Medical mycology journal最新文献

{"title":"P162 Parinaud's Oculoglandular Syndrome as an atypical manifestation of sporotrichosis in Brazil","authors":"C. Coutinho, C. Batista, R. Batista, R. L. Neto, F. Batista","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P162","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P162","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 2, September 22, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objectives Inform the general practitioner about the possibilities of atypical manifestations secondary to sporotrichosis, such as ocular manifestations, unrelated to the classic finding of contiguous lymphocutaneous ulcers. Methods This is a single-center, cross-sectional, retrospective study with patients evaluated and seen from June 2018 to April 2022 at the Mycology Outpatient Clinic of Hospital Universitário Oswaldo Cruz, University of Pernambuco. All patients were evaluated by the same infectious disease physician throughout the course, from diagnosis to outpatient discharge. Scrapings and cultures were collected by the institution's specialized Mycology team. Biopsies were sent to the University Pathology Service (CIAP). Results During the 4-year period, 231 patients started their treatment for sporotrichosis following clinical, laboratory, and histopathological criteria. Of these, 9 (3,8%) had Parinaud's Oculoglandular Syndrome, unilateral granulomatous conjunctivitis associated with ipsilateral preauricular or submandibular lymphadenitis (Fig. 1). Of the 9 reported cases, 8 presented manifestations only in the conjunctiva (88%), and 1 case also presented palpebral involvement (12%). Since most patients had a late diagnosis due to the difficulty in carrying out the specific investigation of the agent by a non-specialized team, the diagnosis by scraping and culture was compromised by early treatment with antifungals, especially itraconazole. It is becoming common in the Northeast of Brazil that the association of sick cats with typical manifestations of sporotrichosis is the main epidemiological factor since our case series for infections caused by soil manipulation is low. Therefore, 55% (5/9) had a clinical-epidemiological diagnosis of sporotrichosis, with an excellent clinical response to itraconazole 200 mg/day, as well as the 4 patients with diagnoses confirmed by culture (Fig. 2). The antifungal was taken after lunch since a fatty diet interferes with improved medication absorption. All patients were instructed not to use medications with known interactions, especially proton pump inhibitors and alcohol use. Conclusion Human sporotrichosis has become endemic in Latin America in the last two decades, bringing relevant morbidity to those infected. Zoonotic transmission by direct contact with infected sick cats has been gaining ground in Northeast Brazil, creating important epidemiology when typical sporotrichosis lesions appear following contact with these animals. Lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis is known to be the most common manifestation, but there is a need for care teams working in primary and secondary care to identify atypical manifestations and expand the investigation into the possibility of fungal infections. The epidemiology of the neighborhood associated with the presence and contact with sick cats with ulcerative lesions must be considered and taken into acco","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75251855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P223 First case of Candida auris candidemia in Manipur, Northeast India","authors":"O. Konjengbam, R. Khuraijam, Priyolaxmi Ningthoujam, A. Acharjee, Hari Presanambika, Binita Thingam","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P223","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P223","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 2, September 22, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objective Candida auris is known as an emerging ‘superbug’ because of its intrinsic resistance to one or more, sometimes to all available antifungal drugs and spreading globally. It has the ability to cause devastating nosocomial infections. In India, C. auris infection is on the rise with reports from north, south, central and eastern India. Here we present the first case of C. auris fungemia from a tertiary care hospital of Manipur in Northeast India. Methods A 15-year-old Muslim girl was referred from a private hospital to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) hospital on November 19, 2021 with a history of burning epigastrium, headache, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, dry cough, fever, and generalized weakness for last 3 days. At the time of admission she was cyanotic. Family gave history of congenital heart disease and frequent visits to hospital. Echocardiogram revealed congenital cyanotic heart disease (Tetralogy of Fallot) showing large perimembranous VSD with bidirectional shunt. A complete hemogram showed neutrophilic leukocytosis with shift to left with band form, absolute monocytosis, and increased RBC count with mild anisocytosis. On November 24, 2021, 5 days after