NNDSS - Table II. Chlamydia to Coccidioidomycosis

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — NNDSS - Table II. Chlamydia to Coccidioidomycosis - 2017. In this Table, provisional cases of selected notifiable diseases (≥1,000 cases reported during the...

NNDSS - Table II. Chlamydia to Coccidioidomycosis

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — NNDSS - Table II. Chlamydia to Coccidioidomycosis - 2016. In this Table, provisional* cases of selected† notifiable diseases (≥1,000 cases reported during the...

NNDSS - Table II. Babesiosis to Coccidioidomycosis

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — NNDSS - Table II. Babesiosis to Coccidioidomycosis - 2014.In this Table, provisional cases of selected notifiable diseases (≥1,000 cases reported during the...

Management of coccidioidomycosis in patients receiving biologic response modifiers or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Taroumian, Sara; Knowles, Susan L; Lisse, Jeffrey R; Yanes, James; Ampel, Neil M; Vaz, Austin; Galgiani, John N; Hoover, Susan E

2012-12-01

Coccidioidomycosis (valley fever) is an endemic fungal infection of the American Southwest, an area with a large population of patients with rheumatic diseases. There are currently no guidelines for management of patients who develop coccidioidomycosis while under treatment with biologic response modifiers (BRMs) or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). We conducted a retrospective study of how both concurrent diseases were managed and the patient outcomes at 2 centers in Tucson, Arizona. A retrospective chart review identified patients who developed coccidioidomycosis during treatment with DMARDs or BRMs. Patients were seen at least once in a university-affiliated or Veterans Affairs outpatient rheumatology clinic in Tucson, Arizona, between 2007 and 2009. Forty-four patients were identified. Rheumatologic treatment included a BRM alone (n = 11), a DMARD alone (n = 8), or combination therapy (n = 25). Manifestations of coccidioidomycosis included pulmonary infection (n = 29), disseminated disease (n = 9), and asymptomatic positive coccidioidal serologies (n = 6). After the diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis, 26 patients had BRMs and DMARDs stopped, 8 patients had BRMs stopped but DMARD therapy continued, and 10 patients had no change in their immunosuppressive therapy. Forty-one patients had antifungal therapy initiated for 1 month or longer. Followup data were available for 38 patients. BRM and/or DMARD therapy was continued or resumed in 33 patients, only 16 of whom continued concurrent antifungal therapy. None of the patients have had subsequent dissemination or complications of coccidioidomycosis. Re-treating rheumatic disease patients with a BRM and/or a DMARD after coccidioidomycosis appears to be safe in some patients. We propose a management strategy based on coccidioidomycosis disease activity. Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.

Rare Dysuria: Prostatic Abscess due to Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedram Ansari Pirsaraei

2016-11-01

Full Text Available We present a case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis with formation of a prostatic abscess in a 28-year-old diabetic male. Though rare, Coccidiodes prostatitis should be included in the differential for patients who have spent time in endemic areas and present with prostatitis or other genitourinary tract symptoms, especially in the setting of immunocompromise. The small number of Coccidiodes prostatitis cases described in the literature previously are reviewed, along with a wider discussion of coccidioidomycosis. Treatment modalities for this challenging fungal disease are also discussed.

NNDSS - Table II. Chlamydia to Coccidioidomycosis

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — NNDSS - Table II. Chlamydia to Coccidioidomycosis - 2015.In this Table, provisional cases of selected notifiable diseases (≥1,000 cases reported during the preceding...

IDSA releases updated coccidioidomycosis guidelines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2016-09-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA has released updated Guidelines for the Treatment of Coccidioidomycosis, also known as cocci or Valley Fever (1. Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection endemic to the southwestern United States and a common cause of pneumonia and pulmonary nodules in this area. However, the infection can disseminate systemically especially in immunocompromised hosts and certain ethnic populations resulting in a variety of pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications. In addition to recommendations for these complications, the new guidelines address management of special at-risk populations, preemptive management strategies in at-risk populations and after unintentional laboratory exposure. The guidelines also suggest shorter courses of antibiotics for hospitalized patients and more ambulatory treatment for most individuals who have contracted Valley Fever. The panel was led by John N. Galgiani, MD, director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona Health Sciences. Galgiani led a panel of 16 ...

[Coccidioidomycosis: a new brazilian case].

Science.gov (United States)

Moraes, M A; Martins, R L; Leal, I I; Rocha, I S; Medeiros Júnior, P

1998-01-01

A case of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis from the rural zone of Bertolinia, PI, is reported. The patient, a farm worker, attributed his illness to the dust inhaled while digging a water well during the dry season of the year, some weeks before the onset of the clinical manifestations. The main symptoms of the disease were severe chest pain and moderate fever. The diagnosis was made histopathologically: tissue phase fungal organisms--immature spherules and spherules with endospores--were observed in histological sections of a lung fragment obtained by open chest biopsy. This is the twelfth autochthonous case of coccidioidomycosis found so far in Brazil. All of them involved native inhabitants of the semi-arid part of Northeastern Brazil. The hot and dry environment of the region seems to favor the development of C. immitis in the soil. Humans and animals probably acquire the infection by digging the soil, when they become exposed to the conidium-bearing dust raised by this activity.

Coccidioidomycosis among Prison Inmates, California, USA, 2011

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-02-26

Dr. Charlotte Wheeler discusses Coccidioidomycosis among Prison Inmates in California.  Created: 2/26/2015 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 2/26/2015.

NNDSS - Table II. Chlamydia trachomatis infection to Coccidioidomycosis

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — NNDSS - Table II. Chlamydia trachomatis infection to Coccidioidomycosis - 2018. In this Table, provisional cases of selected notifiable diseases (≥1,000 cases...

Twelve years of coccidioidomycosis in Ceará State, Northeast Brazil: epidemiologic and diagnostic aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordeiro, Rossana de Aguiar; Brilhante, Raimunda Sâmia Nogueira; Rocha, Marcos Fábio Gadelha; Bandeira, Silviane Praciano; Fechine, Maria Auxiliadora Bezerra; de Camargo, Zoilo Pires; Sidrim, José Júlio Costa

2010-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic infection in the Americas caused by the dimorphic fungi Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. Although the disease occurs in Brazil in sporadic form, little information about these cases is available. In this study, we summarize the most important clinical, epidemiologic, and diagnostic features of coccidioidomycosis in Ceará State (Northeast Brazil) during the past 12 years. In this period, 19 cases of coccidioidomycosis were diagnosed. All the patients were young males and came from semiarid areas of the state. The majority of cases were associated to armadillo hunting, and pulmonary disease was the most common clinical presentation. In our laboratory, coccidioidomycosis was confirmed by culture, serology, and polymerase chain reaction tests, which together were very suitable for the diagnosis of this disease. Based on our local experience, we believe many cases of this disease are misdiagnosed or not diagnosed in our region. Therefore, some strategies for improvement of diagnosis should be encouraged by local authorities.

Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis Presenting as Carcinomatosis Peritonei and Intestinal Coccidioidomycosis in a Patient with HIV

OpenAIRE

Malik, Umer; Cheema, Hira; Kandikatla, Ramcharitha; Ahmed, Yasir; Chakrala, Kalyan

2017-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis (CM) is a fungal infection endemic in southwestern regions of the United States, northwestern regions of Mexico, and some areas of Brazil and Argentina. Clinical presentation varies depending on the extent of the infection and the immune status of the host. The most common presentation ranges from flu-like symptoms to self-limiting pneumonia. Extrapulmonary presentations are uncommon and may involve the meninges, skin, and bone. Gastrointestinal and peritoneal involvement i...

Pulmonary and extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis: three cases in an endemic area in the state of Ceará, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Togashi, Ricardo Hideo; Aguiar, Fernando Moreira Batista; Ferreira, Dalton Barros; Moura, Camille Matos de; Sales, Monique Teixeira Montezuma; Rios, Nikaelle Ximenes

2009-03-01

Coccidioidomycosis, a fungal illness acquired by the inhalation of arthroconidia of Coccidioides sp., was first described in 1894. Coccidioidomycosis is mainly restricted to areas with arid climate, alkaline soil and low rainfall. Consequently, most of the reported cases in Brazil have occurred in the northeastern region. We report three cases of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis occurring between 2005 and 2006 in an endemic area in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The three patients were immunocompetent adult males, hunters of armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), with complaints of cough, fever, dyspnea and pleuritic pain. All three patients presented pulmonary involvement, and only one also presented cutaneous lesions. Chest X-rays and CT scans of the patients revealed characteristic coccidioidomycosis lesions. The diagnosis was confirmed by serological testing. All of the patients evolved to cure after antifungal treatment.

Coccidioidomycosis: an unusual cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelson Nobre Veras

2003-01-01

Full Text Available A male farmer, 20 years old, from the countryside of the State of Piauí, developed acute respiratory infection. Despite adequate antimicrobial therapy, his conditions worsened, requiring mechanical ventilation. His X-rays showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. His PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 58. Direct microscopy and culture of tracheal aspirates showed the presence of Coccidioides immitis. Autochthonous cases of coccidioidomycosis have only recently been described in Brazil, most of them from the State of Piauí. C. immitis has been isolated from humans, dogs and armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus, and also from soil samples of armadillo's burrows. Failure to respond to antimicrobial therapy and a patient's origin from recognized endemic areas should alert to the possibility of acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis.

