Bloodstream yeast infections: a 15-month survey

A 15-month survey of 412 bloodstream yeast isolates from 54 Belgian hospitals was undertaken. Candida albicans was the most common species (47.3%) followed by C. glabrata (25.7%), C. parapsilosis (8.0%), C. tropicalis (6.8%) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (5.1%). Common predisposing factors were antibacterial therapy (45%), hospitalization in intensive care units (34%), presence of in-dwelling catheters (32%), underlying cancer (23%) and major surgery (11%). Most patients had more than one predisposing factor. Fluconazole alone or in combination with another antifungal agent was the treatment of choice for 86.6% of the cases. Susceptibility testing revealed that 93.5% were susceptible to amphotericin B, 39.6% to itraconazole, 42.8% to fluconazole and 87% to voriconazole. Resistance to azoles was more common among C. glabrata isolates

Changes to Airborne Pollen Counts across Europe

A progressive global increase in the burden of allergic diseases has affected the industrialized world over the last half century and has been reported in the literature. The clinical evidence reveals a general increase in both incidence and prevalence of respiratory diseases, such as allergic rhinitis (common hay fever) and asthma. Such phenomena may be related not only to air pollution and changes in lifestyle, but also to an actual increase in airborne quantities of allergenic pollen. Experimental enhancements of carbon dioxide (CO2) have demonstrated changes in pollen amount and allergenicity, but this has rarely been shown in the wider environment. The present analysis of a continental-scale pollen data set reveals an increasing trend in the yearly amount of airborne pollen for many taxa in Europe, which is more pronounced in urban than semi-rural/rural areas. Climate change may contribute to these changes, however increased temperatures do not appear to be a major influencing factor. Instead, we suggest the anthropogenic rise of atmospheric CO2 levels may be influentia

Fungal contamination of the floors of swimming pools, particularly subtropical swimming paradises36659

We compared the level of dermatophyte contamination of the floors of traditional swimming pools and of subtropical swimming paradises, a new type of indoor swimming pool introduced in Belgium in 1981. From the results of routine hygiene inspections over several years and of a comparative study, we can conclude that the floors of subtropical swimming pools are much more highly contaminated by dermatophytes than the floors of traditional swimming pools. This higher degree of contamination is due to the huge number of visitors, the complexity of construction, the choice of materials and the long opening hours. In both types of swimming pools, the predominant species was Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale, followed by T. rubrum. Other dermatophytes, such as Microsporum canis and M. gypseum, were isolated sporadically</p

The Belgian Pollen phone service: immediate and direct information to hayfever sufferers36950

-</p

The fluctuations of the allergenic pollen content of the air in Brussels (1982 to 1997)36953

-</p

Dermatophytes and Swimming Pools: Seasonal Fluctuations36628

Summary:</p

Genetic re-identification and antifungal susceptibility testing of Aspergillus section Nigri strains of the BCCM/IHEM collection.

&lt;p&gt;Black Aspergilli are widely distributed in the environment and are frequently reported as causative agents of different types of mycoses. Many taxonomical revisions have been made, and presently 19 different species are accepted. In this study we (re-) identified 123 strains of the Aspergillus niger group of the BCCM/IHEM collection to check for the presence of species other than A. niger in both environmental and clinical samples. The susceptibility for antifungal drugs was compared between A. niger and Aspergillus tubingensis. Strains were identified based on morphological and molecular data and neighbour joining analysis. We revealed the presence of eight different species of this group in our collection. Our results suggest that Aspergillus foetidus, previously shown to be a species closely related to A. niger should not be considered as a separate species, but rather as a variety of A. niger. Furthermore, we found A. tubingensis at the same prevalence than A. niger in clinical samples. Interestingly, A. niger was shown to have a twofold higher sensitivity to treatment with voriconazole and itraconazole than A. tubingensis. These findings underline once more the importance of correct identification up to the species level in clinical isolates.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Tritirachium, a hyphomycetous genus belonging to the Basidiomycota

Tritirachium, commonly regarded as a member of the Ascomycota, is an anamorph producing sympodulate conidia. The purpose of this study was to examine the phylogenetic relationships between this fungus and some presumably related taxa. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences coding for the small ribosomal subunits of some Tritirachium species revealed their basidiomycetous nature. The topologies showed that they represent a highly supported clade in the Basidiomycota. The morphologically similar Nodulisporium cylindroconium, previously described as &#039;Tritirachium sp A&#039;, clustered with the Tritirachium species within the Pucciniomycotina. It could not be retained in Tritirachium because of its different conidiogenesis. Consequently, a new genus, Paratritirachium, is proposed for it. -® 2012 J. Cramer in Gebr. Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany</p