admission, her condition deteriorated and she was shifted to ICU. However, the condition of the patient deteriorated and she died on November 29, 2021 due to acute decompensated heart failure. Follow-up of other patients admitted in the same ward revealed no candidemia in next the few weeks. Results A single blood culture sent on November 29, 2021 was incubated in an automated blood culture system, BacT Alert and showed growth of budding yeast cells. Growth in SDA revealed it to be Candida sps. and Gram-stained smear examination revealed presence of budding yeast cells but no pseudohyphae. Germ tube test was negative. On CHROM agar, it produces pale yellow colonies at 24 h which progresses to light purple colonies around the rim at 48 h. Further processing in VITEK 2 (Biomerieux) identified it as C. auris. The isolate was sent to National Culture Collection of Pathogenic Fungi, WHO collaborating center, PGIMER and the isolate was confirmed as Candida auris by MALDI-TOF assay. Conclusion Candida auris is spreading irrespective of the level of health care. Blood culture before administration of antibiotics and in febrile sick patients cannot be underestimated. Rapid and accurate identification methods for timely diagnosis and stringent infection control measures with an emphasis on hand hygiene are important to prevent and control C. auris outbreaks.","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75426106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P089 Candidemia: prevalence, species characterization ,and the antibiotic susceptibility profile from a tertiary care hospital in north india","authors":"A. William, R. Kaur, D. Rawat, Pradeep Kumar","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P089","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 1, September 21, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objectives The aim of this study was to characterize the Candida spp. isolated from blood cultures and determine the antifungal susceptibility pattern of the Candida species prevalent in a tertiary care hospital in North India. Methods This retrospective study was conducted in Department of Microbiology of a tertiary care hospital in North India from April 2020 to March 2022. All blood cultures received in the department during this period were included in the study. Candida species isolated were identified and antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by VITEK as per standard protocol, The susceptibility pattern of 50 isolates was also performed by the broth microdilution method as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines (CLSI) and the results were compared with VITEK results. Results Out of 21 804 blood cultures received during this period, 177 grew Candida species. Therefore, the overall prevalence of Candida species was 0.81% in our study. The incidence of bloodstream infection caused by non-albicans Candida species (80%) was higher than C. albicans (20%). Among NAC species, C. tropicalis (45%) was the most common, followed by C. pelliculosa (15%). Candidemia was predominantly observed in ICU patients. Resistance was seen in 14.1% isolates to voriconazole and fluconazole, 4.2% to flucytosine and 3.9% to caspofungin and amphotericin-B. No resistance was seen to micafungin. A total of 15% of the isolates were resistant to more than one drug. Conclusion There was a predominance of non-albicans Candida over C. albicans. Maximum resistance was seen to voriconazole followed by fluconazole. Continuous surveillance is necessary to follow trends and monitor changes in epidemiological and resistance patterns in different geographical regions, especially in critically ill patients.","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73702333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P125 Histoplasma capsulatum modulates the immune response exerted by mesenchymal stromal cells","authors":"Carolina Rodríguez-Echeverri, T. Tamayo, B. Gómez, Ángel González","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P125","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 1, September 21, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Background Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have become a tool not only for tissue regeneration but also for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Several studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of MSCs for the treatment of noninfectious inflammatory diseases; however, they appear to play a dual role in infectious diseases. Histoplasmosis is a systemic mycosis caused by Histoplasma spp., which occurs mainly in immunosuppressed individuals; this mycosis can present a severe clinical picture with dissemination to various organs and is associated with an exacerbated inflammatory response and with anemia and pancytopenia if bone marrow is affected. So far, the effect of a possible interaction of Histoplasma with stem cells present in the bone marrow is unknown. Objectives To examine, in vitro, the immunomodulatory effects of MSCs in response to H. capsulatum infection. Methods MSCs were obtained from bone marrow of C57BL/6 male mice; after isolation and