Journal of Fungi最新文献

{"title":"The Rising Threat of Mucormycosis: Oman's Experience Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.","authors":"Amina Al-Jardani, Adil Al-Wahaibi, Azza Al Rashdi, Bram Spruijtenburg, Noora AlBulushi, R Sandhya Rani, Hanan AlKindi, Fatma Al-Yaquobi, Bader Al-Rawahi, Asma AlBalushi, Saleh Al Azri, Jacques F Meis, Iman AlBuloshi, Seif Al-Abri, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Abdullah M S Al-Hatmi, Amal Al Maani","doi":"10.3390/jof10110796","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110796","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mucormycosis is a rare, severe fungal infection mainly affecting immunocompromised individuals. Because of limited data on its epidemiology in Oman, we present this national, multicentric, retrospective review that includes all cases of proven mucormycosis between 2006 and 2022 in Oman. There were 51 cases of mucormycosis reported in Oman. The annual incidence of mucormycosis was 0.38-0.69 cases per million population before COVID-19. During the pandemic, the incidence rose significantly to 1.76 in 2020, 5.31 in 2021, then decreased to 0.87 per million population in 2022. Diabetes was observed in 82.4% (<i>n</i> = 42) of the cases, COVID-19 in 47.1% (<i>n</i> = 24), and other chronic diseases in 72.6%. The use of steroids was reported in 33.3% (<i>n</i> = 17) and many patients (64.7%, <i>n</i> = 33) had multiple risk factors. The overall mortality rate was 41.2% (<i>n</i> = 21) and most deaths occurred within a month of diagnosis. Mortality rate among patients diagnosed with COVID-19 was 58.3% (14/24). Survival analysis showed a statistically significant association between COVID-19 status and patient survival (<i>p</i> = 0.024). Annual incidence of mucormycosis in Oman rose during the pandemic. This study highlights the epidemiological features of mucormycosis and emphasizes the importance of its inclusion in the national notifiable communicable diseases priority list as well as the importance of enhancing diagnostic capacities to detect and improve patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595873/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Role of <i>Aspergillus niger</i> in Regulating Internal Browning Involves Flavonoid Biosynthesis and the Endophytic Fungal Community of Pineapple.","authors":"Fei Shen, Guang Wang, Shijiang Zhu","doi":"10.3390/jof10110794","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110794","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Endophytic fungi are commonly used to control plant diseases, overcoming the drawbacks of chemical agents. The internal browning (IB) of postharvest pineapple fruit, a physiological disease, leads to quality losses and limits industrial development. This work investigated the relationship among the effects of <i>Aspergillus niger</i> (An) on IB controlling, flavonoid metabolism and the endophytic fungal community of pineapple through metabolomics, transcriptomics, microbiomics and microorganism mutagenesis technology. We obtained an endophyte An that can control the IB of pineapple and screened its mutant strain AnM, through chemical mutagenesis, that cannot control IB. The transcriptome of fungi showed that An and AnM were different in oxidative metabolism. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses of pineapple showed that An upregulated genes of flavonoid synthesis, including <i>dihydroflavonol 4-reductase</i> and <i>flavonoid 3'-monooxygenase</i> and increased the flavonoid content in pineapple fruit, i.e., Hispidulin, Hispidulin-7-O-Glucoside, and Diosmetin, while AnM could not. Microbiomics analysis identified an increase in the abundance of eight endophytic fungi in An-inoculated fruit, among which the abundance of six endophytic fungi (<i>Filobasidium magnum</i>, <i>Naganishia albida</i>, <i>A. niger</i>, <i>Aureobasidium melanogenum</i>, <i>Kwoniella heveanensis</i> and <i>Lysurus cruciatus</i>) was positively correlated with the content of three flavonoids mentioned above but not in AnM-inoculated fruit. Overall, this suggested, for the first time, that <i>A. niger</i> alleviated IB mainly by enhancing flavonoid synthesis and content and the abundance of endophytic fungi and by regulating the interaction between flavonoid content and endophytic fungi abundance in pineapple. This work adds to the understanding of the IB mechanism in postharvest pineapple and provides a new green approach for reducing postharvest losses and controlling physiological diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595779/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of a New Automated Mono-Test for the Detection of <i>Aspergillus</i> Galactomannan: Comparison of <i>Aspergillus</i> Galactomannan Ag VirCLIA^® Mono-Test with Platelia^TM<i>Aspergillus</i> Ag ELISA Assay.","authors":"Giuliana Lo Cascio, Valentina Lepera, Annarita Sorrentino, Domenico Caleca, Paolo Gigante, Gabriella Tocci, Alda Bazaj, Annalisa Mancini, Marina Bolzoni, Evelina Cattadori, Davide Gibellini, Chiara Gorrini, Claudio Farina, Roberta Schiavo, On Behalf Of The Medical Mycology Committee CoSM-Italian Association Of Clinical Microbiology Amcli","doi":"10.3390/jof10110793","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110793","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The analytical performance of the new <i>Aspergillus</i> Galactomannan Ag VirCLIA^® mono-test (Vircell S.L.) was compared to the Platelia™ <i>Aspergillus</i> Ag ELISA assay (Bio-Rad). Prospective serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from patients at risk of invasive aspergillosis (IA) were tested using both the <i>Aspergillus</i> Galactomannan Ag VirCLIA^® mono-test and the Platelia™ <i>Aspergillus</i> Ag ELISA assay. Concordance, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated using the manufacturer-recommended cutoff levels. