Mycopathologia最新文献

{"title":"Pathogenic Mechanisms of Aspergillus lentulus Infection: Induction of Oxidative Stress and Tissue Damage in Galleria mellonella Larvae.","authors":"Lijuan Zhang, Mingshuo Ji, Hadiliya Hasimu, Paride Abliz","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01072-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01072-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Aspergillus lentulus (A. lentulus) is an emerging pathogenic fungus with intrinsic resistance to multiple antifungal agents. Understanding its pathogenic mechanisms and the host's responses is essential for the development of effective therapeutic strategies. The Galleria mellonella (G. mellonella) larvae model offers a convenient and physiologically relevant in vivo system to investigate fungal virulence and host-pathogen interactions, including the dynamics of oxidative stress.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, G. mellonella larvae were infected with A. lentulus to assess its virulence. Larval survival rates and intestinal histopathology were evaluated post-infection. Oxidative stress responses were characterized by quantifying intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and measuring the activity of key antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Additionally, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured as an indicator of lipid peroxidation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At 24h post-infection, A. lentulus significantly reduced larval survival and caused notable intestinal tissue damage, although its virulence was lower compared to Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus). The infection induced a marked increase in oxidative stress, as indicated by elevated ROS levels (p < 0.01), reduced activities of the antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, and GST, and a 57% increase in MDA content, a marker of lipid peroxidation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings emphasize the role of oxidative stress in host tissue damage during A. lentulus infection. The dual role of ROS in both antimicrobial defense and tissue injury highlights the complexity of host-pathogen interactions. This underscores the potential of targeting oxidative stress pathways as a therapeutic strategy in fungal infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147864271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"National Surveillance of Candidemia in the Czech Republic: Preliminary Results from the 2023 Multicentre Study.","authors":"Pavlína Lysková, Radim Dobiáš, Matěj Bezdíček, Vít Hubka, Petra Sumerauerová, Daniela Lžičařová, Iva Kocmanová, Vladimír Buchta, Ivana Prošková, Helena Janouškovcová, Petra Olišarová, Kateřina Svobodová, Petr Hamal, Naďa Mallátová, Zuzana Kadlečková, Johana Kučerová, Markéta Skružná, Filip Růžička, Marta Fridrichová, Daniela Fáčková, Markéta Hajná, Jana Kunzová, Jan Kubele, Zuzana Zemanová, Miroslava Dlouhá, Lenka Šemberová, Daniela Balíková, Galina Eliášová, Alena Steinerová, Filip Prusík, Romana Filová, Šárka Lásiková, Iva Nikodýmová, Iveta Pěkníková, Eva Kašperová, Martina Čurdová, Hana Tomášková, Hana Slepčanová, Miroslav Kolařík","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01076-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01076-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to obtain data describing the epidemiology and antifungal susceptibility of yeasts isolated from bloodstream infections (BSI) in the Czech Republic (CR). This study presents data from the first year of a national, long-term surveillance program. All microbiologically confirmed candidemia cases in patients hospitalized at 30 Czech centers in 2023 were evaluated. This study assessed BSI incidence per 100,000 inhabitants, species distribution, and antifungal susceptibilities (EUCAST E.Def 7.4 protocol) of strains.aff Whole-genome sequencing was performed on selected isolates with acquired resistance or non-wild-type phenotypes to determine the molecular mechanisms of resistance. In total, 433 isolates from 408 unique BSI episodes in 398 patients were recorded in 2023. Candida albicans was the most frequent species (40.6%), followed by Candida glabrata (24.5%), Candida parapsilosis (14.5%), and Candida tropicalis (5.5%). In pediatric patients, C. albicans (58.8%) was the most common, followed by C. parapsilosis (17.6%). Candida auris BSI was not detected in 2023. The highest rates of acquired fluconazole resistance were detected in C. parapsilosis (16.9%) and C. glabrata (15.4%). Most fluconazole-resistant (FLC-R) C. parapsilosis isolates carried Y132F mutation in ERG11 gene (14/15; 93.3%). One isolate of C. glabrata was resistant to echinocandins (1.3%), but remained susceptible to azoles, mutations in FKS1 (G14S) and FKS2 (S663P, T926P) were identified. This nationwide survey provides the first comprehensive yeast BSI surveillance data from the Czech Republic, which spans the entire country. CR follows trends observed in developed countries, with a decline in C. albicans and a rise in C. glabrata infections. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing FLC-R C. parapsilosis isolates carrying the Y132F ERG11 mutation in CR. These findings highlight several emerging challenges that reflect global trends: a shifting spectrum of Candida species from C. albicans to non-albicans species, and rising levels of acquired azole resistance. Therefore, continuous national monitoring is essential.</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147817900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retrospective Evaluation of Mucormycosis Cases at a Tertiary Care Center Between 2000 and 2020 in Türkiye.","authors":"Hazel Öztürk Belik, Yasemin Heper, Esra Kazak, Emel Yılmaz, Beyza Ener, Halis Akalın","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01073-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01073-6","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mucormycosis ranks third among invasive mycoses after Candidiasis and Aspergillosis and is associated with high mortality. Its incidence has increased with the rising number of immunosuppressed patients. In developing countries, the most common predisposing factor is uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM), whereas in developed countries it is immunosuppressive conditions. To examine local epidemiological data, predisposing factors, diagnostic and therapeutic options and survival in our center eighty-six adult mucormycosis patients between 2000 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-nine (45.35%) were male, 47 (54.65%) were female, and the median age was 52 years (IQR, 42.5-62). The most frequent clinical presentation was sinus involvement, observed in 77 cases (89.53%). Of these, 38 (44.18%) were sinonasal, 5 (5.81%) sinoorbital, 9 (10.47%) rhinocerebral, and 25 (29.07%) rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis. The remaining 9 cases (10.47%) had pulmonary mucormycosis. Predisposing factors included hematologic diseases in 51 patients (59.30%), DM in 33 (38.37%), solid organ transplantation (SOT) in 7 (8.14%), and solid organ malignancy in 7 (8.14%). The most common symptoms were fever (70.93%), swelling around the eyes and face (51.16%), pain (40.7%), erythema (34.88%), nasal discharge (30.23%), and headache (25.58%). Most frequent physical examination findings were necrotic lesions in the oral cavity and sinuses (87.21%), ophthalmoplegia (29.07%), ptosis (26.74%), vision loss (25.58%), and proptosis (22.09%). In all cases, amphotericin B formulations were preferred as initial therapy. Patients who received combination therapy (n = 14), 13 used posaconazole (POS) + liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) and one patient used itraconazole (ITC) + L-AmB. POS was administered to 14 patients receiving sequential oral therapy. The median duration of amphotericin B therapy was 46.5 days (IQR, 14.7-84.5), and the median total duration of antifungal therapy was 46.5 days (IQR, 14.7-90.3). The most common adverse effect of amphotericin B formulations was hypokalemia [L-AmB 68.75%, amphotericin B deoxycholate (AmB-D) 54.84%, amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC) 50%]. At least one surgical intervention was performed in 74.42% of cases. The 12-week mortality rate was 48.84%, overall mortality rate was 61.63%. In analysis advanced age [12-week: OR: 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01-1.07), p = 0.011; overall: OR: 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01-1.07), p = 0.026 respectively], coexistence of both hematologic disease and DM [12-week OR: 5.73 (95% CI: 1.16-28.33), p = 0.032] associated with mortality. No significant difference was observed in 12-week mortality between surgical and non-surgical patients (p = 0.107). In contrast, overall mortality was significantly higher in the non-surgical group (81.8% vs. 54.7%, p = 0.024). In univariable logistic regression analysis, surgical intervention was associated with a 73.2% reduction in the odds of overall mortality (OR: 0.268, 95% CI: 0.082-0.882,","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13124794/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147776960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Instability and Subpopulation Dynamics of Azole Trailing Phenotypes in Clinical Candida tropicalis Isolates.","authors":"Snigdha Reddy, Saikat Paul, Shivaprakash M Rudramurthy, Harsimran Kaur, Anup K Ghosh","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01074-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01074-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Azole antifungal \"trailing growth\" in Candida spp., a tolerance phenotype distinct from resistance, complicates interpretation of in vitro susceptibility and may contribute to persistent candidemia, especially in resource-limited settings. This study investigated the stability, characteristics, and mechanisms of azole trailing, primarily in the emerging pathogen Candida tropicalis. From 847 clinical C. tropicalis isolates (2022-2024) screened by CLSI broth microdilution (BMD), 6.85% (n = 58) exhibited trailing, most frequently with fluconazole. Disk diffusion with elevated drug concentrations revealed microcolonies within inhibition zones, confirming tolerance to supra-MIC levels. Longitudinal monitoring revealed phenotypic instability: trailing was lost in 37.5% of C. tropicalis, 50% of C. albicans, and 66.7% of C. glabrata