purification, they were induced to mesodermal lineages and characterized by flow cytometry. Later, the basal expression of toll-like receptor (TLR)-2, TLR4, and Dectin-1 was determined using flow cytometry. MSCs were infected with H. capsulatum yeasts (isolate CIB 1980) in a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 5 and incubated for 24 h. In addition, some of the co-cultures were previously treated with specific blocking antibodies for TLR2 and TLR4 or with a blocking peptide specific for Dectin-1 (CLEC7A). Furthermore, phagocytosis, microbicidal, and cell proliferation assays were done, and the expression of the genes encoding the cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, and TGF-β as well as of those for arginase-1 and iNOS were assessed. Results We observed that H. capsulatum has the capability to adhere and internalize within these MSCs; nonetheless, this process did not affect the survival of the fungus. The interaction of H. capsulatum with MSCs induced a slight but significantly increased expression of TLR2 but not TLR4 nor Dectin-1. In addition, this fungal interaction significantly induced an augmented expression of IL-6 and a decrease in the expression of IL-1β, IL-17, TNF-α, TGF-β, as well as the immune mediators Arg-1 and iNOS. Interestingly, blockade of these receptors did not affect phagocytosis, but increased IL-1β, IL-17, and TNF-α expression and reduced the expression of IL-6. Noteworthy, H. capsulatum induced apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation of these stem cells; furthermore, this fungus significantly reduced the expression of genes related to adipogenic differentiation and increased the expression of genes related to the osteogenic differentiation process. Conclusions The above results indicate that MSCs do not exert a notable antifungal effect against H. capsulatum; on the contrary, this fungal pathogen not only modulates the expression of inflammatory mediators in MSCs, by a mechanism dependent o","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74103680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P165 Mycological profile of keratitis from tertiary care center in the state of Chattisgarh, India","authors":"Archana Y. Keche, Sibani Behera, R. Tigga, Vijaya Sahu, N. Mishra","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P165","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 2, September 22, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objective To assess the burden of fungal etiology of clinically suspected mycotic keratitis amongst the patient presented to the Ophthalmology department in a tertiary care hospital in Chhattisgarh. Methods This is a laboratory-based retrospective study of the corneal scrapings received for mycological processing between January 2020-December 2021. Demographic data were collected from patients and from their medical records. Corneal scrapings were aseptically collected from the margins of the ulcer using a sterile Kimura blade in the Ophthalmology department and the samples were processed by following the standard microbiology protocol. A wet mount examination with 10% KOH was done. Samples were also smeared onto a sterile slide for Gram stain. Samples were inoculated in a C-shaped manner on media on blood agar, chocolate agar, and Sabouraud's dextrose agar supplemented with chloramphenicol. Media were incubated in a 25°C aerobic incubator and observed for growth daily for a week and thereafter on alternate days. Blood agar was incubated at 37°C. Fungi were identified by the conventional method by Lactophenol cotton blue microscopy (LPCB) and slide culture. Antifungal susceptibility testing for Voriconazole with E-test was performed for Aspergillus and Fusarium species. Results A total of 37 patients with suspected mycotic keratitis were included in the duration of the study period. The demographic details hinted more predisposition of keratitis in females than in males; with a mean age of 49 ± 2 years and a range from 21 to 80 years. The predominant predisposing factor was trauma with organic matter in agricultural background. Amongst the total 37.8% (14/37) were positive for both KOH and culture, while 5.4% (2/37) were KOH negative but culture positive. There were 5 isolates that could hint toward low sample load or certain technical logistic issues could not be culture. Amongst culture-positive isolates, Fusarium species (37.5%) was the most common isolate showing predominance of Fusarium oxysporum, followed by Acremonium species and Aspergillus species 19%, with rare isolation of Colletotrichum dematium and Scedosporium species. Conclusion Culture remained the gold standard for the detection of fungal agents which will help to know the epidemiology of the local areas and guide the clinicians to prevent and treat the affected patients effectively. The tropical environment and agricultural occupation in Chhattisgarh present variability in the etiology of mycotic keratitis. With the predominance of Fusarium species, unusual fungal isolates of C. dematium and Scedosporium species from corneal ulcers were observed. Early detection is essential to initiate appropriate antifungal