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and the Youden index were performed to determine the optimal cutoff. A total of 187 serum samples and 73 BAL samples were analyzed with both assays. The concordance between the <i>Aspergillus</i> Galactomannan Ag VirCLIA^® mono-test and the Platelia™ <i>Aspergillus</i> Ag ELISA assay was 87.8%, with a Cohen's kappa of 0.75. The sensitivity and specificity of the <i>Aspergillus</i> Galactomannan Ag VirCLIA^® mono-test were 78.6% and 96.2%, respectively, with positive and negative predictive values of 94.8% and 83.3%. The ROC curve for the <i>Aspergillus</i> Galactomannan Ag VirCLIA^® mono-test demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87, and the Youden index at the manufacturer's established cutoff was 0.73. This new <i>Aspergillus</i> Galactomannan Ag VirCLIA^® mono-test exhibited adequate analytical and clinical performance, showing good correlation with the Platelia™ <i>Aspergillus</i> Ag ELISA assay. The single-sample, semi-automated test is user-friendly, allowing small laboratories to perform the test on demand without the need for batch evaluations, providing a useful solution for timely diagnostic support for clinicians.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595404/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oestrogen Detoxification Ability of White Rot Fungus <i>Trametes hirsuta</i> LE-BIN 072: Exoproteome and Transformation Product Profiling.","authors":"Olga S Savinova, Tatiana S Savinova, Tatyana V Fedorova","doi":"10.3390/jof10110795","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110795","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>White rot fungi, especially representatives of the genus <i>Trametes</i> spp. (Polyporaceae), are effective destructors of various xenobiotics, including oestrogens (phenol-like steroids), which are now widespread in the environment and pose a serious threat to the health of humans, animals and aquatic organisms. In this work, the ability of the white rot fungus <i>Trametes hirsuta</i> LE-BIN 072 to transform oestrone (E1) and 17β-oestradiol (E2), the main endocrine disruptors, was shown. More than 90% of the initial E1 and E2 were removed by the fungus during the first 24 h of transformation. The transformation process proceeded predominantly in the direction of the initial substrates' detoxification, with the radical oxidative coupling of E1 and E2 as well as their metabolites and the formation of less toxic dimers in various combinations. A number of minor metabolites, in particular, less toxic estriol (E3), were identified by HPLC-MS. The formation of E1 from E2 and vice versa were shown. The exoproteome of the white rot fungus during the transformation of oestrogens was studied in detail for the first time. The contribution of ligninolytic peroxidases (MnP5, MnP7 and VP2) to the process of the extracellular detoxification of oestrogens and their possible metabolites is highlighted. Thus, the studied strain appears to be a promising mycodetoxicant of phenol-like steroids in aquatic environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595678/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Isolation, Identification, and Analyzing the Biological Characteristics of Pathogens Causing Stem Rot of Lanzhou Onion During Postharvest Storage and Studying the Influence of Pathogen Infection on the Active Components of Lanzhou Onion.","authors":"Ruoxing Wang, Hui Zhang, Qingru Zhang, Jihui Xi, Kunhao Jiang, Jinzhu Li, Huali Xue, Yang Bi","doi":"10.3390/jof10110789","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110789","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was conducted in order to explore the pathogens that cause stem rot of fresh onions during postharvest storage, identify the incidence of stem rot, investigate the influence of pathogen infection on the active components of onion, and provide a theoretical basis for disease control during the postharvest storage of fresh onions. The pathogens were isolated and purified from the junction between the rotten and healthy tissues of onion stem rot that occurred naturally during storage at room temperature by tissue separation; then, the pathogens were identified by morphological and molecular biological techniques, the biological characteristics of the pathogens were analyzed, and finally, the influence of pathogen infection on the active ingredients of onion was studied. The results suggested that the main pathogens causing stem rot of fresh onions during postharvest storage were <i>Talaromyces pinophilus</i>, <i>Trichoderma simmonsii,</i> and <i>Talaromyces minioluteus</i>. The optimum colony growth conditions for <i>T. pinophilus</i> were as follows: a temperature of 30 °C, a pH of 7, light for 24 h, maltose as a carbon source, and peptone as a nitrogen source; the lethal temperature was 65 °C for 15 min. For <i>T. simmonsii</i>, the lethal temperature was 60 °C for 15 min, and the optimum sporulation conditions were a temperature of 25 °C, a pH of 5-7, light for 24 h, a carbon source of sucrose, and a nitrogen source of yeast powder. For <i>T. minioluteus</i>, the lethal condition was 65 °C for 15 min; the optimum colony growth conditions were a temperature of 25 °C, a pH of 8-9, 24 h of darkness, a carbon source of maltose, and a nitrogen source of peptone. The relative content of sulfur compounds, as the active components of onions, was much lower in the infected onions