Parascedosporium and its relatives: phylogeny and ecological trends

The genus Scedosporium and its relatives comprising microascalean anamorphs with slimy conidia were studied. Graphium and Parascedosporium also belong to this complex, while teleomorphs are found in Pseudallescheria, Petriella, Petriellopsis, and Lophotrichus. Species complexes were clearly resolved by rDNA ITS sequencing. Significantly different ecological trends were observed between resolved species aggregates. The Pseudallescheria and Scedosporium prolificans clades were the only lineages with a marked opportunistic potential to mammals, while Petriella species were associated primarily with soil enriched by, e.g. dung. A consistent association with bark beetles was observed in the Graphium clade. The ex-type strain of Rhinocladium lesnei, CBS 108.10 was incorrectly implicated by Vuillemin (1910) in a case of human mycetoma; its sequence was identical to that of the ex-type strain of Parascedosporium tectonae, CBS 127.84

Proposed nomenclature for Pseudallescheria, Scedosporium and related genera

As a result of fundamental changes in the International Code of Nomenclature on the use of separate names for sexual and asexual stages of fungi, generic names of many groups should be reconsidered. Members of the ECMM/ISHAM working group on Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium infections herein advocate a novel nomenclature for genera and species in Pseudallescheria, Scedosporium and allied taxa. The generic names Parascedosporium, Lomentospora, Petriella, Petriellopsis, and Scedosporium are proposed for a lineage within Microascaceae with mostly Scedosporium anamorphs producing slimy, annellidic conidia. Considering that Scedosporium has priority over Pseudallescheria and that Scedosporium prolificans is phylogenetically distinct from the other Scedosporium species, some name changes are proposed. Pseudallescheria minutispora and Petriellidium desertorum are renamed as Scedosporium minutisporum and S. desertorum, respectively. Scedosporium prolificans is renamed as Lomentospora prolificans

Ecology of Pseudallescheria and Scedosporium species in human-dominated and natural environments and their distribution in clinical samples

This study aims to determine the occurrence of Pseudallescheria and Scedosporium species in natural and human-dominated environments. Habitats (136 sampling sites) in a transect with increasing human impact were investigated (natural areas, agricultural soils, urban playgrounds, industrial areas). Physico-chemical parameters were measured to characterize the different areas included in this investigation. Fungal identification was performed by morphology and sequence data analysis. Comparative description of virulence was largely based on the database of the ECMM/ISHAM Working Group on Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium Infections. Pseudallescheria and Scedosporium species were most abundant in industrial areas, followed by urban playgrounds and agricultural areas. None of the species were isolated from natural habitats. The abundance of Pseudallescheria and Scedosporium species could be correlated with increasing nitrogen concentrations (P<0.01) and decreasing pH (P<0.05) within a pH range of 6.1–7.5. In general, frequency of the different Pseudallescheria and Scedosporium species in the environment is strongly enhanced by human activities, and largely differs from species distribution in clinical settings, suggesting that these species have different degrees of virulence. Pseudallescheria boydii is relatively frequently found as agent of human disease, while Scedosporium dehoogii is found almost exclusively in the environment. Scedosporium apiospermum is responsible for the majority of infections and is found at comparable frequency in the environment; S. aurantiacum and P. minutispora showed similar spectra, but at much lower frequencies

Early Vascular Ageing in adolescents with migraine with aura: a community-based study

Abstract Background Migraine with aura is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, yet the pathophysiology is unknown. Suggested underlying mechanisms of aura formation point into the direction of an abnormal vasoreactivity that also extends to the extracranial vasculature. Methods In the Early Vascular Ageing Tyrol study, a community-based non-randomized controlled trial conducted in 45 schools and companies in Tyrol (Austria) and South-Tyrol (Italy) between May 2015 and September 2018 aiming to increase cardiovascular health in adolescents, headache syndromes were classified according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders in a face-to-face interview. Carotid-femoral pulse-wave-velocity was measured by applanation tonometry and carotid intima-media-thickness by high-resolution ultrasound of the distal common carotid arteries. Differences in pulse-wave-velocity and carotid intima-media-thickness in youngsters with migraine with aura were compared respectively to those without headache and with other headaches by multivariable linear regression analysis. Results Of the 2102 study participants 1589 were aged 14 to 19 (mean 16.8) years and had complete data. 43 (2.7%) reported migraine with aura and 737 (46.4%) other headaches. Mean pulse-wave-velocity was 6.17 m/s (± 0.85) for migraine with aura, 6.06 m/s (± 0.82) for all other headaches and 6.15 (0.95) m/s for participants without headaches. Carotid intima-media-thickness was 411.3 µm (± 43.5) for migraine with aura, 410.9 µm (± 46.0) for all other headaches and 421.6 µm (± 48.4) for participants without headaches. In multivariable linear regression analysis, we found no differences in carotid-femoral pulse-wave-velocity or carotid intima-media-thickness in young subjects with migraine with aura, all other headaches, or no headaches. Conclusions In line with previous large-scale studies in adults, we could not demonstrate relevant associations of migraine with aura with markers of arterial stiffness or subclinical atherosclerosis making early vascular ageing an unlikely pathophysiological link between migraine with aura and cardiovascular diseases. Trial registration First registered on ClinicalTrials.gov 29/04/2019 (NCT03929692)

Identification of Pseudallescheria and Scedosporium Species by Three Molecular Methods▿

The major clinically relevant species in Scedosporium (teleomorph Pseudallescheria) are Pseudallescheria boydii, Scedosporium aurantiacum, Scedosporium apiospermum, and Scedosporium prolificans, while Pseudallescheria minutispora, Petriellopsis desertorum, and Scedosporium dehoogii are exceptional agents of disease. Three molecular methods targeting the partial β-tubulin gene were developed and evaluated to identify six closely related species of the S. apiospermum complex using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), PCR-based reverse line blot (PCR-RLB), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). qPCR was not specific enough for the identification of all species but had the highest sensitivity. The PCR-RLB assay was efficient for the identification of five species. LAMP distinguished all six species unambiguously. The analytical sensitivities of qPCR, PCR-RLB, and LAMP combined with MagNAPure, CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide), and FTA filter (Whatman) extraction were 50, 5 × 103, and 5 × 102 cells/μl, respectively. When LAMP was combined with a simplified DNA extraction method using an FTA filter, identification to the species level was achieved within 2 h, including DNA extraction. The FTA-LAMP assay is therefore recommended as a cost-effective, simple, and rapid method for the identification of Scedosporium species