Medical image of the week: disseminated coccidioidomycosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ynosencio T

2017-02-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. A 67-year-old African American man with no significant past medical history presented with shortness of breath and flu-like symptoms. On exam, he was noted to be profoundly hypoxemic with imaging showing diffuse thoracic changes (Figure 1 and a diffuse papular rash (Figure 2. Initial workup included coccidioidomycosis serologies which returned positive with a titer of 1:128. While exposure to coccidioidomycosis is very common in southern Arizona, dissemination is a rare occurrence. The incidence is estimated between 0.2 and 4.7 percent. Patients at highest risk include those that are immunosuppressed or that are of African or Filipino ancestry. Common extra-pulmonary sites include skin or subcutaneous tissue, meninges of brain or spinal cord, and bones. Even rarer sites include the eyes, liver, prostate, mediastinum, and kidneys. Treatment is usually the same as with pulmonary infection which is an azole agent. However, if the patient’s symptoms are severe or if the lesions involve …

COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS PRESENTING AS A CYSTIC SWELLING IN RIGHT SIDE OF NECK: A CASE REPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Purnima Bharati

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease found in the desert soils of Western Hemisphere. Histopathological examination is the key to the diagnosis when fungal culture and molecular studies are not available. Disease in non-endemic area is usually imported. But here we have reported a case of coccidioidomycosis found indigenous in Jharkhand, to our best of knowledge, where the patient had no history of travel to endemic regions.

Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis Presenting as Carcinomatosis Peritonei and Intestinal Coccidioidomycosis in a Patient with HIV.

Science.gov (United States)

Malik, Umer; Cheema, Hira; Kandikatla, Ramcharitha; Ahmed, Yasir; Chakrala, Kalyan

2017-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis (CM) is a fungal infection endemic in southwestern regions of the United States, northwestern regions of Mexico, and some areas of Brazil and Argentina. Clinical presentation varies depending on the extent of the infection and the immune status of the host. The most common presentation ranges from flu-like symptoms to self-limiting pneumonia. Extrapulmonary presentations are uncommon and may involve the meninges, skin, and bone. Gastrointestinal and peritoneal involvement is extremely rare. Here we report a case of disseminated CM presenting as carcinomatosis peritonei as an AIDS-defining illness in a young male.

Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis Presenting as Carcinomatosis Peritonei and Intestinal Coccidioidomycosis in a Patient with HIV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Umer Malik

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Coccidioidomycosis (CM is a fungal infection endemic in southwestern regions of the United States, northwestern regions of Mexico, and some areas of Brazil and Argentina. Clinical presentation varies depending on the extent of the infection and the immune status of the host. The most common presentation ranges from flu-like symptoms to self-limiting pneumonia. Extrapulmonary presentations are uncommon and may involve the meninges, skin, and bone. Gastrointestinal and peritoneal involvement is extremely rare. Here we report a case of disseminated CM presenting as carcinomatosis peritonei as an AIDS-defining illness in a young male.

Coccidioidomycosis in Brazil. A case report

OpenAIRE

MARTINS, Marilena dos Anjos; ARAÚJO, Evangelina da Motta Pacheco Alves de; KUWAKINO, Marcelo Hisato; HEINS-VACCARI, Elisabeth Maria; DEL NEGRO, Gilda Maria Bárbaro; VOZZA JÚNIOR, João Antonio; LACAZ, Carlos da Silva

1997-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic infection with a relatively limited geographic distribution: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguai, Argentina and the southwest of the United States. In these countries, the endemic area is restricted to the semiarid desert like regions which are similar to the northeast of Brazil. Case report: The patient is a 32 year-old male, born in the state of Bahia (Northeast of Brazil) and has been living in São Paulo (Southeast) for 6 yea...

Withdrawal of immunosuppresive agents in the treatment of disseminated coccidioidomycosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, J E; Zoschke, D; Kisch, A L

1980-04-01

Disseminated coccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal infection that causes high mortality in the renal transplatn patient. Cell-mediated immunity, which appears to be the relevant host defense mechanism, is impaired by the immunosupressive agents used to prevent allograft rejection. In the case presented, immunosuppressive therapy was stopped as an adjunct to treatment of this infection. The patient has shown evidence of improvement, and his allograft has continued to function nine months after the withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy and 18 months after the diagnosis. In vitro lymphocyte function studies indicate that the impairment in cell-mediated immunity detected prior to withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy has persisted, probably accounting for allograft survival. Withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy may prolong survival in renal transplant patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis. Additionally, depression in cell-mediated immunity associated with the fungal infection itself may be sufficient to prevent allograft rejection in these patients.

[Historical evolution of some clinical and epidemiological knowledge of coccidioidomycosis in the Americas].

Science.gov (United States)

Negroni, R

2008-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic endemic mycosis caused by two dimorphic fungi of the Coccidioides genus: Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. This fungal infection is only endemic in the American Continent. The majority of the epidemiological, pathogenic, clinical, mycological and therapeutical findings were obtained in the U.S.A. Coccidioidomycosis was discovered in Argentina, at the end of the XIXth century by Alejandro Posadas. In the last two decades, a new endemic zone was found in the northeast of Brazil. Several countries of the region such as Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and Argentina have performed epidemiological studies which allowed a better knowledge of the endemic areas and of the clinical characteristics of this mycosis.

Tip of the iceberg: 18F-FDG PET/CT diagnoses extensively disseminated coccidioidomycosis with cutaneous lesions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nia BB

2017-07-01

Full Text Available We present a case of an immunocompetent 27-year-old African American man who was initially diagnosed with diffuse pulmonary coccidioidomycosis and started on oral fluconazole. While his symptoms improved, he began to develop tender cutaneous lesions. Biopsies of the cutaneous lesions grew Coccidioides immitis. Subsequent 18F-FDG PET/CT revealed extensive multisystem involvement including the skin/subcutaneous fat, lungs, spleen, lymph nodes, and skeleton. This case demonstrates the utility of obtaining an 18F-FDG PET/CT to assess the disease extent and activity in patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis who initially present with symptoms involving only the lungs.

Coccidioidomycosis: an unusual cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome

OpenAIRE

Veras, Kelson Nobre; Figueirêdo, Bruno C. de Souza; Martins, Liline Maria Soares; Vasconcelos, Jayro T. Paiva; Wanke, Bodo

2003-01-01

A male farmer, 20 years old, from the countryside of the State of Piauí, developed acute respiratory infection. Despite adequate antimicrobial therapy, his conditions worsened, requiring mechanical ventilation. His X-rays showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. His PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 58. Direct microscopy and culture of tracheal aspirates showed the presence of Coccidioides immitis. Autochthonous cases of coccidioidomycosis have only recently been described in Brazil, most of them from the Sta...

Case of coccidioidomycosis in Ireland.

Science.gov (United States)

Duggan, Patrick Thomas; Deegan, Alexander P; McDonnell, Timothy J

2016-08-11

Coccidioidal infection is a well-recognised cause of pulmonary disease in certain parts of the south-western USA, Central and South America; however, it is rarely encountered elsewhere in the world. We describe the case of a previously healthy man presenting to a Dublin hospital with fever, dry cough and chest pain, following a visit to the western USA. Despite treatment with broad-spectrum antimicrobials, the patient developed progressive bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and a large pleural effusion. After extensive investigations including CT, bronchoscopy and pleural fluid analysis, a diagnosis of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis was made. Following the initiation of appropriate antifungal therapy, the patient made a full recovery. This case was of interest due to the rarity of the disease outside its areas of endemicity and the unusual findings associated with its diagnosis. 2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Skeletal coccidioidomycosis: imaging findings in 19 patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeppa, M.A.; Greenspan, A.; McGahan, J.P.; Laorr, A.; Steinbach, L.S.