than in the healthy onions due to infection by the pathogens <i>T. pinophilus</i>, <i>T.simmonsii,</i> and <i>T.minioluteus</i>. This study will provide a theoretical basis for further effective control of the occurrence of postharvest stem rot diseases of onions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595477/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and Risk Factors Predicting Onychomycosis in Patients with and Without Diabetes Mellitus in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"David Navarro-Pérez, José Luis Lázaro-Martínez, Sara García-Oreja, Teresa Pérez-Pérez, Francisco Javier Álvaro-Afonso, Aroa Tardáguila-García","doi":"10.3390/jof10110790","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110790","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of onychomycosis (ONM) and its causative pathogens in populations with and without diabetes in Spain. The association between the presence of ONM, different risk factors, and comorbidities was also examined.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>A total of 160 patients with diabetes and 160 individuals without diabetes were recruited consecutively. A single investigator recorded the relative data of each patient and sampled nail dust and detritus for microbiological culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses of patients who showed clinical signs of fungal infection.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The prevalence of ONM was 36.88% (59/160) in the population with diabetes, 17.5% (28/160) in the population without diabetes, and 34.35% (45/131) in the population with diabetic foot. Dermatophyte fungi were most frequently identified, although the proportion was higher among those without diabetes than those with diabetes (19/28 and 28/59, respectively). However, the rate of mixed infections was higher in the population with diabetes compared to those without diabetes (13/59 and 2/28, respectively). A statistically significant association was found between the presence of diabetes and the risk of ONM (<i>p</i> < 0.001; odds ratio (OR) = 2.754; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.652-4.679). The risk factors associated with ONM among the patients with diabetes were a history of minor amputation, revascularisation, or cardiovascular disease, a low educational level, HbA1c values > 7%, hyperkeratosis, and subungual detritus. Among the patients without diabetes, nail thickening and chromonychia were associated with ONM.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results of this study suggest that the early diagnosis of ONM and knowledge of risk factors among patients with diabetes could enable the prevention of ONM, complications, and serious injuries through education for professionals and patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Discovery of <i>Alanomyces manoharacharyi</i>: A Novel Fungus Identified Using Genome Sequencing and Metabolomic Analysis.","authors":"Shiwali Rana, Sanjay K Singh","doi":"10.3390/jof10110791","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110791","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, a new species of <i>Alanomyces</i> was isolated as an endophyte from the bark of <i>Azadirachta indica</i> from Mulshi, Maharashtra. The identity of this isolate was confirmed based on the asexual morphological characteristics as well as multi-gene phylogeny based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) nuclear ribosomal RNA (rRNA) regions. As this was the second species to be reported in this genus, we sequenced the genome of this species to increase our knowledge about the possible applicability of this genus to various industries. Its genome length was found to be 35.01 Mb, harboring 7870 protein-coding genes as per Augustus and 8101 genes using GeMoMa. Many genes were annotated using the Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs) database, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene Ontology (GO), Swiss-Prot, NCBI non-redundant nucleotide sequences (NTs), and NCBI non-redundant protein sequences (NRs). The number of repeating sequences was predicted using Proteinmask and RepeatMasker; tRNA were detected using tRNAscan and snRNA were predicted using rfam_scan. The genome was also annotated using the Pathogen-Host Interactions Database (PHI-base) and AntiSMASH. To confirm the evolutionary history, average nucleotide identity (ANIb), phylogeny based on orthologous proteins, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were carried out. Metabolic profiling of the methanolic extract of dried biomass and ethyl acetate extract of the filtrate revealed a variety of compounds of great importance in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. The characterization and genomic analysis of the newly discovered species <i>Alanomyces manoharacharyi</i> highlights its potential applicability across multiple industries, particularly in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics due to its diverse secondary metabolites and unique genetic features it possesses.