Cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis due to Alternaria tenuissima

Summary. A 50-year-old gardener with a 3-year history of pemphigus vulgaris and steroid-induced diabetes complained of various papulonodular lesions on the left elbow. The lesions had appeared 11 months previously. Skin biopsy showed chronic granulomatous inflammation of the dermis which contained septate hyphae and large spores mainly free. Fragments of the biopsy specimen, cultured on Sabouraud glucose agar without cycloheximide, for 4 days, produced soft white colonies which later turned blackish brown, especially on the underside. On the basis of the microscopic characters of the conidiophores and conidia, Alternaria tanuissima was identified. This phaeohyphomycete has only been isolated previously in two other cases in Italy.
Zusammenfassung. Ein 50-jähriger Arbeiter, seit 3 Jahren an Pemphigus vulgaris und steroidinduziertem Diabetes erkrankt, wies seit ungefähr einem Jahr noduläre und papuläre Lesionen am linken Ellbogen auf. In einer Probeexzision waren im Korium neben chronisch granulomatösem Entzündungsgewebe septierte Hyphen und größtenteils freie Sporen größerer Dimension zu sehen. Auf Sabouraud-Glucose-Agar ohne Zusatz von Cycloeximid wuchsen aus Biopsiematerial nach 4 Tagen anfangs weiße, flauschige Kolonien, die später eine braun-schwarze Pigmentierung, vor allem an der Unterseite, aufwiesen. Anhand der mikroskopischen Eigenschaften der Konidiophoren und der Konidien wurde Alternaria tenuissima identifiziert, die bisher in Italien nur in 2 Fällen isoliert wurde.     

15-year aeroallergen records. Their usefulness in Athens Olympics, 2004

INTRODUCTION: About 5-25% of 16 000 athletes involved in preparation for the Athens 2004 Olympics may encounter respiratory allergy (asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis) triggered by exposure to aeroallergens (pollen and fungi spores). AIM: Provide information about circulating aeroallergens in three Olympic cities and ensure safety for the allergic athletes who will visit Greece from January to September 2004. METHODS: Aeroallergens were recorded using a Burkard volumetric trap. The most frequently implicated pollen (cypress, hazel, wall pellitory, plane, olive, grasses, goosefoot and mugwort) and fungi spores (Alternaria spp., Cladosporium spp.) are presented. These data derive from a 15-year database created by the Pulmonary Department, Thessaloniki, a 2-year database (University of Heraklion-Crete) and a 6-year database by the Pediatric Department, Athens. The above data and the current aeroallergen counts will be continuously announced by the mass media and Internet during the Athens 2004 Olympics. RESULTS: Are expressed as: (A) Presentation (Graphs, Tables) of the fluctuation of mean daily values of pollen grains or fungi spores/m3. (B) Presentation (Tables) of the start, peak and end time of aeroallergen circulation. Peak pollen concentrations were observed between March and May (athletes preparation time). During the 2004 Olympics (August-September) relatively high concentrations of goosefoot, mugwort, Alternaria and Cladosporium will be observed. Aeroallergens circulate in Athens 10-15 days earlier than in Thessaloniki and 10 days later than in Heraklion. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented in the study are expected to help allergic Olympic athletes achieve peak performance under prophylactic measures.     

Human Leukocyte Histamine Release Assays with Whole Ragweed and Alternaria Antigens Using Technicon Autoanalyzer II

A simple and commercially available automated technique for fluorometric analysis of histamine is described. It is applicable to histamine release experiments utilizing washed leukocytes, and analyzes 15 samples/h at histamine concentrations between 1 and 1000 ng/ml with a mean variance between 0.5% and 18%. This technique is applied to a cross sectional study of leukocytes from 14 ragweed sensitive patients (7 on and 7 off immunotherapy) as well as five normals. It was also applied to 17 Alternaria-sensitive patients (4 on and 12 off immunotherapy) in addition to six normals. While antigen induced in histamine release clearly separated the sensitive group from the normals, it did not correlate with immunotherapy, and a considerable variation was seen in the sensitive patients of both the treated and untreated groups.     

交链孢酚单甲醚对人淋巴细胞内环核苷酸水平的影响

淋巴细胞内环核苷酸水平的变化与免疫功能有关。交链孢酚单甲醚是食管癌高发区河南省林县粮食中分离中的主要污染菌互隔交链孢霉（亦称链格孢菌）的毒素之一，已有实验证实ＡＭＥ具有致突变性和致癌性。本实验从体外探讨了ＡＭＥ对人淋巴细胞内环核苷酸水平的影响。实验结果表明，ＡＭＥ能增高淋巴细胞内ｃＡＭＰ水平，不同浓度的ＡＭＥ在不同作用进点上，使细胞内ｃＡＭＰ含量比相应对照组升高１．５－２．０倍，并且在同一时点，随     

Use of specific IgE in assessing the relevance of fungal and dust mite allergens to atopic dermatitis: a comparison with asthmatic and nonasthmatic control subjects

BACKGROUND: Although allergens have been implicated as aggravating factors in atopic dermatitis (AD), there is little epidemiologic data on the significance of specific IgE. OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare sensitization to dust mite and fungi between patients with AD and asthmatic and nonasthmatic control subjects. METHODS: Total IgE and specific IgE to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Malassezia furfur, and Trichophyton rubrum were measured in 73 patients with moderate to severe AD. Total IgE and IgE specific for D pteronyssinus, A alternata, and M furfur were also measured in sera from 156 asthmatic and 212 nonasthmatic control subjects. RESULTS: Positive correlations were found between total IgE and IgE antibodies specific for each of the antigens. IgE specific for M furfur was observed more frequently in adults compared with children with AD (P <.01). AD sera had higher levels of total IgE and a higher prevalence of positive sera to D pteronyssinus (95% vs 42% and 17% for subjects with AD, asthmatic subjects, and nonasthmatic subjects, respectively), M furfur (53% vs 1% and 0.5%), and A alternata (49% vs 29% and 18%). Among the sera from subjects allergic to mites, the contribution of IgE specific for D pteronyssinus to the total IgE levels was similar regardless of the clinical status. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that moderate-to-severe AD is strongly associated with sensitization to dust mite andM furfur (odds ratios, 45.6 and 132 vs pooled control sera). These results suggest that both environmental allergens and colonizing fungi contribute to the severity of disease, which is consistent with the view that mite avoidance and antifungal treatment can be beneficial in the treatment of these patients.     

