Progressive Severe Hemophagocytic Syndrome due to disseminated Histoplasmosis in a Patient with HIV-1 Infection.

Histoplasmosis is caused by Histoplasma capsulatum and is prevalent in areas of the world where H. capsulatum is endemic. We herein report a patient diagnosed with HIV-1 who developed histoplasmosis from a non-H.

A novel zinc-chelating compound has antifungal activity against a wide range of species, including multidrug-resistant .

Objectives: In recent years, the incidence of invasive fungal infections has increased, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality, particularly among immunocompromised individuals. Potential challenges in treating these infections with the few existing antifungal agents highlight the urgency of developing new ones. Here, we evaluated six alkyl polyamine compounds (APCs), not previously reported as antifungal drugs to our knowledge, that could deprive fungi of essential transition metals.

Uncommon Occurrence of Pulmonary Aspergillosis Caused by Aspergillus sydowii: A Case Report.

This case report presents an unusual occurrence of pulmonary aspergillosis caused by in a 26-year-old male patient. The patient is from Nepal and had no significant medical history and was previously in good health. Chest computed tomography (CT) scans revealed localized bronchiectasis primarily in the left inferior lingular segment and the left lower lobe.

Erg25 Controls Host-Cholesterol Uptake Mediated by Aus1p-Associated Sterol-Rich Membrane Domains in .

The uptake of cholesterol from the host is closely linked to the proliferation of pathogenic fungi and protozoa during infection. For some pathogenic fungi cholesterol uptake is an important strategy for decreasing susceptibility to antifungals that inhibit ergosterol biosynthesis. In this study, we show that , which encodes an enzyme that demethylates 4,4-dimethylzymosterol, is required for cholesterol uptake from host serum.

Exhibition of antifungal resistance by sterol-auxotrophic strains of with intact virulence.

Background: is an emerging fungal pathogen in immune-compromised hosts. Previously undetected isolates were successfully recovered from clinical specimens by adding sterols to the growth medium. The clinical isolates are unable to synthesize ergosterol but can take up exogenous sterols under aerobic conditions.

Biofilm-formation capability depends on environmental oxygen concentrations in Candida species.

Background: Although oxygen concentrations inside of the human body vary depending on organs or tissues, few reports describe the relationships between biofilm formation of Candida species and oxygen concentrations. In this study, we investigated the biofilm-forming capabilities of Candida species under various oxygen conditions.

Methods: We evaluated the adhesion and biofilm formation of Candida albicans and C.

Prevalence of Antifungal Resistance, Genetic Basis of Acquired Azole and Echinocandin Resistance, and Genotyping of Candida krusei Recovered from an International Collection.

This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of antifungal resistance, genetic mechanisms associated with induction of azole and echinocandin resistance and genotyping of Candida krusei, which is intrinsically resistant to fluconazole and is recovered from clinical and nonclinical sources from different countries. Our results indicated that all the isolates were susceptible or had the wild phenotype (WT) to azoles, amphotericin B, and only 1.27% showed non-WT for flucytosine.

α-galactosylceramide-stimulated invariant natural killer T-cells play a protective role in murine vulvovaginal candidiasis by Candida albicans.

Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a common superficial candidiasis; however, a host's immunological mechanism against vaginal Candida infection remains unknown.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to elucidate the effect of iNKT cell activation on vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Methods: Using a vulvovaginal candidiasis model with estrogenized mice, we evaluated the fungal burden and number of leukocyte infiltrations in the vaginal lavage of wild-type C57BL/6J mice after Candida albicans inoculation.

Pulmonary histoplasmosis diagnosed in a Japanese woman after traveling to central and South America: A case report.

Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, and Japan is considered a non-endemic area for histoplasmosis. Most patients diagnosed with histoplasmosis in the past usually have exposure to caves and bat guano with travel history to endemic areas. Therefore, travel history and risk activities should be comprehensively assessed when suspecting histoplasmosis because this important information may be overlooked.

Potency of gastrointestinal colonization and virulence of Candida auris in a murine endogenous candidiasis.

Background: Candida auris infections have recently emerged worldwide, and this species is highly capable of colonization and is associated with high levels of mortality. However, strain-dependent differences in colonization capabilities and virulence have not yet been reported.

Objectives: In the present study, we aimed to clarify the differences between clinically isolated invasive and non-invasive strains of C.

Histopathological study on the prevalence of trichosporonosis in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue autopsy sections by in situ hybridization with peptide nucleic acid probe.

Trichosporon species are some of the most common pathogenic yeasts in Asia, and many are resistant to echinocandin antifungal drugs. Effective treatment of fungal infections requires the selection of appropriate antifungals and the accurate identification of the causal organism. However, in histopathological specimens Trichosporon spp.

Prevalence of bloodstream isolates from patients in two hospitals in Vietnam.