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11596026/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Roles of Different Signaling Pathways in <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> Virulence.","authors":"Fawad Mahmood, Jun-Ming Chen, Ammar Mutahar Al-Huthaifi, Abdullah Ali Al-Alawi, Tong-Bao Liu","doi":"10.3390/jof10110786","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110786","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> is a widespread fungal pathogen that can infect the human central nervous system (CNS) and cause fungal meningitis, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year. Previous studies have demonstrated that many signal transduction pathways are crucial for the morphological development and virulence of <i>C. neoformans</i>. In this review, data from over 116 research articles have been compiled to show that many signaling pathways control various characteristics of <i>C. neoformans</i>, individually or in association with other pathways, and to establish strong links among them to better understand <i>C. neoformans</i> pathogenesis. Every characteristic of <i>C. neoformans</i> is closely linked to these signaling pathways, making this a rich area for further research. It is essential to thoroughly explore these pathways to address questions that remain and apply a molecular mechanistic approach to link them. Targeting these pathways is crucial for understanding the exact mechanism of infection pathogenesis and will facilitate the development of antifungal drugs as well as the diagnosis and prevention of cryptococcosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595439/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular Biodiversity in <i>Fusarium subglutinans</i> and <i>F. temperatum</i>: A Valuable Tool to Distinguish the Two Sister Species and Determine the Beauvericin Chemotype.","authors":"Antonia Susca, Alessandra Villani, Miriam Haidukowski, Filomena Epifani, Antonio F Logrieco, Antonio Moretti","doi":"10.3390/jof10110785","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110785","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Fusarium subglutinans</i> and <i>F. temperatum</i> are widely distributed maize pathogens recognized as distinct species with a species-specific chemotype based on patterns of mycotoxins. Recent comparative genomic analysis revealed that genomes of both species carry a complete beauvericin (<i>Bea</i>) biosynthetic genes cluster, but the key gene <i>Bea1</i> in <i>F. subglutinans</i> is not functional likely due to a large insertion (NRPS22ins) and multiple mutations (SNP298 and SNP528). We used the recently published genome sequences for these species to develop PCR markers for investigating the distribution of three main mutations in the <i>Bea1</i> gene in a large collection of strains of both species from around the world. We also designed a PCR assay for a rapid and reliable discrimination of both species in the evaluation of crop exposure to mycotoxins. Overall, our results showed that SNP528 was the most common mutation, followed by NRPS22ins and SNP298. Moreover, phylogenetic analyses suggest that non-synonymous SNPs have occurred first, and that the resulting inactivation of BEA production has caused the accumulation of other polymorphisms, including the NRPS22ins, in the entire gene-coding region. The screening for genetic differences between these species could guide future crop management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595812/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Invasive Aspergillosis with Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis Following High-Dose Corticosteroid Therapy: A Challenging Case of Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mycosis.","authors":"Faruk Karakeçili, Orçun Barkay, Betül Sümer, Umut Devrim Binay, Kemal Buğra Memiş, Özlem Yapıcıer, Mecdi Gürhan Balcı","doi":"10.3390/jof10110788","DOIUrl":"10.3390/jof10110788","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Invasive aspergillosis is a rare but severe fungal infection primarily affecting immunocompromised individuals. The <i>Coronavirus</i> Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has introduced new complexities in managing aspergillosis due to the widespread use of corticosteroids for treating COVID-19-related respiratory distress, which can increase susceptibility to fungal infections. Here, we present a challenging case of progressive cerebral aspergillosis complicated by cavernous sinus thrombosis (CST) in a 67-year-old male with a history of COVID-19. The patient, initially misdiagnosed with temporal arteritis, received pulse corticosteroid therapy twice before presenting with persistent left-sided headaches and vision loss. Cranial imaging revealed findings consistent with fungal sinusitis, Tolosa-Hunt syndrome, and orbital pseudotumor, which progressed despite initial antifungal therapy. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging indicated an invasive mass extending into the left cavernous sinus and other intracranial structures, raising suspicion of aspergillosis. A transsphenoidal biopsy confirmed <i>Aspergillus</i> infection, leading to voriconazole therapy. Despite aggressive treatment, follow-up imaging revealed significant progression, with extension to the right frontal region and left cavernous sinus. The patient then developed visual impairment in the right eye and was diagnosed with CST secondary to fungal sinusitis. Management included a combination of systemic antifungals and antibiotics; however, the patient declined surgical intervention. This case underscores the diagnostic challenges and rapid progression associated with cerebral aspergillosis in post-COVID-19 patients treated with corticosteroids. This report highlights the need for heightened clinical suspicion and prompt, targeted interventions in similar cases to improve patient outcomes. Further research is required to understand the optimal management of invasive fungal infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":15878,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Fungi","volume":"10 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11595307/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}