Use of MALDI-TOF MS for fungal species distribution of interdigital intertrigo in seafarers,Dakar, Senegal

To determine fungal species distribution of interdigital intertrigo among seafarers in Dakar, Senegal, a cross-sectional study was carried out from May to August 2017 among seafarers clinically diagnosed with interdigital intertrigo. A questionnaire was filled to each patient before sampling the affected folds and transporting to Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital where mycological analyses were realized. Species identification by MALDI-TOF MS was performed in Marseille, France. In total, 169 men (21–66 years) were included. Few of them (3%) had a high level of education and the duration of the mycosis exceed 10 years for 88% of patients. Direct microscopic examination (ME) was positive in 34.3%. Among samples with positive ME, 58.6% had positive culture. An overall incidence of 30.2% was found. Patients with confirmed cases aged between 28 and 66 years. Among them, those between 36–50 years were predominant (52.9%). Those with a high level of education were less representative (2%). For 52.1% of patients, the duration of the mycosis was superior to 10 years. Furthermore, 57% of cases were significantly associated with other types of tinea pedis and/or onychomycosis (P = 0.03). Culture was positive in 23.7% isolating 43 strains successfully identified at the species level by MALDI-TOF MS for 31 isolates: 20 Candida and 11 dermatophytes. The rest was identified only at the genus level belonged to Fusarium. In definitive, MALDI-TOF MS could be a useful tool for routine and fast identification of dermatophytes, yeasts and NDFF in clinical mycology laboratories.     

Non-ulcerative fungal keratitis diagnosed by posterior lamellar biopsy*

We report a case of Fusarium solani keratitis which highlights the difficulties often associated with management of fungal corneal infections. This case demonstrates several unusual and interesting features: the occurrence of deep fungal pathology after superficial injury, the difficulties encountered in attempting to isolate and identify the causative organism, and the protracted course taken by an organism often noted to be rapidly destructive. These features necessitated an individual approach to therapy, employing unconventional medical and surgical techniques to achieve a satisfactory outcome     

Studies on shared antigenic/allergenic components among fungi

Fungal allergens have been found to be one of the most prevalent aeroallergens in India. Knowledge of shared/unique components among different fungi is necessary for proper diagnosis and treatment of patients allergic to fungi. In the present study, crude extracts (CE) of 11 common fungi (Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Asp. fumigatus, Asp. niger, Asp. tamarii, Asp. versicolor, Cladosporium herbarum, Curvularia lunata, Mucor hiemalis, Penicillium citrinum, and Fusarium solani) were characterized by isoelectric focusing (IEF), SDS-PAGE, and immunoblot. On IEF (pI 3–9), the number of protein bands was found to be greatest (46) in M. hiemalis extract. SDS-PAGE exhibited a varied number of bands, generally 18–40, with mol. mass ranging from 14 to 100 kDa. IgG-specific immunoprint using rabbit anti-F. solani CF antibodies demonstrated a mol. mass distribution of shared antigenic proteins of 14–100 kDa in most of the fungi. Shared allergenicity was observed in a number of allergenic proteins in fungal extracts with mol. mass ranging between 14 and 70 kDa on IgE-specific immunoblot using pooled sera of patients allergic to Fusarium. A 45-kDa protein was found to be common among these fungi on immunoblot with patients as well as with rabbit antibodies. F. solani CF extract contained more antigenic/allergenic proteins than F. solani CE. It was concluded that F. solani CF shared several antigenic/allergenic components with CE of other common fungi. This fact needs to be taken into account when fungal extracts are used in diagnosis and immunotherapy of allergic patients.     

落花生根内生真菌Fusarium oxysporum LHS-P1-3中恩镰孢菌素类化合物及生物活性研究

目的 研究落花生根内生真菌Fusarium oxysporum LHS-P1-3的次级代谢产物及其生物活性。方法 使用硅胶色谱柱、高效液相色谱等对代谢粗提物进行分离纯化,采用质谱、核磁共振等方法测定化合物的结构,采用CCK-8法测试化合物的抗肿瘤细胞活性,使用表面等离子共振实验（surface plasmon resonance,SPR）研究化合物与胆固醇转运蛋白1（niemann-pick c1-like 1,NPC1L1）相互作用关系。结果 从落花生根内生真菌Fusarium oxysporum LHS-P1-3分离得到6个化合物,包括1个新化合物（1）与5个已知化合物：白僵菌素（2）、恩镰孢菌素I（3）、恩镰孢菌素MK1688（4）、恩镰孢菌素H（5）及恩镰孢菌素B（6）。化合物1～4对HepG2细胞和HeLa细胞的IC₅₀均小于10 μmol/L,化合物2～4则对HCT116细胞的IC₅₀小于10 μmol/L,SPR研究表明化合物2、4在20 μmol/L浓度下,可与NPC1L1蛋白相互作用。结论 化合物1为新的恩镰孢菌素类化合物,命名为恩镰孢菌素W。化合物1～5具有抗肿瘤活性,化合物2、4与NPC1L1蛋白存在相互作用,可能是NPC1L1蛋白的潜在抑制剂。     

Involvement of Fusarium spp. in fungal keratitis

Members of the filamentous fungal genus Fusarium are among the agents most frequently causing keratomycosis in humans. Fusarium keratitis is most common among agricultural workers in geographical regions with hot, humid, tropical or semi-tropical climates, but can occur more rarely in countries with temperate climates, such as Hungary. Keratitis is usually treated with a topical antifungal agent, sometimes in combination with sub-conjunctival injections and/or antimycotic agents, but therapeutic keratoplasty may be needed for patients whose corneal infection does not resolve. Early and accurate diagnosis, coupled with appropriate antifungal therapy, is crucial for improving the chances of complete recovery.     