Background And Objectives: Identification of yeasts provides helpful information for appropriate administration of anti-fungal treatments; however, few reports from the Vietnam have been published. This study has been performed to find the prevalence of blood stream isolates from patients in two hospitals in Vietnam.

Materials And Methods: spp.

Histoplasmosis among HIV-Infected Patients in Japan: a Case Report and Literature Review.

Histoplasmosis is occasionally encountered in non-endemic countries owing to more frequent international travel and migration, as well as an increase in the number of vulnerable hosts (e.g., patients with cellular immunodeficiencies).

Case Report: Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Caused by Disseminated Histoplasmosis in a Venezuelan Patient with HIV and Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation Who Traveled to Japan.

We describe a Venezuelan visitor to Japan who was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). The patient was also diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Epstein-Barr virus infection by the Western blot and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, respectively. The cause of HLH was considered to be these two infections at first; however, the patient did not recover with antiretroviral/anti-herpes virus therapy.

FK506 Resistance of Pdr5 and Cdr1 Involves Mutations in the Transmembrane Domains and Extracellular Loops.

The 23-membered-ring macrolide tacrolimus, a commonly used immunosuppressant, also known as FK506, is a broad-spectrum inhibitor and an efflux pump substrate of pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. Little, however, is known about the molecular mechanism by which FK506 inhibits PDR transporter drug efflux. Thus, to obtain further insights we searched for FK506-resistant mutants of cells overexpressing either the endogenous multidrug efflux pump Pdr5 or its orthologue, Cdr1.

CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing To Demonstrate the Contribution of Cyp51A Gly138Ser to Azole Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus.

A pan-azole-resistant strain with the mutations Gly138Ser and Asn248Lys was isolated from a patient receiving long-term voriconazole treatment. PCR fragments containing with the mutations were introduced along with the Cas9 protein and single guide RNA into the azole-resistant/susceptible strains. Recombinant strains showed increased susceptibility via the replacement of Ser138 by glycine.

Micafungin Breakthrough Fungemia in Patients with Hematological Disorders.

Limited data are available on micafungin breakthrough fungemia (MBF), fungemia that develops on administration of micafungin, in patients with hematological disorders. We reviewed medical and microbiological records of patients with hematological disorders who developed MBF between January 2008 and June 2015. A total of 39 patients with MBF were identified, and (30 strains) and non- (9 strains) fungal species were recognized as causative strains.

Alleviation of lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine-induced liver injury in leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 deficient mice.

Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is a secreted pleiotropic protein that is mainly produced by the liver. We have previously shown that LECT2 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory liver diseases. Lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine (LPS/d-GalN)-induced acute liver injury is a known animal model of fulminant hepatic failure.

Intraspecies variation in the efficacy of adjunctive recombinant interferon-γ therapy against cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in mice.

The efficacy of recombinant interferon γ (rIFN-γ) for cryptococcal meningoencephalitis has been poorly understood. Compared to Cryptococcus gattii, rIFN-γ significantly improved the survival in experimental meningoencephalitis due to Cryptococcus neoformans. The number of phagocytic macrophages and the levels of inflammatory cytokines production for ex vivo co-incubation with C.

Monitoring of Iron Depletion-Induced Mitophagy in Pathogenic Yeast.

Mitophagy, which is the degradation of mitochondria via selective autophagic machinery, is thought to be involved in regulating the mass and function of mitochondria. Methods for detection of mitophagy have been reported for several fungal cells including some budding yeast, methylotrophic yeast, and filamentous fungi. Mitophagy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is activated under nitrogen-poor conditions; however, the regulatory mechanism of mitophagy in most fungi has not been elucidated.

Iron-depletion promotes mitophagy to maintain mitochondrial integrity in pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata.

Candida glabrata, a haploid budding yeast, is the cause of severe systemic infections in immune-compromised hosts. The amount of free iron supplied to C. glabrata cells during systemic infections is severely limited by iron-chelating proteins such as transferrin.

Interferon-γ promotes phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans but not Cryptococcus gattii by murine macrophages.

Among invasive fungal infections, cryptococcosis caused by inhalation of Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii is particularly dangerous because it can disseminate to the central nervous system and cause life-threatening meningitis or meningoencephalitis. Previous reports described significant differences in the histopathological features of C. neoformans and C.

The mannoprotein TIR3 (CAGL0C03872g) is required for sterol uptake in Candida glabrata.

Sterol uptake in the pathogenic fungus, Candida glabrata, occurs via the sterol transporter, CgAus1p. Azole inhibition of sterol biosynthesis can under certain circumstances be reversed by adding exogenously sterol. Here we demonstrate that the CgTIR3 (CAGL0C03872g) gene product is also required for sterol uptake, since Cgtir3Δ strains fail to take up sterol both aerobically and under hypoxic conditions.