isolates after 8-12 months of storage at - 80 °C. This loss was also induced by repetitive freeze-thaw cycles in some isolates. Trailing was pH-dependent, consistently observed only at pH 6-8. Serial induction under fluconazole pressure successfully revived the phenotype in some isolates. Population Analysis Profiling (PAP) of nine trailing C. tropicalis isolates confirmed the presence of drug-tolerant subpopulations, akin to a heteroresistance reference strain. These findings demonstrate that azole trailing in C. tropicalis is a reversible, pH-dependent tolerance phenotype mediated by a minor subpopulation, which is unstable under routine laboratory storage. The discrepancy between in vitro susceptibility results and this tolerant phenotype underscores the need for adjunctive assays, like PAP, to better characterize antifungal response and improve clinical correlation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147777009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Emergence and Genomic Profiling of Multidrug-Resistant Candida auris Isolated from Intensive Care Unit Patients in a Malaysian Teaching Hospital.","authors":"Nishanthinie Thatchanamoorthy, Rukumani Devi Velayuthan, Chandramathi Samudi Raju, Subha Bhassu, Alexandria Sonia Karajacob, Sasheela Ponnampalavanar, Mohan Rao, Sun Tee Tay","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01059-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01059-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Candida auris, a significant pathogen causing invasive candidiasis with high mortality rates and frequent hospital outbreaks, is understudied in Malaysia. This study retrospectively examined invasive candidiasis cases at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre from 2018 to 2021. Four C. auris strains were isolated from blood and peritoneal samples of intensive care unit patients and identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Antifungal susceptibility testing using Sensititre™ YeastOne YO10 plate showed resistance to amphotericin B (2-4 µg/ml) and fluconazole (256 µg/ml) but susceptibility to echinocandins. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a 12.31 Mb genome, 45.59% G + C content, 99.95-99.99% average nucleotide identity between the isolates, and 190-225 single nucleotide polymorphisms. The Malaysian strains were phylogenetically related to the South Asian Clade (I) and harbored mutations associated with resistance to fluconazole (ERG11 gene: Y132F; CDR1 gene: E709D) and amphotericin B (ERG2 gene: E39D). The first genomic characterization of multidrug-resistant C. auris in Malaysian ICU patients highlights the urgent need for enhanced infection control measures in healthcare settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13068732/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147645824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atractylodin Enhances the Efficacy of Fluconazole Against Fluconazole-Resistant C. albicans by Promoting ROS Accumulation and Synergizes with Fluconazole Against C. albicans Biofilm.","authors":"Jinyun Song, Juan Wang, Sijia Hu, Jinghan Gao, Zihao Liang, Shanzhong Tan, Hongyu Zhao","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01071-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01071-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rise of resistant Candida albicans (C. albicans) poses a significant challenge to fluconazole (FCZ) therapy. Restoring FCZ sensitivity offers a therapeutic strategy for resistant isolates. Atractylodin (ATL), a polyacetylene from Atractylodis Rhizoma, possesses antifungal activity. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic efficacy of ATL and FCZ against drug-resistant C. albicans and explore the underlying mechanisms. Fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) for synergy evaluation, scanning electron microscopy, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were conducted to investigate the antifungal effect on FCZ-resistant C. albicans 04. Transcriptome sequencing was performed to confirm the differentially expressed genes between ATL + FCZ and FCZ treatment. Meanwhile, the effect of ATL and FCZ combination on the virulence factors was explored through hyphae formation and antibiofilm experiment. Microbial metabolomics was used to identify the mechanism of the synergistic biofilm inhibition. ATL had significant synergistic effect with FCZ against FCZ-resistant C. albicans, and reduced the MICs of FCZ by 32 or 64 times, with FICI < 0.5. The ATL and FCZ combination caused damage to C. albicans cells and significantly increased ROS levels. Transcriptome sequencing also revealed that the gene involved in ROS inculding SOD2 and HSP90 were upregulated, while cell wall-related genes CHS7 and CWH8 were downregulated. Meanwhile, ATL strongly synergized with FCZ against hyphae and biofilm formation of FCZ resistant C. albicans. Metabolomics revealed that key metabolites (e.g., glucose 6-phosphate, isocitric acid, most lipid species, leucylproline, 3'-adenylic acid) were significantly downregulated in the ATL + FCZ combination group versus control and monotherapies. In conclusion, we demonstrated for the first time that the combination of ATL and FCZ may