1996-01-01

The objective of this study was to describe the distribution and radiologic appearance of skeletal coccidioidomycosis in 19 documented cases. Medical records of 19 patients with clinically confirmed skeletal occidioidomycosis were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were studied with plain radiography, skeletal scintigraphy and MRI. Multiple lesions were seen in 11 of 19 patients (58%). Of a total of 46 lesions, 27 (59%) were described as punched-out lytic, 10 (22%) as permeative/destructive, and 9 (17%) as involving a joint and/or disk space. Lesions were identified in almost every bone (with the exception of the facial bones, ulna, carpus, and fibula) and were most commonly found in the axial skeleton (20 of 46; 43%). Plain radiographs are effective in the initial evaluation of bones and joints, scintigraphic studies can identify disseminated disease, and CT and MRI are effective in determining soft tissue involvement and spinal abnormalities. (orig./MG)

2016 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Coccidioidomycosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Galgiani, John N; Ampel, Neil M; Blair, Janis E; Catanzaro, Antonino; Geertsma, Francesca; Hoover, Susan E; Johnson, Royce H; Kusne, Shimon; Lisse, Jeffrey; MacDonald, Joel D; Meyerson, Shari L; Raksin, Patricia B; Siever, John; Stevens, David A; Sunenshine, Rebecca; Theodore, Nicholas

2016-09-15

It is important to realize that guidelines cannot always account for individual variation among patients. They are not intended to supplant physician judgment with respect to particular patients or special clinical situations. Infectious Diseases Society of America considers adherence to these guidelines to be voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding their application to be made by the physician in the light of each patient's individual circumstances.Coccidioidomycosis, also known as San Joaquin Valley fever, is a systemic infection endemic to parts of the southwestern United States and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. Residence in and recent travel to these areas are critical elements for the accurate recognition of patients who develop this infection. In this practice guideline, we have organized our recommendations to address actionable questions concerning the entire spectrum of clinical syndromes. These can range from initial pulmonary infection, which eventually resolves whether or not antifungal therapy is administered, to a variety of pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications. Additional recommendations address management of coccidioidomycosis occurring for special at-risk populations. Finally, preemptive management strategies are outlined in certain at-risk populations and after unintentional laboratory exposure. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Coccidioidomycosis among cast and crew members at an outdoor television filming event--California, 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilken, Jason A; Marquez, Patricia; Terashita, Dawn; McNary, Jennifer; Windham, Gayle; Materna, Barbara

2014-04-18

In March 2013, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) identified two Doctor's First Reports of Occupational Injury or Illness (DFRs) regarding Los Angeles County residents who had worked at the same jobsite in January 2012 and had been evaluated for possible work-associated coccidioidomycosis (valley fever). Occupational exposure to Coccidioides, the causative fungi, typically is associated with soil-disrupting activities. The physicians noted that both workers were cast or crew members filming a television series episode, and the site of possible exposure was an outdoor set in Ventura County, California. On the basis of their job titles, neither would have been expected to have been engaged in soil-disrupting activities. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) conducted an outbreak investigation by using CDPH-provided occupational surveillance records, traditional infectious disease surveillance, and social media searches. This report describes the results of that investigation, which identified a total of five laboratory-confirmed and five probable cases linked to this filming event. The employer and site manager were interviewed. The site manager stated that they would no longer allow soil-disruptive work at the site and would incorporate information about the potential risk for Coccidioides exposure onsite into work contracts. Public health professionals, clinicians, and the television and film industry should be aware that employees working outdoors in areas where Coccidioides is endemic (e.g., central and southern California), even those not engaged in soil-disruptive work, might be at risk for coccidioidomycosis.

Capítulo 2: coccidioidomicose Chapter 2: coccidioidomycosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antônio de Deus Filho

2009-09-01

Full Text Available A coccidioidomicose é uma micose sistêmica causada pelos fungos dimórficos Coccidioides immitis e Coccidioides posadasii. A infecção é adquirida pela inalação de artroconídios infectantes presentes no solo. Usualmente apresenta-se como infecção benigna de resolução espontânea em 60% dos casos. A micose é encontrada em regiões áridas e semiáridas do continente americano entre os paralelos 40ºN e 40ºS, principalmente no sudoeste dos Estados Unidos e no norte do México. A coccidioidomicose foi diagnosticada recentemente na região semiárida do nordeste do Brasil em quatro estados: Piauí (100 casos, Ceará (20 casos, Maranhão (6 casos e Bahia (2 casos. A micose se manifesta sob três formas clínicas principais: forma pulmonar primária, forma pulmonar progressiva ou forma disseminada. Os sintomas de infecção respiratória manifestam-se, em média, 10 dias após a exposição. O diagnóstico faz-se pelo isolamento do Coccidioides sp. em cultivo ou pelo exame direto positivo (hidróxido de potássio a 10% de qualquer material suspeito (escarro, líquido cefalorraquidiano, exsudato de tegumento, linfonodos, etc., ou corados por ácido periódico de Schiff ou impregnação argêntea. A imunodifusão em gel de ágar é o teste imunológico mais empregado na rotina diagnóstica. As manifestações radiológicas e tomográficas mais frequentes são nódulos pulmonares múltiplos, a maioria escavados, distribuídos difusamente. As drogas indicadas para o tratamento são fluconazol e itraconazol, com doses médias variando de 200 a 400 mg/dia, podendo chegar a 1.200 mg/dia. Nos casos graves, a anfotericina B pode ser a droga de escolha inicial. Na manifestação neurológica, o fluconazol é a droga preferida na dose mínima de 400 mg/dia.Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis caused by the dimorphic fungi Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. Infection is acquired by inhalation of infective arthroconidia that live in

Executive Summary: 2016 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Coccidioidomycosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Galgiani, John N; Ampel, Neil M; Blair, Janis E; Catanzaro, Antonino; Geertsma, Francesca; Hoover, Susan E; Johnson, Royce H; Kusne, Shimon; Lisse, Jeffrey; MacDonald, Joel D; Meyerson, Shari L; Raksin, Patricia B; Siever, John; Stevens, David A; Sunenshine, Rebecca; Theodore, Nicholas

2016-09-15

It is important to realize that guidelines cannot always account for individual variation among patients. They are not intended to supplant physician judgment with respect to particular patients or special clinical situations. Infectious Diseases Society of America considers adherence to these guidelines to be voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding their application to be made by the physician in the light of each patient's individual circumstances.Coccidioidomycosis, also known as San Joaquin Valley fever, is a systemic infection endemic to parts of the southwestern United States and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. Residence in and recent travel to these areas are critical elements for the accurate recognition of patients who develop this infection. In this practice guideline, we have organized our recommendations to address actionable questions concerning the entire spectrum of clinical syndromes. These can range from initial pulmonary infection, which eventually resolves whether or not antifungal therapy is administered, to a variety of pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications. Additional recommendations address management of coccidioidomycosis occurring for special at-risk populations. Finally, preemptive management strategies are outlined in certain at-risk populations and after unintentional laboratory exposure. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Coccidioidomycosis in Brazil. A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, M dos A; de Araújo, E da M; Kuwakino, M H; Heins-Vaccari, E M; Del Negro, G M; Vozza Júnior, J A; Lacaz, C da S

1997-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic infection with a relatively limited geographic distribution: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and the southwest of the United States. In these countries, the endemic area is restricted to the semiarid desert like regions which are similar to the northeast of Brazil. The patient is a 32 year-old male, born in the state of Bahia (Northeast of Brazil) and has been living in São Paulo (Southeast) for 6 years. He was admitted at Hospital das Clínicas, at the Department of Pneumology in October 1996, with a 6 month history of progressive and productive cough, fever, malaise, chills, loss of weight, weakness and arthralgia in the small joints. Chest x-rays and computerized tomography disclosed an interstitial reticulonodular infiltrate with a cavity in the right upper lobe. The standard potassium hydroxide preparation of sputum and broncoalveolar lavage demonstrated the characteristic thickened wall spherules in various stages of development. Sabouraud dextrose agar, at 25 degrees C and 30 degrees C showed growth of white and cottony aerial miceleium. The microscopic morphology disclosed branched hyphae characterized by thick walled, barrel shaped arthroconidia alternated with empty cells. The sorological studies with positive double immunodiffusion test, and also positive complement fixation test in 1/128 dilution confirmed the diagnosis. The patient has been treated with ketoconazole and presents a favorable clinical and radiological evolution.

Diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis in a non-endemic area: Inference of the probable geographic area of an infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, Ramón; Arenas, Roberto; Duarte-Escalante, Esperanza; Frías-De León, María Guadalupe; Vega Memige, María Elisa; Acosta Altamirano, Gustavo; Reyes-Montes, María Del Rocío

Coccidioidomycosis is one of the most important endemic mycoses in Northern Mexico. However, diagnosing this disease can be challenging, particularly in patients who do not reside in endemic areas. The case of a Mexican HIV+ patient who developed fever, general malaise, a severe cough, and dyspnea during a stay in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, is presented. Since various diseases are endemic to the state of Guerrero, the doctors originally suspected that the patient had contracted influenza A (H1N1), Q fever, or tuberculosis. All the diagnostic tests for those diseases were negative. The patient had received numerous mosquito bites while staying in Acapulco, and a nodule had appeared on his right cheek. Therefore, malaria, cryptococcosis, and histoplasmosis were also suspected, but those infections were also ruled out through diagnostic tests. A direct microscopic examination was performed using KOH on a sample taken from the cheek nodule. The observation of spherules suggested the presence of a species of Coccidioides. The fungus was isolated, and its identity was confirmed by phenotypic and molecular methods. The geographic area in which the infection was likely acquired was identified by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The results suggested a probable endogenous reactivation. This clinical case illustrates the difficulties associated with diagnosing coccidioidomycosis in non-endemic areas. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Coccidioidomicose pulmonar em caçador de tatus Pulmonary coccidioidomycosis in a armadillo hunter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FABRÍCIO ANDRÉ MARTINS DA COSTA

2001-09-01

Full Text Available A coccidioidomicose, uma doença fúngica adquirida através da inalação do agente Coccidioides immitis sob forma de artroconídio, vem sendo descrita desde 1892. Restringe-se principalmente a áreas de clima árido, solo alcalino e regiões de baixo índice pluviométrico. Não por acaso, a maioria dos casos descritos no Brasil ocorreu na região Nordeste. Relata-se o caso de um homem de 19 anos, imunocompetente, com queixa de dor pleural bilateral, febre, adinamia e tosse seca havia dois meses. A radiografia de tórax evidenciou múltiplos nódulos bilaterais. O paciente participava de caçadas a tatus (Dasypus novemcinctus e a pesquisa direta para fungos no escarro evidenciou Coccidioides sp. Tratado com anfotericina B, apresentou pneumotórax e insuficiência respiratória, indo a óbito. A biópsia pulmonar post mortem evidenciou Coccidioides immitis sob a forma de endósporos.Coccidioidomycosis is a disease caused by inhalation of arthrospores of the fungus Coccidioides immitis. It has been recognized as a clinical entity since 1892. It is related to activities that involves dust exposure. It is found in many regions of the western hemisphere with dry and alkaline soil. In Brazil it has been described almost exclusively in the Northeast region where drought periods may favor its growth in its soil. We report a case of fatal coccidioidomycosis, in an immunocompetent host, associated to the activity of armadillo hunting (Dasypus novemcynctus in a rural area of Ceará state.

