Chemical Composition and Antifungal Properties of Essential Oil of Origanum vulgare Linnaeus (Lamiaceae) against Sporothrix schenckii and Sporothrix brasiliensis

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of the essential oil of Origanum vulgare Linnaeus (Lamiaceae) on the growth of Sporothrix schenckii and Sporothrix brasiliensis.Methods: The chemical composition of the essential oil was investigated by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were determined by broth micro-dilution method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also performed to reveal morphological alterations in Sporothrix spp. cells.Results: The major components of the essential oil were γ-terpinene (30.5%), carvacrol (15.7 %) and 4-terpineol (13.0 %). γ-Terpinene showed potential antifungal activity with MIC ranging from 62.5 to 500.0 μg mL-1 for S. schenckii, and 125.0 to 250.0 μg mL-1 for S. brasiliensis. SEM micrographs revealed morphological alterations in hyphae and reduction of the adhered conidia numbers.Conclusion: Origanum vulgare Linnaeus essential oil possesses potential antifungal activity, and can, therefore, can be developed as an alternative agent for the treatment of sporotrichosis.Keywords: Antifungal Activity, Essential Oil, Gas Chromatography, Origanum vulgare, Sporotrichosi

Sporotrichosis and its Clinical Polymorphism: Centrofacial Ulcerated Lesions in an Adult Patient

Esporotricose é a micose subcutânea mais comum no mundo, causada por fungos dimórficos e geofílicos, das espécies Sporothrix spp. A forma linfo cutânea é a apresentação clinica mais comum e o acometimento facial é mais prevalente na faixa etária pediátrica, devido à baixa estatura e ao hábito de brincar com felinos próximo a face. Nesse relato de caso, uma paciente do sexo feminino, com diagnóstico prévio de rosácea, residente na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, área epidêmica da doença, apresentou lesões ulceradas no dorso nasal, lábio superior e glabela, diagnosticada tardiamente como esporotricose.Sporotrichosis is the most frequent subcutaneous mycosis worldwide, caused by a geophilic and dimorphic fungus of the species Sporothrix spp. Lymphocutaneous form is the most common clinical presentation and facial involvement is more prevalent in pediatric patients due to low stature and leisure habits of holding cats close to the face. In this case report, a female patient, with previous diagnosis of rosacea, resident in Rio de Janeiro, an epidemic region of the disease, presented ulcerated lesions on dorsal nasal, upper lip and glabella regions, diagnosed lately as sporotrichosi

Advances in Antifungal Development: Discovery of New Drugs and Drug Repurposing

This reprint describes recent advances made in the field of antifungal development, especially the discovery of new drugs and drug repurposing. The articles presented in this book provide useful information and insight for the development of new antifungal drugs or intervention strategies. The identification of new, safe molecules, and cellular targets, as well as the elucidation of their antifungal mechanisms of action, will further the effective control of fungal pathogens, especially those resistant to current therapeutic agents

Cutaneous sporotrichosis: experience at a thirdlevel hospital in Cali, Colombia = Esporotricosis cutánea: experiencia de un hospital de tercer nivel en Cali, Colombia

Introduction: Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis caused by the Sporothrix schenckii species complex; it is acquired by traumatic inoculation of the fungus. Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical features of a group of patients with sporotrichosis. Methodology: A retrospective and descriptive study was performed at a third-level hospital in Cali, Colombia, from January 2000 to June 2011. Records from patients having positive cultures for S. schenckii and/or periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-diastase stain showing blastoconidia were included in the analysis. Results: The group was made up of 20 men and three women. Eight patients (34.8%) were farmers and four (17.4%) worked in construction activities. Six (26.1%) were children aged under 15 years. Sporothrix sckenckii was isolated from cultures in 22 patients (95%) and in 15 out of 21 (71.4%) blastoconidia were observed by direct examination. Fourteen patients (60.9%) had the lymphangitic form of the disease. Upper limbs were most frequently affected (16 cases; 69.6%). Twenty two patients were treated with potassium iodine. Conclusions: Lymphangitic sporotrichosis was the most common clinical form of the disease in this study. PAS-diastase stain seems to be a useful diagnostic tool for sporotrichosi

Current trends to control fungal pathogens: exploiting our knowledge in the host–pathogen interaction

Laura C García-Carnero,1 Luis A Pérez-García,2 José A Martínez-Álvarez,1 Juana E Reyes-Martínez,1 Héctor M Mora-Montes1 1Department of Biology, Division of Exact and Natural Sciences, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, 2Multidisciplinay Academic Unit, Zona Huasteca, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Valles, México Abstract: Human fungal infections remain a major challenge in medicine. Only a limited number of antifungal drugs are available, which are often related to severe adverse effects. In addition, there is an increased emergence related to resistant strains, which makes imperative to understand the host-pathogen interactions as well as to develop alternative treatments. Host innate and adaptive immunity play a crucial role controlling fungal infections; therefore, vaccines are a viable tool to prevent and treat fungal pathogens. Innate immunity is triggered by the interaction between the cell surface pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Such an initial immunological response is yet little understood in fungal infections, in part due to the complexity and plasticity of the fungal cell walls. Described host cell–fungus interactions and antigenic molecules are addressed in this paper. Furthermore, antigens found in the cell wall and capsule, including peptides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, and glycans, have been used to trigger specific immune responses, and an increased production of antibodies has been observed when attached to immunogenic molecules. The recent biotechnological advances have allowed the development of vaccines against viral and bacterial pathogens with positive results; therefore, this technology has been applied to develop anti-fungal vaccines. Passive immunization has also emerged as an appealing alternative to treat disseminated mycosis, especially in immunocompromised patients. Those approaches have a long way to be seen in clinical cases. However, all studies discussed here open the possibility to have access to new therapies to be applied alone or in combination with current antifungal drugs. Herein, the state of the art of fungal vaccine developments is discussed in this review, highlighting new advances against Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cryptococcus neoformans, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, and Sporothrix spp. Keywords: anti-fungal immunity, candidiasis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, sporotrichosi