produce a synergistic antifungal effect against FCZ-resistant C. albicans, potentially through the induction of ROS accumulation. The alterations of metabolites mainly involved in glycolysis, TCA cycle, amino acids, lipid, and nucleotide metabolism may be responsible for the inhibition of C. albicans biofilm formation. ATL exhibited a strong synergist with FCZ against C. albicans, highlighting the potential of ATL as a sensitizer in clinical antifungal therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147609503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Candidemia Attributed to a Urinary Tract Source: Retrospective Cohort Study of Risk Factors, Clinical Profiles, Therapeutic Approaches and Outcomes.","authors":"Alejandro Díez-Vidal, Alberto López De Coca Hernández, David Grandioso-Vas, Patricia Martínez-Martín, Cristina Marcelo-Calvo, Carlos Oñoro-López, Alejandro De Gea Grela, Elena Gloria Torres García, Emilio Cendejas-Bueno, Julio García-Rodríguez, Beatriz Díaz-Pollán","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01063-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01063-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Urinary-source candidemia is an uncommon but clinically relevant form of invasive candidiasis, often underrecognized and poorly characterized in the literature.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Retrospective single-center study of adult patients with candidemia attributed to a urinary source between 2019 and 2023. Eligible cases were identified using predefined attribution criteria, requiring microbiologically confirmed Candida spp. bloodstream infection with significant candiduria by the same species, in the absence of an alternative clinically plausible source.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 526 positive blood cultures, 26 fulfilled the predefined criteria for urinary tract source attribution. The median age was 74 years. Most patients had a nephro-urological history, with frequent chronic kidney disease (15, 57.7%), obstructive uropathy (19, 73.1%), indwelling urinary devices (21, 80.8%) and recent urological procedures (19, 73.1%). Type 2 diabetes was present in 50% of patients (13), most receiving SGLT2 inhibitors. The majority presented with fever (23, 88.5%), and sepsis was frequent (14, 53.8%). Urinary symptoms were present in only half of the patients (14, 53.8%). Candida albicans was the most frequent isolate (13, 50%); followed by Candida glabrata (8, 30.8%) and Candida parapsilosis (5, 19.2%), both showing high rates of elevated fluconazole MICs. Empirical therapy was often discordant with final susceptibility. Combination antifungal therapy was used in 26.9% (7). Attributable mortality was 23.1% (6 deaths). Independent predictors of mortality included type 2 diabetes, Barthel Index < 50, therapeutic failure and septic shock.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Candidemia with a presumed urinary tract source primarily affects frail patients with urological comorbidities, often presents with non-specific symptoms and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Combination antifungal therapy may be beneficial in selected cases. Early recognition and individualized management are essential to improve outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147491423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and Co-occurrence of Candida albicans and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Lactobacillus-Deficient HIV-Negative Adolescent Girls and Young women.","authors":"Samkelisiwe Beje, Zizipho Z A Mbulawa","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01069-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01069-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lactobacillus species are essential for vaginal eubiosis; their depletion often leads to dysbiosis, increasing susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study investigated the prevalence of Candida albicans colonization and its associated factors among HIV-negative adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa. Furthermore, STIs associated with C. albicans colonization and Lactobacillus deficiency were investigated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Secondary data analysis was performed on 138 HIV-negative AGYW of Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Secondary data included cervico-vaginal detected C. albicans, Lactobacillus species (L. crispatus, L. gasseri or L. jensenii), bacterial vaginosis, human papillomavirus (HPV), Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, herpes simplex virus type 1/2 (HSV-1/2), and Mycoplasma genitalium, and behavioural questionnaires. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed using GraphPad Prism Version 8.0.1.244.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A proportion of 27.58% were positive for C. albicans, and 84.06% tested positive for at least one investigated STI (73.91% for HPV, 31.16% for C. trachomatis, 12.32% for N. gonorrhoeae, 10.87% for T. vaginalis, 7.25% for HSV-1/2, and 5.80% for M. genitalium). Frequent sexual intercourse (more than two times within the past 30 days) was associated with higher odds of C. albicans (OR: 1.84, 95% CI 1.85-3.80, p = 0.036), alcohol consumption (OR: 3.60, 95% CI 1.12-13.23, p = 0.038) and recent vaginal discharge syndrome (OR: 2.67, 95% CI 1.06-6.63, p = 0.005). Deficiency of Lactobacilli among C. albicans-positive AGYW was associated with increased odds of C. trachomatis positivity (OR: 4.37, 95% CI 1.05-17.05, p = 0.047).