Coccidioidomycosis in Brazil. A case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARTINS Marilena dos Anjos

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic infection with a relatively limited geographic distribution: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguai, Argentina and the southwest of the United States. In these countries, the endemic area is restricted to the semiarid desert like regions which are similar to the northeast of Brazil. Case report: The patient is a 32 year-old male, born in the state of Bahia (Northeast of Brazil and has been living in São Paulo (Southeast for 6 years. He was admitted at Hospital das Clínicas, at the Department of Pneumology in October 1996, with a 6 month history of progressive and productive cough, fever, malaise, chills, loss of weight, weakness and arthralgia in the small joints. Chest x-rays and computerized tomography disclosed an interstitial reticulonodular infiltrate with a cavity in the right upper lobe. The standard potassium hydroxide preparation of sputum and broncoalveolar lavage demonstrated the characteristic thickened wall spherules in various stages of development. Sabouraud dextrose agar, at 25° C and 30° C showed growth of white and cottony aerial micelium. The microscopic morphology disclosed branched hyphae characterized by thick walled, barrel shaped arthroconidia alternated with empty cells. The sorological studies with positive double immunodiffusion test, and also positive complement fixation test in 1/128 dilution confirmed the diagnosis. The patient has been treated with ketoconazole and presents a favorable clinical and radiological evolution

[The panorama of coccidioidomycosis in Nuevo León from 1978 to 1988].

Science.gov (United States)

González-Benavides, J

1991-01-01

The coccidioidomycosis is an endemic illness in the southern United States and the Northern of Mexico, the state of Texas and Nuevo Leon are included in this area. In the city of Monterrey from 1978 to 1988 the hospitals have reported one hundred and fifty cases. One hundred eleven of them from the state of Nuevo Leon and the remaining from the neighboring states. The main clinical presentation was in the pulmonary form with one hundred and twelve cases, followed by the cutaneous with thirty-three in the later the most common presentation was the ulcerated form. Therapeutically two new medication have been tried a with encouraging results, the itraconazole and the fluconazole the differential diagnosis is made mainly with tuberculosis and deep mycosis.

Evolución de los conocimientos sobre aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos de la Coccidioidomycosis en las Américas Historical evolution of some clinical and epidemiological knowledge of coccidioidomycosis in the Americas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Negroni

2008-12-01

Full Text Available La coccidioidomicosis es una micosis sistémica endémica exclusiva de América, producida por dos especies de hongos dimorfos del género Coccidioides: Coccidioides immitis y Coccidioides posadasii. En este artículo se presenta una revisión histórica de la evolución de los conocimientos sobre la coccidioidomicosis en varios países del continente americano. La mayor parte de los hallazgos epidemiológicos, patogénicos, clínicos y terapéuticos se realizaron en los EE. UU. La enfermedad fue descubierta a fines del siglo XIX en la Argentina por Alejandro Posadas. En las últimas dos décadas, el nordeste brasileño se sumó a las áreas endémicas de esta micosis. Varios países de la región como México, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela y la Argentina llevaron a cabo estudios epidemiológicos que permitieron una mejor caracterización de las áreas endémicas y de la clínica de esta infección fúngica.Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic endemic mycosis caused by two dimorphic fungi of the Coccidioides genus: Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. This fungal infection is only endemic in the American Continent. The majority of the epidemiological, pathogenic, clinical, mycological and therapeutical findings were obtained in the U.S.A. Coccidioidomycosis was discovered in Argentina, at the end of the XIXth century by Alejandro Posadas. In the last two decades, a new endemic zone was found in the northeast of Brazil. Several countries of the region such as Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and Argentina have performed epidemiological studies which allowed a better knowledge of the endemic areas and of the clinical characteristics of this mycosis.

Historia del descubrimiento de la coccidioidomicosis History of the discovery of the coccidioidomycosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R Negroni

2011-09-01

Full Text Available La coccidioidomicosis es una micosis sistémica, endémica en las zonas áridas del continente americano, producida por los hongos dimorfos Coccidioides immitis y Coccidioides posadasii. El propósito de esta presentación es dar a conocer la forma en que esta enfermedad y sus agentes causales fueron descubiertos. La enfermedad fue descubierta en 1892, en Buenos Aires, por Posadas y Wernicke. Estos investigadores describieron prolijamente las manifestaciones clínicas de la enfermedad, la histopatología, la fase tisular del agente causal y lograron reproducir la afección en animales. Este estudio fue un modelo de investigación científica para su época. Pensaron que esta nueva enfermedad era debida a un protozoario del género Psorosperma y no consiguieron cultivarlo "in vitro". En1894, Rixford y Gilchrist, en San Francisco (California, observaron un caso similar y pensaron que era debido a un protozoario, al que llamaron Coccidioides immitis. En 1900, Ophüls y Moffit, consiguieron reproducir la enfermedad en cobayos inoculados con de un moho blanquecino, cultivado a partir de las lesiones de pacientes con coccidiodomicosis y comprobaron así la naturaleza fúngica de la infección. Después de este estudio de Ophüls, los investigadoresde California demostraron la existencia de infecciones autolimitadas, la importancia de las pruebas cutáneas y serológicas con coccidioidina, la vía de infección, los tratamientos eficaces y más recientemente las características genéticas de los agentes causales.Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis, endemic in arid regions of the American continent; it is due to the dimorphic fungi Coccidiodes immitis and Coccidiodes posadasii. The aim of this presentation is to relate the way in which this mycosis and its etiologic agents were discovered. The disease was reported for the first time in Buenos Aires in 1892, by Posadas and Wernicke. They performed a very skilful research, considered outstanding in

Coccidioidomicose pulmonar e extrapulmonar: três casos em zona endêmica no interior do Ceará Pulmonary and extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis: three cases in an endemic area in the state of Ceará, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Hideo Togashi

2009-03-01

Full Text Available A coccidioidomicose, uma doença fúngica adquirida através da inalação do agente Coccidioides sp. sob a forma de artroconídio, foi pela primeira vez descrita em 1894. Restringe-se principalmente a áreas de clima árido, solo alcalino e regiões de baixo índice pluviométrico. Não por acaso, a maioria dos casos descritos no Brasil ocorreu na região Nordeste. Relatam-se três casos de coccidioidomicose pulmonar ocorridos nos anos de 2005 e 2006, em zona endêmica no interior do Ceará. Todos eram homens imunocompetentes de idade adulta, adeptos à prática de caça a tatus (Dasypus novemcinctus com queixas de tosse, febre, dispneia e dor pleurítica. Houve evoluções com comprometimento pulmonar e lesão cutânea foi observada em apenas um paciente. Todos apresentaram radiografia e TC de tórax com lesões características da coccidioidomicose. O diagnóstico foi confirmado através de teste sorológico. Todos evoluíram para cura após tratamento com antifúngico.Coccidioidomycosis, a fungal illness acquired by the inhalation of arthroconidia of Coccidioides sp., was first described in 1894. Coccidioidomycosis is mainly restricted to areas with arid climate, alkaline soil and low rainfall. Consequently, most of the reported cases in Brazil have occurred in the northeastern region. We report three cases of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis occurring between 2005 and 2006 in an endemic area in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The three patients were immunocompetent adult males, hunters of armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus, with complaints of cough, fever, dyspnea and pleuritic pain. All three patients presented pulmonary involvement, and only one also presented cutaneous lesions. Chest X-rays and CT scans of the patients revealed characteristic coccidioidomycosis lesions. The diagnosis was confirmed by serological testing. All of the patients evolved to cure after antifungal treatment.

