingestion of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms pres-ent in food. Antimicrobial resistance constitutes a health risk, leading to production losses and negative consequences for livelihood and food safety.

Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Patients with Underlying Respiratory Disorders in Cuba-A Pilot Study.

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a fungal infection with high mortality and morbidity rates. This disease is caused by several species and affects patients with an underlying respiratory condition. This pilot study aims to recognize CPA among patients with different respiratory diseases.

The status of cryptococcosis in Latin America.

Cryptococcosis is a life-threatening fungal infection caused by the encapsulated yeasts Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii, acquired from the environment. In Latin America, as occurring worldwide, C.

[Molecular characterization of Cryptococcus neoformans isolates from HIV patients, Guayaquil, Ecuador].

Introduction: Neurocryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infection that represents a high cost in human lives and for the economy of countries. Its causative agent, the Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus gattii species complex, has a sexual and an asexual phase, four major serotypes and seven molecular varieties with phenotypic, clinical-epidemiological and antifungal susceptibility differences.

Objective: To characterize by molecular methods clinical isolates of C.

Tracing Genetic Exchange and Biogeography of var. at the Global Population Level.

var. is the causative agent of cryptococcal meningitis, a significant source of mortality in immunocompromised individuals, typically human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS patients from developing countries. Despite the worldwide emergence of this ubiquitous infection, little is known about the global molecular epidemiology of this fungal pathogen.

Non-traumatic keratitis due to .

Introduction: The fungal genus is an uncommon cause of human infections. It has been implicated in cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis, artritis and keratitis secondary to traumatic implantation.

Case Presentation: We report two cases of keratitis due in middle-aged, immunocompetent persons without history of trauma.

Cryptococcus and cryptococcosis in Cuba. A minireview.

Cryptococcosis has emerged as an important public health problem in Africa, Asia and the Americas due to the increasing numbers of persons at risk of this infection and the adaptation of its aetiological agents to new environments. The proper management requires early recognition of Cryptococcus neoformans/C. gattii species complex infection, familiarity with the use and limitations of diagnostic tests and knowledge of the available treatment options.

Fatal Cryptococcus gattii genotype AFLP5 infection in an immunocompetent Cuban patient.

We describe the first clinical case of cryptococcosis due C. gattii in a Cuban immunocompetent patient who had a traveling history two years before to Central America. Molecular characterization of the isolate showed it to be genotype AFLP5 of which MLST sequences clustered with clinical and environmental strains from Colombia.

Genetic diversity of Pneumocystis jirovecii in colonized Cuban infants and toddlers.

Pneumocystis jirovecii is a leading cause of opportunistic infections among immunocompromised patients. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of P. jirovecii from colonized Cuban infants and toddlers by analysis of four genetic loci: mitochondrial large subunit (mtLSU) rRNA, cytochrome b (CYB), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and β-tubulin (β-tub).

Prevalence and genotype distribution of Pneumocystis jirovecii in Cuban infants and toddlers with whooping cough.

This study describes the prevalence and genotype distribution of Pneumocystis jirovecii obtained from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs from immunocompetent Cuban infants and toddlers with whooping cough (WC). A total of 163 NP swabs from 163 young Cuban children with WC who were admitted to the respiratory care units at two pediatric centers were studied. The prevalence of the organism was determined by a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay targeting the P.

Chromoblastomycosis due to Fonsecaea pedrosoi and F. monophora in Cuba.

We report two cases of chromoblastomycosis due to Fonsecaea pedrosoi and F. monophora in otherwise healthy Cuban males. Direct microscopic examination of biopsies revealed muriform cells, the hallmark of chromoblastomycosis.

[Histoplasmosis updating].

Histoplasmosis, an infection caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, has been reported all over the world and is considered endemic in the American continent, including Cuba. This fungus grows on the soils contaminated with bird and bat excreta, where it produces a great number of microconidia that could cause the infection when they are inhaled. The clinical spectrum varies from asymptomatic infections to serious disseminated diseases involving one or many organ systems and affects mainly AIDS patients, patients with hematological neoplasias, transplant recipients or other immunosuppressed patients.

[Effect of 4B3 monoclonal antibody on the experimental Cryptococcus neoformans infection].

Introduction: frequent relapses and high lethality of criptococcosis has encouraged the search for new therapeutic strategies.

Objectives: to evaluate the effect of the monoclonal antibody 4B3 on the cryptococcal infection in Balb/c mice.

Methods: the kinetics in serum concentration of the studied monoclonal antibody was determined for intraperitoneal administration (500 microg) by quantitative sandwich ELISA.

Microsatellite typing and susceptibilities of serial Cryptococcus neoformans isolates from Cuban patients with recurrent cryptococcal meningitis.

Background: Cryptococcus neoformans is commonly associated with meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised patients and occasionally in apparently healthy individuals. Recurrence of infection after initial treatment is not uncommon. We studied C.

[Cyptococcus gattii isolated from a cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in the National Zoo of Cuba].