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>HIV-negative AGYW demonstrated a high burden of STIs, with C. albicans positivity associated with alcohol consumption, frequent sexual intercourse, and vaginal discharge syndrome. The absence of Lactobacilli was associated with increased odds of C. trachomatis positivity. Further research is recommended using longitudinal designs, larger sample sizes, and diverse populations to better understand these observations.</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12992463/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147468841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic Characterization of Candida spp. Highlights a Persistent, Azole-Resistant C. parapsilosis Clone Circulating in a Tertiary Care Hospital During the First COVID-19 Wave.","authors":"Michela Vumbaca, Gherard Batisti Biffignandi, Caterina Cavanna, Greta Bellinzona, Marta Corbella, Irene Mileto, Johanna Rhodes, Jukka Corander, Fausto Baldanti, Davide Sassera","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01070-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01070-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Yeasts belonging to the Candida genus typically reside on the mucosal surface and within the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract as commensals. Under conditions of host vulnerability, they can act as opportunistic pathogens, leading to various forms of candidiasis, including candidemia. Such infections can be particularly problematic when caused by isolates that exhibit resistance to antifungal drugs, which are becoming more prevalent in many regions. One hundred and seven samples of Candida spp. were isolated from patients with candidemia in the hospital San Matteo in Pavia (Italy) over a period of 6 years, from 2015 to the first COVID wave in spring 2020. In order to understand the epidemiology of Candida infections in this hospital setting, the isolates were whole-genome sequenced, confirming that most belonged to C. parapsilosis and C. albicans. Comparative genomics revealed that isolates of C. albicans were genomically diverse, indicative of repeated introductions in the hospital from the community. C. parapsilosis isolates on the other hand belonged to two groups of highly similar isolates, representing strains capable of long-term persistence in the hospital. All isolates of the main persistent group were resistant to fluconazoleresulting from the Y132F substitution in ERG11 and the N455D substitution in UPC2, while presenting variable levels of resistance to voriconazole and itraconazole. Interestingly, with the exception of the single isolate susceptible to both voriconazole and itraconazole, all the 61 isolates presented one unreported missense mutation in MRR1 (S1907C).</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12992396/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147468799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A New Medium that Promotes In Vitro Mass Sporulation of Microsporum canis.","authors":"Hailin Zheng, Dongmei Li, Huan Mei, Naicen Ge, Xiaofang Li, Weida Liu","doi":"10.1007/s11046-026-01065-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11046-026-01065-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microsporum canis is one of the most common zoophilic pathogenic fungi, and infections are typically managed using empirical antifungal therapy. The increasing incidence of M. canis infections has led to a growing demand for antifungal susceptibility assays in clinical settings, particularly in pediatric department, to guide drug selection and to monitor therapeutic responses in highly inflammatory cases. However, susceptibility testing methods rely heavily on sporulation capacity of M. canis, and more than half of the clinical isolates fail to produce sufficient microconidia in commonly-used media for reliable testing.In this study, we evaluated a novel a rice bran medium (RBM) for its ability to enhance microconidia production in clinical isolates of M. canis. RBM demonstrated a significantly greater sporulation-inducing effect than conventional media, including potato dextrose agar (PDA), Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA), and oatmeal agar (OA), which are commonly used in clinical laboratories. Sporulation efficiency varied with RBM concentrations, with 4% RBM showing the highest efficacy. Under this concentration, abundant microconidia were consistently produced by testing clinical strains after 7-10 days of incubation at 30 ℃ across. These findings suggest that RBM represents a practical and effective alternative medium for promoting sporulation and facilitating antifungal susceptibility in clinical settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":19017,"journal":{"name":"Mycopathologia","volume":"191 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147434369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}