Biochemical characterization of an in-house Coccidioides antigen: perspectives for the immunodiagnosis of coccidioidomycosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Filho, Renato Evando Moreira; Bandeira, Silviane Praciano; Brillhante, Raimunda Sâmia Nogueira; Rocha, Marcos Fábio Gadelha; Vasconcelos, Ilka Maria; Pereira, Mirella Leite; Castelo-Branco, Débora de Souza Collares Maia; Rocha, Francisco Airton Castro; Camargo, Zoilo Pires de; Ramos, Marcio Viana; Cordeiro, Rossana de Aguiar; Sidrim, José Júlio Costa

2012-06-28

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reactivity of an in-house antigen, extracted from a strain of C. posadasii isolated in northeastern Brazil, by radial immunodiffusion and Western blotting, as well as to establish its biochemical characterization. The protein antigen was initially extracted with the use of solid ammonium sulfate and characterized by 1-D electrophoresis. Subsequently, it was tested by means of double radial immunodiffusion and Western blotting. A positive reaction was observed against the antigen by both immunodiagnostic techniques tested on sera from patients suffering from coccidioidomycosis. Besides this, two immunoreactive protein bands were observed and were revealed to be a β-glucosidase and a glutamine synthetase after sequencing of the respective N-terminal regions. Our in-house Coccidioides antigen can be promising as a quick and low-cost diagnostic tool without the risk of direct manipulation of the microorganism.

Biochemical Characterization of an In-House Coccidioides Antigen: Perspectives for the Immunodiagnosis of Coccidioidomycosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato Evando Moreira Filho

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the reactivity of an in-house antigen, extracted from a strain of C. posadasii isolated in northeastern Brazil, by radial immunodiffusion and Western blotting, as well as to establish its biochemical characterization. The protein antigen was initially extracted with the use of solid ammonium sulfate and characterized by 1-D electrophoresis. Subsequently, it was tested by means of double radial immunodiffusion and Western blotting. A positive reaction was observed against the antigen by both immunodiagnostic techniques tested on sera from patients suffering from coccidioidomycosis. Besides this, two immunoreactive protein bands were observed and were revealed to be a β-glucosidase and a glutamine synthetase after sequencing of the respective N-terminal regions. Our in-house Coccidioides antigen can be promising as a quick and low-cost diagnostic tool without the risk of direct manipulation of the microorganism.

Identifying areas of high risk of human exposure to coccidioidomycosis in Texas using serology data from dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Gautam, R; Srinath, I; Clavijo, A; Szonyi, B; Bani-Yaghoub, M; Park, S; Ivanek, R

2013-03-01

Coccidioidomycosis or Valley Fever (VF) is an emerging soil-borne fungal zoonosis affecting humans and animals. Most non-human cases of VF are found in dogs, which we hypothesize may serve as sentinels for estimating the human exposure risk. The objective of this study is to use the spatial and temporal distribution and clusters of dogs seropositive for VF to define the geographic area in Texas where VF is endemic, and thus presents a higher risk of exposure to humans. The included specimens were seropositive dogs tested at a major diagnostic laboratory between 1999 and 2009. Data were aggregated by zip code and smoothed by empirical Bayesian estimation to develop an isopleth map of VF seropositive rates using kriging. Clusters of seropositive dogs were identified using the spatial scan test. Both the isopleth map and the scan test identified an area with a high rate of VF-seropositive dogs in the western and southwestern parts of Texas (relative risk = 31). This location overlapped an area that was previously identified as a potential endemic region based on human surveys. Together, these data suggest that dogs may serve as sentinels for estimating the risk of human exposure to VF. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Cyclophosphamide effect on coccidioidomycosis in the rat Efecto de la ciclofosfamida en la infección por Coccidioides immitis en la rata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirta C. Remesar

1989-12-01

Full Text Available Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis, endemic in arid areas of the American continent. The rat was employed as an experimental host, since it had been shown to reproduce human lesions and present a chronic course of disease with granulomas mainly restricted to lungs. Given the influence of immunosuppressive therapy on the clinical course of human coccidioidomycosis, we studied the effect of cyclophosphamide (CY in the experimental rat model. Accordingly, animals were inoculated with 400 Coccidioides immitis arthroconidia of the Acosta strain, by intracardiacal route. As single CY doses failed to alter the course of disease, three schedules were used: A 4 daily doses of 20 mg/kg each, prior to C. immitis inoculation; B 4 similar daily doses after infection; and C; 6 doses of 20 mg/kg each, given from day +1 to +4, then on days +8 and +9, post infection (pi, taking day 0 as the time of fungal inoculation. The first two schedules inhibited antibody formation up to day 28 pi, without modifying cellular response to coccidioidin as measured by foodpad swelling. Initially, there was greater fungal spread than in controls receiving C. immitis alone, which proved self-limiting in the latter. In contrast, schedule C led to 559r mortality, with both humoral and cellular response abrogation, accompanied by extensive C. immitis dissemination. Histology disclosed significant alterations, such as the persistence of primary infection sporangia, corresponding to the acute stage of coccidioidomycosis in the absence of granuloma development. Therefore, the observed depression in cellular immunity seems responsible for the lack of inflammatory reaction capable of restricting sporangia proliferation in tissues which, in turn, enhances pathogen spread and mortality rate.El propósito de este trabajo fue estudiar el efecto de la inmunosupresión causada por la droga ciclofosfamida (CY sobre la infección de la rata con Coccidioides immitis por vía intracard

[Clinicopathologic characteristics and distribution of number of autopsies of patient death due to coccidioidomycosis at a referral hospital in northeastern México].

Science.gov (United States)

Calderón-Garcidueñas, Ana Laura; Piña-Osuna, Karina; Leal-Moreno, Ana María; López-Cárdenas, Adriana; Cerda-Flores, Ricardo M

2004-01-01

1. To describe clinical and pathologic characteristics of patients with coccidioidomycosis (CM) who died from 1983-2000 at a hospital in northeastern Mexico, and 2, to know distribution of number of deaths due to CM per year and month. From 4598 autopsies, 31 cases of CM were selected. Clinical chart and autopsy protocols were examined. Distribution of cases was analyzed by contingence table and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. There were 10 women and 21 men (aged 4 months to 60 years). In women, pregnancy was present in 40% of cases. In men, chronic renal failure (CRF) (38%) and AIDS (19%) were the pathologic conditions most frequently observed. Variation in distribution of cases throughout 18 years was not observed (p > 0.05). Mortality due to CM was 0.67% and variation in number of deaths was not found. In this endemic area, CM must be included in differential diagnosis of patients with risk factors such as pregnancy, CRF, and AIDS, especially if associated with pneumonia with miliary pattern or septicemia with splenomegaly.

Manifestações cutâneo-mucosas da coccidioidomicose: estudo de trinta casos procedentes dos estados do Piauí e Maranhão Skin and mucous membrane manifestations of coccidioidomycosis: a study of thirty cases in the Brazilian states of Piauí and Maranhão

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antônio de Deus Filho

2010-02-01

Full Text Available FUNDAMENTOS: A coccidioidomicose é micose sistêmica usualmente manifesta como infecção benigna de resolução espontânea; porém, uma pequena proporção dos infectados desenvolve quadros progressivos potencialmente fatais, podendo atingir a pele com lesões pleomórficas disseminadas. OBJETIVOS: Identificar e descrever as manifestações cutâneo-mucosas da coccidioidomicose, as ocupações de risco relacionadas à doença e o quadro clínico associado. MÉTODOS: Estudo realizado entre os anos 2003 e 2006 em 30 pacientes portadores de coccidioidomicose provenientes dos estados do Piauí e Maranhão e diagnosticados por exame microscópico direto, cultivo do escarro ou sorologia de triagem de imunodifusão dupla em gel de ágar, aliados à anamnese e exame físico. RESULTADOS: Identificaram-se lesões extrapulmonares em 13 casos (43,3%, com predomínio de manifestações dermatológicas de hipersensibilidade: eritema nodoso (26,6%, exantema com lesões eritemato-escamosas (26,6% e eritema multiforme (23,3%, além de úlceras de língua (13,3% e lábio (6,6% e abscesso subcutâneo (3,3%. Tais manifestações foram observadas na fase aguda da doença. CONCLUSÕES: As manifestações cutâneas associadas à infecção respiratória aguda fortalecem a hipótese diagnóstica desta doença, especialmente, em caçadores de tatus ou pessoas expostas à escavação do solo.BACKGROUND: Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis that usually presents as a benign infection. Patients generally recover spontaneously; however, a small proportion of infected individuals develop progressive complications that may affect the skin in the form of disseminated pleomorphic lesions and may become fatal. OBJECTIVES: To identify and describe skin and mucous membrane manifestations of coccidioidomycosis, to identify occupational hazards associated with the disease and to determine its associated clinical presentation. METHODS: A study conducted between 2003 and 2006

Investigation of an outbreak of endemic coccidioidomycosis in Brazil's northeastern state of Piauí with a review of the occurrence and distribution of Coccidioides immitis in three other Brazilian states.

Science.gov (United States)

Wanke, B; Lazera, M; Monteiro, P C; Lima, F C; Leal, M J; Ferreira Filho, P L; Kaufman, L; Pinner, R W; Ajello, L

1999-11-01

An outbreak of coccidioidomycosis is described that involved three individuals and eight of their dogs, who had engaged in a successful hunt for nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in the environs of Oeiras, a community in Brazil's north eastern state of Piauí. Diagnosis was based on clinical, serological and cultural findings. Four of 24 soil samples collected in and around the burrow of an armadillo yielded cultures of Coccidioides immitis, thus establishing the endemicity of that mould in the state of Piauí. A literature review revealed that C. immitis, aside from that state, is endemic in three other Brazilian states--Bahia, Ceará and Maranhão. These four contiguous states have semi-arid regions where climatic conditions and their flora are similar to those that exist in C. immitis's endemic regions in North, Central and South America.