therapy and to minimize preventable ocular complications like blindness.","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74951337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P256 A rare case of co-infection with Nigrospora oryzae with mucormycosis in an immunocompromised post-COVID patient","authors":"Ankita Patel, Alisha Sharma, P. Mahajan, A. Bahal, S. Ninawe, P. Bhatt, N. Grover","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P256","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 2, September 22, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objective A rare case of co-infection of Nigrospora oryzae with mucormycosis in an immunocompromised post-COVID patient. Methods A 41-year-old male diabetic patient, with sub-optimal glycemic control, contracted COVID-19 infection and was managed with high-dose steroids. A month after recovery from COVID-19 infection, he developed severe headache with sudden onset right-sided facial swelling. A contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was done which was suggestive of infective/inflammatory rhinosinusitis with intracranial extension with a possibility of fungal etiology. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery was performed and tissue was sent for microbiological processing. On KOH mount, broad pauciseptate fungal hyphae were seen. Fungal growth was obtained on SDA at 25°C and 37°C within 4 days of inoculation. It was confirmed as Rhizopus arrhizus both phenotypically as well as by MALDI-TOF. Patient was put on antifungal therapy in form of Inj liposomal Amphotericin B 500 mg/d. However, patient had persistent headache, vomiting, and low-grade fever post-procedure. A repeat CE-MRI was performed which was suggestive of necrotic brain tumor/abscess and was planned for frontal lobe abscess drainage. Pus was inoculated on routine mycological media. On KOH mount, broad pauciseptate hyphae along with narrow septate hyphae were seen. Fungal growth was obtained on SDA at 25°C within 5 days of inoculation, which on LPCB were identified as Nigrospora spp. The identity of the isolate was confirmed by Next generation sequencing as Nigrospora oryzae. Post-2 weeks of treatment and strict glycemic control, patient started improving. The headache and swelling subsided. He was further started on oral hypoglycemic agents and discharged and was asked to follow up after a month. Results COVID-19 epidemic that emerged by the end of 2019 has been associated with a huge number of deaths globally. Acute invasive fungal rhino-sinusitis is a potentially fatal infection in immune-compromised patients post COVID-19. Various studies reveal that invasive fungal infections have been the leading cause of death in 25%-73.7% of patients. Among these invasive fungal infections, Mucor spp. were detected in 77.8% patient, Aspergillus fumigatus in 30.6% while 8.3% showed mixed infection with both the fungi. Along with the established pathogenicity of Mucorales in causing invasive fungal infection, other fungal co-infections are also being observed. These invasive fungal infections in an immune-compromised host carry a high mortality and morbidity rate (18%-80%). Therefore, early diagnosis, followed by aggressive medical care, surgical debridement, and control of underlying diseases is of utmost importance. Conclusion Acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis saw a spurt in incidence during the widespread COVID-19 pandemic. Diagnosis of invasive fungal infection is based on the clinical setting and characteristic presentation","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77475889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P022 Luliconazole—a novel potent imidazole activity against Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus causing otomycosis","authors":"Bavadharani Sukumar, T. Premamalini, Sasikumar Nivetha Shree, A. Kindo","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P022","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 1, September 21, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Background and Objectives Suppurative otitis media (SOM) is characterized by the inflammation of the middle ear and mastoid, tympanic membrane perforation as well as discharge. The tympanic membrane perforation may result in increased exposure of the middle ear to pathogens. Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus, are the most common causative agents of otomycosis with worldwide distribution, when it spreads from the external auditory canal to adjacent anatomical structures, it is classified as Aspergillus invasive otitis externa. Aspergillus otomycosis treatment is initiated by thorough cleaning of the ear canal, accomplished with suction, and drying with cotton swabs. In developing countries, SOM is a major cause of preventable hearing loss, its incidence ranges from 7% to 46% and is common amongst children of lower socioeconomic status. Treatment of SOM is directed at debridement and drying the ear with topical antifungal agents. Extensive surgical debridement and systemic antifungal therapy are needed in cases of refractory otomycosis or Aspergillus invasive otitis externa. Despite this management, treatment failure may result from suboptimal therapeutic management caused by antifungal agent toxicity. Luliconazole is currently confirmed for the topical therapy of dermatophytosis. Moreover, it is found that luliconazole has in vitro activity against some molds and yeast species. