Invasive Aspergillosis Due to Aspergillus Section Usti: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Background: Aspergillus spp. of section Usti (A. ustus) represent a rare cause of invasive aspergillosis (IA).

Acute Invasive Fungal Rhinosinusitis in Immunocompromised Patients: Role of an Early Diagnosis.

Objective The aims of the present study were to evaluate the clinical significance of the delay for surgical treatment and the prognostic value of other clinical, pathologic, and microbiological variables among hematologic patients affected by acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (AIFRS). Furthermore, we propose our early diagnosis and treatment protocol, reporting its 10-year results. Study Design Monocentric retrospective analysis.

Micafungin induced apoptosis in independent of its susceptibility to micafungin.

We hypothesized that the cell wall inhibitor micafungin (MICA) induces apoptosis in both MICA-susceptible (MICA-S) and MICA-non-susceptible (MICA-NS) . Antifungal activity and apoptosis were analyzed in MICA-S and MICA-NS strains following exposure to micafungin for 3 h at 37°C in RPMI 1640 medium. Apoptosis was characterized by detecting phosphatidylserine externalization (PS), plasma membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial membrane potential changes, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release, and caspase-like activity.

Combination therapy for mucormycosis: why, what, and how?

The high mortality rate of mucormycosis with currently available monotherapy, particularly in hematology patients, has stimulated interest in studying novel combinations of antifungal agents to determine whether superior outcomes might be achieved. Combination lipid polyene-echinocandin therapy is the most promising of such regimens based on safety profile, the availability of parenteral formulations of echinocandins, their synergy in murine models of mucormycosis, and observational clinical data that are concordant. Other options include combination lipid polyene plus deferasirox or posaconazole therapy.