The influence of current and future climate on the spatial distribution of coccidioidomycosis in the southwestern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Gorris, M. E.; Hoffman, F. M.; Zender, C. S.; Treseder, K. K.; Randerson, J. T.

2017-12-01

Coccidioidomycosis, otherwise known as valley fever, is an infectious fungal disease currently endemic to the southwestern U.S. The magnitude, spatial distribution, and seasonality of valley fever incidence is shaped by variations in regional climate. As such, climate change may cause new communities to become at risk for contracting this disease. Humans contract valley fever by inhaling fungal spores of the genus Coccidioides. Coccidioides grow in the soil as a mycelium, and when stressed, autolyze into spores 2-5 µm in length. Spores can become airborne from any natural or anthropogenic soil disturbance, which can be exacerbated by dry soil conditions. Understanding the relationship between climate and valley fever incidence is critical for future disease risk management. We explored several multivariate techniques to create a predictive model of county-level valley fever incidence throughout the southwestern U.S., including Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. We incorporated surface air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, surface dust concentrations, leaf area index, and the amount of agricultural land, all of which influence valley fever incidence. A log-linear regression model that incorporated surface air temperature, soil moisture, surface dust concentration, and the amount of agricultural land explained 34% of the county-level variance in annual average valley fever incidence. We used this model to predict valley fever incidence for the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 using simulation output from the Community Earth System Model. In our analysis, we describe how regional hotspots of valley fever incidence may shift with sustained warming and drying in the southwestern U.S. Our predictive model of valley fever incidence may help mitigate future health impacts of valley fever by informing health officials and policy makers of the climate conditions suitable for disease outbreak.

E.L.I.S.A. en coccidioidomicosis humana E.L.I.S.A. in human coccidioidomycosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iris Nora Tiraboschi

1991-08-01

Full Text Available Se realizó E.L.I.S.A. con exoantígeno de Coccidioides immitis para la detectión de anticuerpos, en 67 sueros humanos diluidos 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000 y 1/8000. De los 18 sueros de enfermos de coccidioidomicosis comprobada por examen directo, cultivo y/o histología, 5 fueron negativos, en otros 13 fueron positivos en una o varias diluciones. 3/26 sueros de personas sanas, coccidioidino positivas, fueron positivos en títulos de 1/1000 y el resto no tuvo anticuerpos detectables. No presentaron reacciones positivas ninguno de los sueros controles de personas sanas, pero sí lo hicieron 4/8 pacientes con otras micosis. Se concluye que E.L.I.S.A. es útil para la detección de mínimas cantidades de anticuerpos o en sueros que no pueden ser procesados por fijación de complemento. No es recomendable el uso de la técnica en forma aislada por al presencia de reacciones cruzadas.An E.L.I.S.A. test for antibody detection, with an exo-antigen of Coccidioides immitis was standardized in 67 humans sera diluited in 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000 and 1/8000. Eightheen sera from mycologically proved cases of coccidioidomycosis were studied: 5 were negative and 13 were positive in some dilutions. 3/26 sera of healthy persons who presented positive skin tests with coccidioidin were positive and the other 23 sera did not have positive reactions. None of the 15 sera of healthy human exhibited positive E.L.I.S.A. Serum samples of 8 patients suffering other deep mycosis were studied, 4 of them presented cross-reactions in E.L.I.S.A. tests. E.L.I.S.A. test seems to be a useful Serologic technique for antibody detection in anticomplementary serum samples or when a low concentration of antibodies should be detected. As it is very sensitive, cross-reactions with other mycoses are frequent, thus the use other more specific serologic technique together E.L.I.S.A. is recommended.

Sertraline demonstrates fungicidal activity in vitro for Coccidioides immitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Paul

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Coccidioidomycosis causes substantial morbidity in endemic areas. Disseminated coccidioidomycosis is an AIDS defining condition and treatment often requires lifelong antifungal therapy. Sertraline, a widely used serotonin-reuptake inhibitor anti-depressant, has demonstrated activity against Candida and Cryptococcus sp. both in vitro and in vivo. To evaluate if sertraline has activity against Coccidioides, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC of sertraline for four clinical isolates of C. immitis were determined. Sertraline was observed to have an MIC range of 4–8 µg/ml and MFC also of 4–8 µg/ml for Coccidioides. These MIC and MFC results for C. immitis are similar to those reported for Cryptococcus sp. suggesting sertraline may potentially have utility for the treatment of coccidioidomycosis.

Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)

Science.gov (United States)

... Testing Treatment & Outcomes Health Professionals Statistics More Resources Candidiasis Candida infections of the mouth, throat, and esophagus Vaginal candidiasis Invasive candidiasis Definition Symptoms Risk & Prevention Sources Diagnosis ...

Identification Of Protein Vaccine Candidates Using Comprehensive Proteomic Analysis Strategies

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Rohrbough, James G

2007-01-01

Presented in this dissertation are proteomic analysis studies focused on identifying proteins to be used as vaccine candidates against Coccidioidomycosis, a potentially fatal human pulmonary disease...

Prominent animal mycoses from various regions of the world.

Science.gov (United States)

Pier, A C; Cabañes, F J; Chermette, R; Ferreiro, L; Guillot, J; Jensen, H E; Santurio, J M

2000-01-01

The mycoses selected for presentation in this section are relatively common diseases of companion animals or livestock in certain areas of the world. Malasseziosis is arguably the most frequent mycosis of dogs (as otitis externa and dermatitis) throughout the world, although its diagnosis is often overlooked. Protothecosis is also geographically widespread, particularly in cattle where severe mastitis is a result of adventitious infection from the environment. In contrast, coccidioidomycosis and pythiosis are geographically limited in their occurrence (coccidioidomycosis by geographic region and pythiosis by climate), but within regions where they do occur, their presence in animals is not unusual. It was our intention to review recent developments in each of these diseases.

Coccidiodomycosis in Arizona 2007-2008

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

This podcast looks at the impact of Coccidioidomycosis, or Valley Fever, in Arizona in 2007 and early 2008. CDC epidemiologist Dr. Tom Chiller discusses what researchers learned about this fungal disease.

Mycoses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozenshtraukh, L.S.

1983-01-01

Roentgenological pictures of lungs mycoses: actinomycosis, aspergillosis, c andidiasis, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and coccidioidomycosis, have been studied. Special attention is paid to the problems of high-quality X-ray diagn osis in case of the above-mentioned pneumomycoses

Coccidioides precipitin test

Science.gov (United States)

Coccidioidomycosis antibody test; Coccidioides blood test; Valley fever blood test ... There is no special preparation for the test. ... The precipitin test is one of several tests that can be done to determine if you are infected with coccidioides, which ...

Molecular identification of Coccidioides immitis in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from a Colombian patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Canteros, Cristina E; Vélez H, Alejandro; Toranzo, Adriana I; Suárez-Alvarez, Roberto; Tobón O, Ángela; Jimenez A, María del Pilar; Restrepo M, Ángela

2015-06-01

Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii are the etiologic agents of coccidioidomycosis, an endemic fungal disease of the Americas. In Colombia, this mycosis is uncommon, and only five cases, two of them imported, have been documented.By means of DNA sequencing, C. immitis was identified in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissues samples from the 5th Colombian patient diagnosed in 1997. The patient was born in Pinto, Department of Magdalena, and had never visited other geographic regions, a reason to consider that the mycosis had been acquired locally.This species is primarily found in California although it has been occasionally reported in other geographic areas such as Mexico and Brazil. This is the first indigenous report of C. immitis-associated coccidioidomycosis in a Colombian patient. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology.

Molecular identification of Coccidioides spp. in soil samples from Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

de Macêdo, Regina C L; Rosado, Alexandre S; da Mota, Fabio F; Cavalcante, Maria A S; Eulálio, Kelsen D; Filho, Antônio D; Martins, Liline M S; Lazéra, Márcia S; Wanke, Bodo

2011-05-16

Since 1991 several outbreaks of acute coccidioidomycosis (CM) were diagnosed in the semi-arid Northeast of Brazil, mainly related to disturbance of armadillo burrows caused by hunters while digging them for the capture of these animals. This activity causes dust contaminated with arthroconidia of Coccidioides posadasii, which, once inhaled, cause the mycosis. We report on the identification of C. posadasii in soil samples related to outbreaks of CM. Twenty four soil samples had their DNA extracted and subsequently submitted to a semi-nested PCR technique using specific primers. While only 6 (25%) soil samples were positive for C. posadasii by mice inoculation, all (100%) were positive by the molecular tool. This methodology represents a simple, sensitive and specific molecular technique to determine the environmental distribution of Coccidioides spp. in endemic areas, but cannot distinguish the species. Moreover, it may be useful to identify culture isolates. Key-words: 1. Coccidioidomycosis. 2. Coccidioides spp. 3. C. posadasii. 4. Semi-arid. 5. Semi-nested PCR.