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of luliconazole in comparison to routinely used antifungals on clinical isolates of A. niger and A. flavus. Methods The study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology, SRIHER, Chennai. A total of 55 (29 A. niger and 26 A. flavus) strains of Aspergillus isolates obtained from clinical otomycosis cases were confirmed based on macroscopic and microscopic identification by Lacto Phenol Cotton Blue mount and slide culture technique. Antifungal susceptibility patterns of all the Aspergillus isolates to itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, and luliconazole were determined by broth microdilution method as per Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M38-A2 guidelines. Results The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) geometric mean (GM) (0.00309 μg/ml) was attributed to luliconazole followed by posaconazole (0.18409 μg/ml), voriconazole (1.02727 μg/ml) and itraconazole (11.0091 μg/ml). Also, among the azoles tested, luliconazole had the lowest MIC50 and MIC90 values of 0.00098 μg/ml and 0.00781 μg/ml respectively. Among the triazoles tested posaconazole had a lower MIC50 and MIC90 values of 0.125 μg/ml and 0.25 μg/ml. Being the drug of choice for invasive aspergillosis voriconazole had a slightly higher MIC50 and MIC90 value of 1 μg/ml and 2 μg/ml. Luliconazole was found to be more effective even for pan azole-resistant isolates (n = 3) with lower MIC values. Conclusion The results of this study showed that luliconazole had a","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81910078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P021 Comparative transcriptomic analysis of environmental Candida auris showing variable azole susceptibility","authors":"K. Jain, Raju Shivarathri, Ashutosh Singh, N. Chauhan, A. Chowdhary","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P021","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 1, September 21, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objective Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant pathogen that presents a serious global threat to human health. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified C. auris as an urgent threat to public health due to its clinical and economic impact and future projections of new infections over the next 10 years. Candida auris infections are difficult to treat since many isolates display high levels of resistance to fluconazole and exhibit variable resistance to amphotericin B and echinocandins. In this study, we performed comparative transcriptomics to understand the molecular mechanisms associated with azole-resistance in C. auris environmental isolates. Material and Methods Two sets of environmental isolates including azole-resistant (n = 2) and azole susceptible (n = 1) isolates were used for RNA-Seq analysis. Pair-wise comparisons in edgeR were used for comparing the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the azole susceptible and resistant isolates. GO term enrichment analysis was performed using the ‘enrichGO’ function from the cluster Profiler package. Only GO categories with a q-value <0.05 were considered significant. Results Our data show significant enrichment of ergosterol biosynthesis genes, drug transport, MAPK pathway as well as chromatin remodeling genes in azole-resistant strains compared to susceptible isolates. A total of 468 and 564 differentially expressed genes were identified in two azole-resistant isolates compared with the susceptible strain. A large number of multidrug transporter genes (CDR1, MDR1, HGT2, HGT7, HGT13, HGT17, and NGT1) were differentially expressed between the two sets of strains. Interestingly, the overexpression of ERG11 (azole target gene), and CDR1 (drug transporter) genes was observed in resistant isolates as compared with susceptible strain. Furthermore, resistant strain has two copies of ERG11 while susceptible isolate has single copy of ERG11. Notably, 8/21 genes involved in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway were found to be induced in azole resistant isolates. These include HMG1, ERG1, ERG2, ERG3, ERG6, ERG10, ERG13, and ERG25. Furthermore, other multidrug transporters MDR1 and SNQ2 responsible for azole resistance in other Candida species like C. glabrata also showed significant expression changes between the two sets of isolates. Furthermore, HGT7 (glucose transporter) and NGT1, (N-acetyl glucosamine transporter) genes associated with azole and polyene resistance were found to be upregulated in the resistant isolate as compared with susceptible strain. Additionally, a Glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein unique for C. auris, PGA7 was found to be overexpressed in resistant isolate. Importantly, we also identified several secreted aspartic proteases (SAP3, SAP5, SAP8, and SAP9) to be downregulated between the two sets. Conclusion The present study identifies several gene families that","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81913829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"P504 Screening of Belgian bats and hibernacula for the description of related fungal microbiomes and the detection of Pseudogymnoascus destructans","authors":"Hanne Debergh, P. Becker, Claudia Van den Eynde, F. Baert, E. D'hooge, R. de Pauw, A. Normand, R. Piarroux, D. Stubbe","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.P504","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.P504","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Poster session 3, September 23, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM   Bats can be affected by fungal pathogens such as Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of the white-nose syndrome. Their body surface can also be colonized by fungal commensals or carry transient fungal species and participate in their dispersal. The present study aimed to assess the presence of P. destructans in Northern Belgium, to describe the skin mycobiome of active bats during summer and autumn, and to analyze possible differences in fungal diversity among bat species, sampling sites, and seasons. In total, 114 bat specimens belonging to seven species were sampled from various localities. Culture-based methods revealed an important mycological diversity with 209 different taxa. Overall, a mean of 3.7 taxa per bat was recorded but significant differences were observed between sampling sites and seasons with a higher diversity in autumn as compared to summer. The mycobiomes were dominated by cosmopolitan and plant-associated species, in particular from the genera Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. Other species known to be related to bats or their environment, like Apiotrichum otae, were also retrieved. Although P. destructans was not detected, the sampling of the hibernacula indicated that they can be inhabited by diverse fungal species including a yet undescribed Pseudogymnoascus species, distinct from P. destructans, namely P. cavicola, sp. nov.","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84485184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"S5.3b Fungal spores: Initiators of colonization and infection","authors":"Tim J. H. Baltussen, Tom van den Brule, J. Dijksterhuis","doi":"10.1093/mmy/myac072.S5.3b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myac072.S5.3b","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract S5.3 Cellular pleomorphism and fungal virulence, September 22, 2022, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Fungi produce asexual and sexual spores for reproduction and distribution, which can be both in space and time. Distribution in space occurs, by air movement, but also, by water or other vectors such as living organisms. Filamentous fungi from the division Ascomycota that belong to the order Eurotiales produce asexual spores called conidia. Conidia are moderately stress-tolerant cells and are able to survive unfavorable conditions such as thermal stress, dehydration, osmotic pressure, oxidative stress, variations in pH, and UV. For example, conidia of the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum are isolated worldwide and must be regarded as cosmopolitan. In many cases, conidia might ‘land’ closely to the location of production, but still many spores making into the higher air layers. There is indirect evidence that spores may be able to travel large distances through the air. For example, Aspergillus sydowii conidia have been suggested to travel over thousands of kilometers from the Sahara Desert to the Caribbean reefs.   Distribution in time is occurring as stress-resistant cells remain dormant at one location for an extended period, awaiting conditions that are more favorable for growth. Some ascospores (sexual spores) are extremely stress-resistant and dormant for very long periods. Other species show extended dormancy in a dried state. As microbial species are inherently variable, stress resistance varies between strains from the same species. For example, conidial heat resistance (D60) of various strains of the fungus Paecilomyces variotii ranged between 3.5 to 27.6 min. This intraspecific variation could have profound consequences on diagnostics, virulence, and antifungal treatment in clinical settings.   For conidial germination in most filamentous fungi, the presence of nutrients such as inorganic salts, sugars, and amino acids is required. The swelling phase of conidia is also called isotropic growth. Swollen conidia direct the growth to one side of the cell to grow in a polarized fashion, which leads to the formation of a germ tube (polarized growth). There is a notable drop in stress resistance during isotropic and polarized growth and genes expressed during these stages might represent novel targets for fungal infection.","PeriodicalId":18325,"journal":{"name":"Medical mycology journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84980406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}