Introduction: Cryptoccosis--systemic mycosis caused by Cryptococcus species--has considerably raised its incidence in the last years, mainly associated with the human immunodeficiency virus infection. It has also been described in animals, but rare cases.

Methods: a case of a female cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) kept in the Nacional Zoo of Havana was presented.

[Susceptibility to nystatin of oral Candida isolates and its correlation with the response to treatment].

Introduction: oropharyngeal candidiasis is an early marker of progression to AIDS in H1V-positive patients and an indicator of non-adherence of treatment or possible failure in patients undergoing anti-retroviral therapy.

Objective: to determine the in vitro susceptibility to nystatin in Candida strains isolated from the oral cavity of HIV-positive patients, and to correlate the results with the response to treatment.

Methods: a study of in vitro susceptibility to nystatin was conducted in 104 oral isolates from 97 HIV/AIDS patients, who participated as volunteers in a clinical trial to evaluate the response to four antifungal drugs.

In vitro activities of eight antifungal drugs against 55 clinical isolates of Fonsecaea spp.

The in vitro activities of eight antifungal drugs against clinical isolates of Fonsecaea pedrosoi (n = 21), Fonsecaea monophora (n = 25), and Fonsecaea nubica (n = 9) were tested. The resulting MIC(90)s for all strains (n = 55) were as follows, in increasing order: posaconazole, 0.063 microg/ml; itraconazole, 0.

[Outbreaks of occupational acquired histoplasmosis in La Habana province].

Introduction: histoplasmosis, an infection caused by Histoplasma capsulatum fungus, is considered as one of the main endemic infections in the American continent where there are frequent epidemic outbreaks. Most of the outbreaks have been associated to risky activities in bat-inhabited places. This paper presented two outbreaks of occupational acquired histoplasmosis occurred in La Habana province.

Kodamaea (Pichia) ohmeri fungemia in a pediatric patient admitted in a public hospital.

Kodamaea (Pichia) ohmeri is a yeast species that has not been reported to be a frequent cause of human infections. The current report describes a case of fungemia caused by K. ohmeri in a 3-year-old female patient hospitalized in the public hospital Maria Alice Fernandes, Natal, RN, Brazil.

[The collection of fungi cultures of "Pedro Kourí" Institute of Tropical Medicine].

A review was made on the collection of fungi cultures of "Pedro Kourí" Institute of Tropical Medicine" that was created in 1980 to give an answer to the increasing needs of the newly established laboratory of Mycology of that institution at that time. The collections of microbial cultures are more important every day as a way for the ex situ conservation of the microbial biodiversity. They are in charge of collecting, saving, identifying and preserving those strains of interest for biomedical research, teaching, industry, agriculture, etc.

[In vitro susceptibility of Candida strains to fluconazole and amphotericin B].

In vitro antifungal susceptibility testing is really necessary at present in medical mycology laboratories. Minimal inhibitory concentration of 210 Candida yeast strains isolated from HIV/AIDS patients with oral lesions was determined to find out susceptibility to fluconazole and amphotericin B. A CLSI's M27A2 protocol-based dilution micromethod was used.

[Oral candidiasis in HIV-seropositive patients and AIDS cases. Clinical, mycological and therapeutical aspects].

A prospective study to identify clinical and mycological aspects of oral candidiasis including a therapeutic trial for 4 drugs-2 topical (chlotrimazole and nistatine) and 2 systemic (itraconale and ketoconazole) was performed on 97 HIV adult patients from March 2003 to June 2004. Average age was 34.97 years, being males and heterosexual behaviour predominant.

[Recognition of intact cells from Cryptococcus neoformans by the anti-glucuronoxylomannan 4B3 monoclonal antibody].

The capacity of the 4B3 monoclonal antibody, previously obtained by immunization of BALB/c mice with the capsular polysaccharide of Cryptococcus neoformans was studied to recognize this structure as part of the intact cell of this yeast. With this aim, 4B3 was evaluated by cellular ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence, using as an antigen a cell suspension of the 028 LMIPK C. neoformans strain.

[Usefulness of D-proline in the differentiation of varieties of Cryptococcus neoformans].

A comparative study was conducted between the assimilation of D-proline and the growth on canavanine-glycine-bromothymol blue (CGB) medium used for the classification of the varieties of Cryptococcus neoformans. In the 86 studied strains, 100% of coincidence between both methods allowed to affirm that 95.34% corresponded to the neoformans var.

[Obtention of specific antisera for the serotyping of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans].

The obtention of antisera at the Mycology Laboratory of "Pedro Kouri" Institute of Tropical Medicine was proposed to allow the rapid identification of the varieties and serotypes of Cryptococcus neoformans, since it is very important from the clinico-epidemiological point of view to know them. By immunizing rabbits with formalized whole cells of the 4 serotypes of this yeast, it was possible to obtain antisera that were absorbed with cells of the heterologous serotypes. 3 antisera capable of differentiating the neoformans var.