Cytomorphology of unusual infectious entities in the Pap test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walid E Khalbuss

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Rare entities in the Pap test, including neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions, pose challenges due to their infrequent occurrence in the daily practice of cytology. Furthermore, these conditions give rise to important diagnostic pitfalls. Infections such as tuberculosis cervicitis may be erroneously diagnosed as carcinoma, whereas others, such as schistosomiasis, are associated with squamous cell carcinoma. These cases include granuloma inguinale (donovanosis, tuberculosis, coccidioidomycosis, schistosomiasis, taeniasis, and molluscum contagiosum diagnosed in Pap tests. Granuloma inguinale shows histiocytes that contain intracytoplasmic bacteria (Donovan bodies. Tuberculosis is characterized by necrotizing granulomatous inflammation with Langhans-multinucleated giant cells. Coccidioidomycosis may show large intact or ruptured fungal spherules associated with endospores. Schistosoma haematobium is diagnosed by finding characteristic ova with a terminal spine. Molluscum contagiosum is characterized by the appearance of squamous cells with molluscum bodies. This article reviews the cytomorphology of selected rare infections and focuses on their cytomorphology, differential diagnosis, and role of ancillary diagnostic studies.

Symptoms of Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)

Science.gov (United States)

... of a reemerging disease. Clinical characteristics and current controversies. Medicine 2004;83:149-75. Galgiani JN, Ampel ... RSS ABOUT About CDC Jobs Funding LEGAL Policies Privacy FOIA No Fear Act OIG 1600 Clifton Road ...

Nigerian Veterinary Journal - Vol 31, No 3 (2010)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Coccidioidomycosis in Chicken Pullets in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria: A Case Report · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. AR Jambalang, IN Ogo, JO Ibu, M Gisilanbe, W Bertu, L Jwander, B Benjamin, S Chukwukere, Y Nasir, N Sanda, A Benshak, GOA ...

Coccidiodomycosis in Arizona 2007-2008

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2010-10-13

This podcast looks at the impact of Coccidioidomycosis, or Valley Fever, in Arizona in 2007 and early 2008. CDC epidemiologist Dr. Tom Chiller discusses what researchers learned about this fungal disease.  Created: 10/13/2010 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 10/27/2010.

Coccidioides immitis isolated from armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in the state of Piauí, northeast Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Eulálio, K D; de Macedo, R L; Cavalcanti, M A; Martins, L M; Lazéra, M S; Wanke, B

2001-01-01

Natural infection of armadillos with Coccidioides immitis was studied in the state of Piauí, northeast of Brazil, endemic for coccidioidomycosis. In 1998, 26 nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) were captured in 4 different counties. The animals were sacrificed under deep anesthesia with ether. At necropsy fragments of spleen, liver, lungs and heart were homogenized and seeded onto Sabouraud dextrose agar with and without cycloheximide (BBL, USA). Part of each organ was also processed for histological examination. Suspected colonies of filamentous fungi observed after the second week of incubation at room temperature, exhibiting barrel-shaped arthroconidia alternating with empty spaces, were inoculated intraperitoneally into mice. Three armadillos proved to be infected with C. immitis. Mice inoculated with suspected colonies obtained from homogenized spleen of three and liver of two armadillos developed disseminated coccidioidomycosis and immature and mature spherules of C. immitis were disclosed in several organs. For the first time armadillos (D. novemcinctus) were found naturally infected with C. immitis, adding new data on the ecology and on a possible role of these ancestral mammals in the evolutionary life cycle of this fungus.

Molecular identification of Coccidioides spp. in soil samples from Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filho Antônio D

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Since 1991 several outbreaks of acute coccidioidomycosis (CM were diagnosed in the semi-arid Northeast of Brazil, mainly related to disturbance of armadillo burrows caused by hunters while digging them for the capture of these animals. This activity causes dust contaminated with arthroconidia of Coccidioides posadasii, which, once inhaled, cause the mycosis. We report on the identification of C. posadasii in soil samples related to outbreaks of CM. Results Twenty four soil samples had their DNA extracted and subsequently submitted to a semi-nested PCR technique using specific primers. While only 6 (25% soil samples were positive for C. posadasii by mice inoculation, all (100% were positive by the molecular tool. Conclusion This methodology represents a simple, sensitive and specific molecular technique to determine the environmental distribution of Coccidioides spp. in endemic areas, but cannot distinguish the species. Moreover, it may be useful to identify culture isolates. Key-words: 1. Coccidioidomycosis. 2. Coccidioides spp. 3. C. posadasii. 4. Semi-arid. 5. Semi-nested PCR

Pulmonary coccidioidomycosis in a armadillo hunter

OpenAIRE

COSTA, FABRÍCIO ANDRÉ MARTINS DA; REIS, RICARDO COELHO; BENEVIDES, FÁBIO; TOMÉ, GERALDO DE SOUSA; HOLANDA, MARCELO ALCÂNTARA

2001-01-01

A coccidioidomicose, uma doença fúngica adquirida através da inalação do agente Coccidioides immitis sob forma de artroconídio, vem sendo descrita desde 1892. Restringe-se principalmente a áreas de clima árido, solo alcalino e regiões de baixo índice pluviométrico. Não por acaso, a maioria dos casos descritos no Brasil ocorreu na região Nordeste. Relata-se o caso de um homem de 19 anos, imunocompetente, com queixa de dor pleural bilateral, febre, adinamia e tosse seca havia dois meses. A radi...

Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) Risk and Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

... of a reemerging disease. Clinical characteristics and current controversies. Medicine. 2004 May;83(3):149-75. Eckmann ... RSS ABOUT About CDC Jobs Funding LEGAL Policies Privacy FOIA No Fear Act OIG 1600 Clifton Road ...

Structures of a putative ζ-class glutathione S-transferase from the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, Thomas E.; Bryan, Cassie M.; Leibly, David J.; Dieterich, Shellie H.; Abendroth, Jan; Sankaran, Banumathi; Sivam, Dhileep; Staker, Bart L.; Van Voorhis, Wesley C.; Myler, Peter J.; Stewart, Lance J.

2011-01-01

The pathogenic fungus C. immitis causes coccidioidomycosis, a potentially fatal disease. Here, apo and glutathione-bound crystal structures of a previously uncharacterized protein from C. immitis that appears to be a ζ-class glutathione S-transferase are presented. Coccidioides immitis is a pathogenic fungus populating the southwestern United States and is a causative agent of coccidioidomycosis, sometimes referred to as Valley Fever. Although the genome of this fungus has been sequenced, many operons are not properly annotated. Crystal structures are presented for a putative uncharacterized protein that shares sequence similarity with ζ-class glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in both apo and glutathione-bound forms. The apo structure reveals a nonsymmetric homodimer with each protomer comprising two subdomains: a C-terminal helical domain and an N-terminal thioredoxin-like domain that is common to all GSTs. Half-site binding is observed in the glutathione-bound form. Considerable movement of some components of the active site relative to the glutathione-free form was observed, indicating an induced-fit mechanism for cofactor binding. The sequence homology, structure and half-site occupancy imply that the protein is a ζ-class glutathione S-transferase, a maleylacetoacetate isomerase (MAAI)

Coccidioides posadasii, clinical and environmental strains: study of genetic diversity

OpenAIRE

Rita Amanda Chaves de Lima

2010-01-01

Coccidiodomycosis is a systemic infection, predominantly pulmonary, caused by the geophilic and dimorphic fungi, Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. In Brazil, coccidioidomycosis is associated with semi-arid areas in the Northeastern region of this country, which is considered one of the endemic areas of this disease in South America. These pathogens are morphologically indistinguishable species, but they exhibit molecular differences. Different molecular techniques have been des...

Viability and molecular authentication of Coccidioides spp. isolates from the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo culture collection, Brazil

OpenAIRE

Cavalcanti,Sarah Desirée Barbosa; Vidal,Mônica Scarpelli Martinelli; Sousa,Maria da Glória Teixeira de; Del Negro,Gilda Maria Barbaro

2013-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging fungal disease in Brazil; adequate maintenance and authentication of Coccidioides isolates are essential for research into genetic diversity of the environmental organisms, as well as for understanding the human disease. Seventeen Coccidioides isolates maintained under mineral oil since 1975 in the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMTSP) culture collection, Brazil, were evaluated with respect to their viability, morphological characteristics and g...

Viabilidade e autenticação molecular de isolados de Coccidioides spp. da coleção de culturas do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Brasil

OpenAIRE

Cavalcanti, Sarah Desirée Barbosa; Vidal, Mônica Scarpelli Martinelli; Sousa, Maria da Glória Teixeira de; Del Negro, Gilda Maria Barbaro

2013-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging fungal disease in Brazil; adequate maintenance and authentication of Coccidioides isolates are essential for research into genetic diversity of the environmental organisms, as well as for understanding the human disease. Seventeen Coccidioides isolates maintained under mineral oil since 1975 in the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMTSP) culture collection, Brazil, were evaluated with respect to their viability, morphological characteristics and g...