Fusarium endocarditis involving aortic valve following coronary artery surgery

This article describes a case of infective aortic valve endocarditisdue to Fusarium oxysporum occurring 4 years after coronary arterybypass grafting. It is the first reported case of endocarditiscaused by Fusarium.     

Genetic variability in Gibberella fujikuroi and some related species of the genus Fusarium based on random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD)

One of the most important rice pathogens is Fusarium moniliforme (perfect stage: Gibberella fujikuroi), the causal agent of the super-elongation (bakanae) disease. Thirty-seven strains of this species from different geographical regions were analyzed for their ability to produce gibberellins (GA) and for genetic relatedness by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). All GA-producing isolates showed nearly identical RAPD patterns using 51 oligonucleotide nona- and deca-mers as arbitrary primers. On the other hand, large differences between GA-nonproducing isolates were obtained. Comparison of the RAPD patterns with those of the tester strains of the six known mating populations (A,B,C,D,E,F) of G. fujikuroi showed that all producer strains belong to mating population C and all nonproducer isolates to other mating populations. Evidence for the usefulness of the RAPD technique to distinguish between mating populations was provided by sexual crossings. Consensus phylogenetic trees based on RAPDs were constructed by the Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (PAUP) system. In combination with morphological analysis, RAPD can distinguish between different species of the genus Fusarium. These investigations may find an application in the diagnosis of unknown Fusarium spp. and in distinguishing isolates of G. fujikuroi within the section Liseola.     

特异性真菌作用于龙血树材质形成血竭的研究

目的 探讨剑叶龙血树血竭的形成与微生物活动之间的关系。方法 用分离自剑叶龙血树根部的内生真菌9568D镰孢霉接种于剑叶龙血树材质(经灭活处理)。结果 保湿培养4～5个月后，在接种部位有红色血脂颗粒形成，经UV、IR光谱分析及抗菌活性实验，初步证实该血脂与来自剑叶龙血树的天然血竭无本质差异。结论 特异性真菌作用于龙血树材质可促成血竭的形成。     

基于高通量测序技术研究药食两用薏苡仁中污染真菌多样性

目的:调查药食两用薏苡仁中污染真菌多样性,为其安全使用提供参考依据。方法:收集薏苡仁样品18批,提取真菌DNA并扩增ITS2序列,基于Illumina MiSeq PE250平台进行高通量测序。结果:共检测到4门18纲44目99科149属的真菌,子囊菌门Ascomycota是最优势菌门,镰刀菌属Fusarium(3.05%~60.32%)是属水平最优势属,其次是曲霉属Aspergillus(2.20%~45.44%)、白僵菌属Beauveria(0.07%~63.21%)、链格孢属Alternaria(0.80%~11.92%)、Arachnomyces(0.03%~39.36%)和青霉属Penicillium(0.24%~8.03%)。此外,共检测到5种潜在产毒真菌,分别是烟曲霉A.fumigatus、土曲霉A.terreus、梨孢镰刀菌F.poae、囊状青霉P.capsulatum和展青霉P.paxilli。结论:高通量测序技术可以快速有效地检测薏苡仁中污染真菌种类,为薏苡仁污染真菌毒素提供风险预警。     

Extending the Host Range of Fusarium Poae Virus 1 from Fusarium poae to other Fusarium Species in the Field

Fusarium poae virus 1 (FpV1, a betapartitivirus) is one of the mycoviruses which is discovered earlier. Due to the vegetative incompatibility barrier that often exists between different species or strains of filamentous fungi, FpV1 has been thought to be limited to its host, F. poae, as a non-hypovirulence mycovirus in the past 20 years in the field. Here, a novel strain of FpV1 (FpV1-Fa) with two dsRNA segments (2157-and 2080-nt) was consistently identified in F. asiaticum isolates in the field. FpV1-Fa induced abnormal morphology and hypovirulence of F. asiaticum, along with a high viral load. FpV1-Fa was detected only from the F. asiaticum and F. tricinctum strains at a FpV1-Fa sampling site (119.014289, 33.8261), while the other strains from other sites were not identified FpV1-Fa. A horizontal transmission experiment showed that FpV1-Fa can transfer from F. asiaticum to F. poae and F. tricinctum, but not to F. graminearum. The selection analysis of FpV1-Fa revealed RdRP and CP were under strong purifying selection, and the C-terminal side of RdRP was under positive selection. In these regions, 9 amino acid mutations in RdRP and 21 mutations in CP appeared to cause the variation of host range and virulence in FpV1-Fa.