交链孢酚单甲醚对食管癌旁上皮组织脂质过氧化的影响

用从林县粮食中分离的互隔交链孢霉提取材交链孢酚单甲醚(AME),对22例培养的食管癌患者的癌旁上皮组织进行了攻击。并用抗氧化剂维生素E做了抑制实验。结果发现:(1) AME可以使食管癌旁上皮组织的丙二醛含量升高,与对照组相比较有明显的统计学差异(P<0.01)。在实验浓度范围5～50μg/ml内,存在剂量效应关系(r=0.9740,P<0.025)。(2) 每毫升培养基加入25μg的AME一个小时后,丙二醛含量就升高,八个小时达到高峰,与对照组相比较有明显的差异(P<0.01)。(3) 加入抗氧化剂维生素E后,可以降低AME所诱发的组织中的丙二醛含量,实验组和对照组之间存在着明显的统计学差异(P<0.01)。实验结果说明:AME可以引发食管癌旁上皮组织的脂质过氧化,使丙二醛含量升高,维生素E可以降低这种变化。     

Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Alternaria alternata immunotherapy: clinical efficacy and safety.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) with fungal extracts has been beset by safety and efficacy problems, which result mainly from qualitative and quantitative variations. Little has been published on the safety and efficacy of these extracts. The objective was to analyze the safety and efficacy of ASIT with an Alternaria alternata extract. A total of 28 patients were selected with rhinitis and/or bronchial asthma because of Alternaria allergy and monosensitization to molds. The patients were randomized to an active ASIT or placebo group, both groups on a conventional immunotherapy schedule (increasing weekly doses until maintenance dose and then monthly doses). Adverse reactions were classified with the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology system. Clinical efficacy was analyzed for a year with symptom/medication diary cards, peak expiratory flow (PEF) measures, clinical severity score, severity of symptoms (visual analog scale), subjective evaluation of treatment by the patient and the physician, and a quality of life questionnaire. Twenty-three patients completed the study; all reached the established maintenance dose with only two mild adverse reactions in the whole sample. Significant improvements were found after 6 months in respiratory symptoms in the active treatment group, and in all symptoms in both groups. PEF increased significantly in the active treatment group but not in the placebo group. The severity of asthma decreased in the active treatment group, and the severity of rhinitis decreased in both groups. Visual analog scale scores for severity of symptoms improved in all phases in the active treatment group, but only after 12 months in the placebo group. Physicians judged the disease course as significantly better in the active treatment group. ASIT with the A. alternata extract was safe, with clinical improvements after one year of treatment.     

4株产抗肿瘤活性物质喜树内生真菌的鉴定及其主要代谢产物HPLC初步比较

采用MTT法测定了4株喜树内生真菌发酵产物的体外抗肿瘤活性,4菌株发酵产物分别对HL-60、HeLa和HepG2肿瘤细胞株增殖有一定抑制作用。通过PDA培养基上菌落、菌丝和孢子形态观察以及ITS区(包括5.8S r DNA)核酸序列分析,4株喜树内生真菌被鉴定为链格孢属(Alternaria spp.)真菌。HPLC分析显示4菌株主要代谢产物存在差异,说明植物内生真菌遗传代谢的多样性。内生真菌代谢产物是天然产物的丰富来源。     

浙贝母黑斑病致病菌的分离鉴定及分子检测

[目的]分离、纯化和鉴定浙贝母黑斑病的病原真菌,为浙贝母黑斑病的监测及防治提供实验基础。[方法]采用患病组织分离法在马铃薯葡萄糖琼脂(potato dextrose agar,PDA)培养基上分离纯化病原真菌,PCR扩增基因组DNA的核糖体内转录间隔区(internal transcribed spacer,ITS)、翻译延伸因子-1α(translation elongation factor-1α,TEF-1α)、甘油醛-3-磷酸脱氢酶(glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase,G3PDH)和RNA聚合酶Ⅱ亚基(the second largest subunit of the nuclear RNA polymerase enzymeⅡ,RPB2)序列并双向测序、拼接,与GenBank中序列同源性比对后构建系统发育树,确定真菌种类,以摩擦接种法检测致病性。[结果]从浙贝母黑斑病病株中分离纯化获得2种链格孢属真菌。分离物1的ITS、TEF-1α、G3PDH、RPB2扩增片段与GenBank中链格孢菌(登录号:MG182428、KY175227、XM018523704、MG250634)的同源性均为100%;分离物2则与细极链格孢菌(登录号:MK967997、LC136862、KY290574、LT707523)的同源性均为100%。经摩擦接种确定两种链格孢属真菌均为浙贝母黑斑病致病菌。[结论]浙贝母黑斑病的病原真菌有链格孢菌和细极链格孢菌,其中细极链格孢菌首次被证明可引起浙贝母黑斑病。