Paracoccidioidomycosis in Amerindian populations of the Brazilian Suruí tribe: a clinical and laboratory study of two cases

Paracoccidioidomycosis has been considered the most frequent endemic systemic mycosis in Latin America. Although most cases of paracoccidioidomycosis involve rural workers, this systemic fungal disease has been scarcely reported among Amerindian populations from Brazil. We report two cases of paracoccidioidomycosis in Tupi-Mondé Amerindians from Cacoal, state of Rondônia, Brazil. Both cases exhibited positive serological results by a specific immunodiffusion test only when the assay was performed with antigens obtained from the mycelial form of P. brasiliensis. The authors present a literature review of paracoccidioidomycosis in Brazilian Amerindians and discuss the need for further investigations about the impact of the antigenic diversity of P. brasiliensis from different geographic areas on the serological diagnosis of PCM.Paracoccidioidomicose é considerada a micose sistêmica endêmica mais prevalente na América Latina. Apesar da maior parte da casuística de paracoccidioidomicose ocorrer entre trabalhadores rurais, há poucos casos documentados de ocorrência dessa micose entre índios brasileiros. São apresentados 2 casos de paracoccidioidomicose em índios Suruí, família linguística Tupi-Mondé, procedentes de Cacoal, Rondônia. Ambos apresentaram sorologia positiva à imunodifusão apenas com antígenos da fase miceliana do P. brasiliensis. Os autores apresentam revisão de literatura sobre a ocorrência dessa micose entre índios brasileiros e discutem a necessidade de futuras investigações buscando caracterizar as diferenças regionais de cepas de P. brasiliensis e seu impacto no diagnóstico sorológico dessa micose.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Cotrimoxazole enhances the in vitro susceptibility of Coccidioides posadasii to antifungals

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of cotrimoxazole on the in vitro susceptibility of Coccidioides posadasii strains to antifungals. A total of 18 strains of C. posadasii isolated in Brazil were evaluated in this study. The assays were performed in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines and the combinations were tested using the checkerboard method. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were reduced by 11, 2.4, 4.3 and 3.5 times for amphotericin B, itraconazole, fluconazole and voriconazole, respectively. Moreover, it was seen that cotrimoxazole itself inhibited C. posadasii strains in vitro. The impairment of folic acid synthesis may be a potential antifungal target for C. posadasii.Universidade Federal do Ceará Centro Especializado em Micologia MédicaUniversidade Federal do Ceará Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências MédicasUniversidade Federal do Ceará Departamento de QuímicaUniversidade Federal do Ceará Departamento de EstatísticaUniversidade Estadual do Ceará Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência VeterináriaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e ParasitologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Microbiologia, Imunologia e ParasitologiaSciEL

Imunofluorescência na esporotricose

BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertaçõe

Trichosporon species isolated from the perigenital region, urine and catheters of a Brazilian population

The present study aimed to 1) determine the colonization rates of medically important Trichosporon species on normal perigenital skin and 2) determine the isolation rates of Trichosporon spp. isolated from the urine and catheters of Brazilian patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The overall colonization rate of Trichosporon spp. was 11.15% (112 isolates). The most common species isolated from normal perigenital skin was T. cutaneum (29.46%), followed by T. asteroides (20.53%), T. ovoides (15.17%), T. inkin (10.71%), T. mucoides (8.92%), and T. asahii (6.25%). From urine and catheters, T. asahii was the species most commonly isolated (76.5%; n =23), followed by T. inkin (16.6%; n = 5) and T. asteroides (6.6%; n = 2). In addition, the highest isolation rate occurred in subjects in the 71- to 80-year-old age range (36.7%; n= 11), followed by 61 to 70 (26.7%; n = 8), 51 to 60 (13.3%; n = 4), 31 to 40 (13.33%; n = 4), and 41 to 50 (10%; n =3). We concluded that 6 medically important species of the genus Trichosporon colonize the perigenital region in a normal population. The identification of these species is possible by means of classical methods but often requires repeated analyses repetitions due to difficulties in the assimilation process. In contrast, only 3 species of Trichosporon were isolated from urine and catheters

Sporothrix schenckii sensu stricto Isolated from Soil in an Armadillo's Burrow

Sporotrichosis is a polymorphic disease of man and animals caused by traumatic implantation of propagules into the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Pathogenic species includes S. brasiliensis, S. schenckii, S. globosa and S. luriei. the disease is remarkable for its occurrence as sapronoses and/or zoonosis outbreaks in tropical and subtropical areas; although, the ecology of the clinical clade is still puzzling. Here, we describe an anamorphic Sporothrix strain isolated from soil in an armadillo's burrow, which was located in a hyper endemic area of Paracoccidioidomycosis in Brazil. This isolate was identified as S. schenckii sensu stricto (Clade IIa) based on morphological and physiological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of calmodulin sequences. We then discuss the role of the nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus as a natural carrier of Sporothrix propagules to better understand Sporothrix sources in nature and reveal essential aspects about the pathogen's eco-epidemiology.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, Disciplina Biol Celular, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Inst Biociencias Botucatu, Dept Microbiol & Imunol, BR-18618970 Botucatu, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, Disciplina Biol Celular, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: FAPESP-2011/07350-1FAPESP: FAPESP-1998/03695-8FAPESP: 2009/54024-2Web of Scienc

Capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect specific immunoglobulin E in sera of patients with paracoccidioidomycosis

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is the most frequent systemic mycosis in South America. The disease is characterized by a polyclonal activation of B cells, resulting in hyperimmunoglobulinemia. The production of immunoglobulin (Ig) E in deep mycosis has been related to the severity of the disease. However, the detection of specific IgE in sera of patients is difficult because of the competition with the IgG. We compared a capture and an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique to detect Paracoccidioides brasiliensis IgE. We found that the capture ELISA presented higher performance and lower background values than the indirect assay, resulting in a significant quantitative discrimination between sera from patients with the 2 major clinical forms of PCM. Patients with the juvenile form presented significantly higher levels of P. brasiliensis IgE, as compared with patients with the adult form. The capture ELISA was used in the follow-up of patients receiving treatment, showing that the levels of specific IgE decreased as the patient's clinical conditions improved.State Univ Campinas, Fac Med Sci, Dept Clin Pathol, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Discipline Cellular Biol, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Discipline Cellular Biol, Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Canine paracoccidioidomycosis: a seroepidemiologic study

Sera from 305 dogs were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine presence of the antibody anti-gp43, which reacts to a specific antigen of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. the dogs were divided into three groups according to their origin: urban dogs (animals with little or no contact with rural areas); suburban dogs (from the urban outskirts); and rural dogs. There was a significant difference between groups (P <0.05). Rural dogs reacted positively in 89.5% of cases, followed by suburban (48.8%) and urban dogs (14.8%). There were no differences between male and female dogs. in an attempt to verify the feasibility of skin testing with gp43 to determine sensitization against P. brasiliensis in dogs, suburban (n = 61) and rural (n = 21) dogs were tested, showing positivity of 13.1 and 38.1%, respectively, Six dogs that had higher ELISA titers and also showed strong reactions in skin testing were killed in an attempt to isolate P, brasiliensis. the fungus was not detected by culture or histopathological analysis in these dogs, suggesting that dogs have a natural resistance or that they encounter an inoculum level that is insufficient to cause disease. These results indicate that ELISA and skin testing can be useful in the epidemiological study of paracoccidioidomycosis in dogs and that encounter with the fungus in nature is a frequent event.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Disciplina Biol Celular, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Londrina, Dept Ciencias Patol, Londrina, BrazilDept Clin Vet, Londrina, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Disciplina de Biologia Celular, Rua Botucatu, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

In vitro susceptibility of antifungal drugs against Sporothrix brasiliensis recovered from cats with sporotrichosis in Brazil

Sporotrichosis is an important subcutaneous mycosis of humans and animals. Classically, the disease is acquired upon traumatic inoculation of Sporothrix propagules from contaminated soil and plant debris. In addition, the direct horizontal transmission of Sporothrix among animals and the resulting zoonotic infection in humans highlight an alternative and efficient rout of transmission through biting and scratching. Sporothrix brasiliensis is themost virulent species of the Sporothrix schenckii complex and is responsible for the long-lasting outbreak of feline sporotrichosis in Brazil. However, antifungal susceptibility data of animal-borne isolates is scarce. Therefore, this study evaluated the in vitro activity of amphotericin B, caspofungin, itraconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole, and ketoconazole against animal-borne isolates of S. brasiliensis. The susceptibility tests were performed through broth microdilution (M38-A2). The results show the relevant activity of itraconazole, amphotericin B, and ketoconazole against S. brasiliensis, with the following MIC ranges: 0.125-2, 0.125-4 and 0.0312-2 mu g/ml, respectively. Caspofungin was moderately effective, displaying higher variation in MIC values (0.25-64 mu g/ml). Voriconazole (2-64 mu g/ml) and fluconazole (62.5-500 mu g/ml) showed low activity against S. brasiliensis strains. This study contributed to the characterization of the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of strains of S. brasiliensis recovered from cats with sporotrichosis, which have recently been considered the main source of human infections.Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq 304779/20113)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Programa Estrategico de Apoio a Pesquisa em Saude VI - Fiocruz/CNPqFundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)Univ Fed Ceara, Specialized Med Mycol Ctr, Postgrad Program Med Microbiol, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, Cellular Biol Div, Sao Paulo, BrazilFundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Evandro Chagas Natl Inst Infect Dis, Rio De Janeiro, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, Cellular Biol Div, Sao Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 2011/07350-1FAPESP: 2009/54024-2CNPq: 304779/20113CAPES: AE1-0052-000650100/11Fiocruz/CNPq: 407771/2013-3FAPERJ: E-26/102.255/2013Web of Scienc