Molecular identification of Coccidioides spp. in soil samples from Brazil

OpenAIRE

de Macêdo, Regina CL; Rosado, Alexandre S; da Mota, Fabio F; Cavalcante, Maria AS; Eulálio, Kelsen D; Filho, Antônio D; Martins, Liline MS; Lazéra, Márcia S; Wanke, Bodo

2011-01-01

Abstract Background Since 1991 several outbreaks of acute coccidioidomycosis (CM) were diagnosed in the semi-arid Northeast of Brazil, mainly related to disturbance of armadillo burrows caused by hunters while digging them for the capture of these animals. This activity causes dust contaminated with arthroconidia of Coccidioides posadasii, which, once inhaled, cause the mycosis. We report on the identification of C. posadasii in soil samples related to outbreaks of CM. Results Twenty four soi...

Pulmonary fungal infection: Imaging findings in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chong, Semin; Lee, Kyung Soo; Yi, Chin A; Chung, Myung Jin; Kim, Tae Sung; Han, Joungho

2006-01-01

Histoplasmosis is the most common endemic mycosis in North America, and is followed by coccidioidomycosis and blastomycosis. Although the majority of these infections in immunocompetent persons are self-limited, some patients can develop severe pneumonitis or various forms of chronic pulmonary infection. Cryptococcoci, Aspergillus, Candidas, and Mucorals are ubiquitous organisms, which may affect immunocompromised patients. Specific imaging findings can be expected, depending on the organisms involved, underlying patients' conditions (immune status), and specific situations after immune depleting procedures

Coccidiomycosis infection of the patella mimicking a neoplasm – two case reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yi-Chen; Calvert, George; Hanrahan, Christopher J; Jones, Kevin B; Randall, Robert Lor

2014-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic fungal infection in the southwestern of United States. Most infections are asymptomatic or manifest with mild respiratory complaints. Rare cases may cause extrapulmonary or disseminated disease. We report two cases of knee involvement that presented as isolated lytic lesions of the patella mimicking neoplasms. The first case, a 27 year-old immunocompetent male had progressive left anterior knee pain for four months. The second case was a 78 year-old male had left anterior knee pain for three months. Both of them had visited general physicians without conclusive diagnosis. A low attenuation lytic lesion in the patella was demonstrated on their image studies, and the initial radiologist’s interpretation was suggestive of a primary bony neoplasm. The patients were referred for orthopaedic oncology consultation. The first case had a past episode of pulmonary coccioidomycosis 2 years prior, while the second case had no previous coccioidal infection history but lived in an endemic area, the central valley of California. Surgical biopsy was performed in both cases due to diagnostic uncertainty. Final pathologic examination revealed large thick walled spherules filled with endospores establishing the final diagnosis of extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis. Though history and laboratory findings are supportive, definitive diagnosis still depends on growth in culture or endospores identified on histology. We suggest that orthopaedic surgeons and radiologists keep in mind that chronic fungal infections can mimic osseous neoplasm by imaging

Epidemiologic study of bronchopulmonary mycosis in the province of cordoba, argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana T. Masih

1987-02-01

Full Text Available An epidemiological study for histoplasmosis coccidioidomycosis and cryptococcosis made in five areas of the province of Córdoba is presented. The data obtained showed a global positivity of 41.1% for histoplasmin 26.7% for coccidioidin and 14.1% for cryptococcin. In some areas, the Rio III basin and Traslasierra, the histoplasmosis infection indexes were much higher, 53,3% and 73.1% respectively. The index of positive skin tests with Cryptococcus antigen in Traslasierra was also very high: 31.9%.

Disseminated coccidoidomycosis in a koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).

Science.gov (United States)

Burgdorf-Moisuk, Anne; Stalis, Ilse H; Pye, Geoffrey W

2012-03-01

A16-yr-old male koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) presented for nonspecific signs of illness and weight loss. Despite 2 mo of diagnostics and supportive care, the koala's health declined and euthanasia was elected. On histopathologic examination, lesions containing fungal organisms morphologically consistent with coccidioidomycosis were found in the lung, liver, spleen, kidney, lymph node, heart, eye, and bone marrow. Although disseminated infection was present, the koala was IgM and IgG seronegative for Coccidioides spp. 1 mo prior to euthanasia.

Novel Strategies to Enhance Vaccine Immunity against Coccidioidomycosis

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-19

Mexico and Central and South America [1]. Coccidioides is a dimorphic ascomycetous fungus with distinct saprobic and parasitic phases and is classified in...lethal spore inoculum. However, sterile immunity was not achieved and pulmonary tissue damage associated with a persistent host inflammatory response...observation will translate to humans. A recent vector-based vaccine against tuberculosis intended to protect by eliciting strong CMI failed in humans despite

[Deep mycoses rarely described].

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, D

1986-01-01

Beside deep mycoses very well known: histoplasmosis, candidosis, cryptococcosis, there are other mycoses less frequently described. Some of them are endemic in some countries: South American blastomycosis in Brazil, coccidioidomycosis in California; some others are cosmopolitan and may affect everyone: sporotrichosis, or may affect only immunodeficient persons: mucormycosis. They do not spare Africa, we may encounter basidiobolomycosis, rhinophycomycosis, dermatophytosis, sporotrichosis and, more recently reported, rhinosporidiosis. Important therapeutic progresses have been accomplished with amphotericin B and with antifungus imidazole compounds (miconazole and ketoconazole). Surgical intervention is sometime recommended in chromomycosis and rhinosporidiosis.

Dermatologic Infectious Diseases in International Travelers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Mary E.; Chen, Lin H.

2004-02-01

Skin lesions provide an important clue to the diagnoses of many infections in returned travelers. New information related to epidemiology, recognition, diagnosis, or management is described for the systemic infections--dengue fever, several of the rickettsial infections, African trypanosomiasis, and coccidioidomycosis. Many pathogens cause focal skin findings. Recent findings are presented for cutaneous leishmaniasis, Buruli ulcer, gnatho-stomiasis, cutaneous larva migrans, myiasis, tungiasis, and scabies. This paper describes the most common skin problems in returning travelers and outlines the types of infections that cause skin lesions, as defined by morphologic characteristics.

Coccidioides Endospores and Spherules Draw Strong Chemotactic, Adhesive, and Phagocytic Responses by Individual Human Neutrophils.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Yuk Lee

Full Text Available Coccidioides spp. are dimorphic pathogenic fungi whose parasitic forms cause coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever in mammalian hosts. We use an innovative interdisciplinary approach to analyze one-on-one encounters between human neutrophils and two forms of Coccidioides posadasii. To examine the mechanisms by which the innate immune system coordinates different stages of the host response to fungal pathogens, we dissect the immune-cell response into chemotaxis, adhesion, and phagocytosis. Our single-cell technique reveals a surprisingly strong response by initially quiescent neutrophils to close encounters with C. posadasii, both from a distance (by complement-mediated chemotaxis as well as upon contact (by serum-dependent adhesion and phagocytosis. This response closely resembles neutrophil interactions with Candida albicans and zymosan particles, and is significantly stronger than the neutrophil responses to Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Rhizopus oryzae under identical conditions. The vigorous in vitro neutrophil response suggests that C. posadasii evades in vivo recognition by neutrophils through suppression of long-range mobilization and recruitment of the immune cells. This observation elucidates an important paradigm of the recognition of microbes, i.e., that intact immunotaxis comprises an intricate spatiotemporal hierarchy of distinct chemotactic processes. Moreover, in contrast to earlier reports, human neutrophils exhibit vigorous chemotaxis toward, and frustrated phagocytosis of, the large spherules of C. posadasii under physiological-like conditions. Finally, neutrophils from healthy donors and patients with chronic coccidioidomycosis display subtle differences in their responses to antibody-coated beads, even though the patient cells appear to interact normally with C. posadasii endospores.

Coccidioidomycosis in the llama: case report and epidemiologic survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Muir, S; Pappagianis, D

1982-12-01

An 8-year-old nongravid female llama with a 1-month history of progressive posterior paresis was referred because of suspected degenerative myelopathy secondary to copper deficiency or plant poisoning. Neurologic examination revealed loss of conscious proprioception and slightly depressed bilateral patellar reflexes. Electromyographic examination of hindlimb flexors and extensors did not elicit evidence of lower motor neuron disease. Possible fragmentation and mottling of the 10th thoracic vertebral body were noted radiographically. Results of a lumbar CSF tap, complete blood count, and fecal flotation were not diagnostic. In the face of poor prognosis, the llama was euthanatized. Postmortem and histologic evaluation revealed, in addition to disseminated visceral granulomas, an extradural pyogranulomatous mass compressing the cord laterally at the level of T-10. Large numbers of Coccidioides immitis were dispersed throughout the granulomas. Complement fixing antibody tests in 11 other herd members showed evidence of C immitis infection in three.

Proposed national strategies for the prevention of leading work-related diseases and injuries. Part 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1986-01-01

Preliminary strategies developed at the National Symposium on the Prevention of Leading Work Related Diseases and Injuries, held in Atlanta, Georgia on May 1 to 3, 1985 were revised, elaborated, and further developed. Strategies were developed for the prevention of occupational lung diseases, musculoskeletal injuries, occupational cancers, severe occupational traumatic injuries, and occupational cardiovascular diseases. Lung diseases considered included silicosis, asbestosis, lung cancer mesothelioma, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, byssinosis, occupational asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, asphyxiation, irritation, pulmonary edema, brucellosis, psitticosis, anthrax, mycobacterioses, histoplasmosis, aspergillosis, and coccidioidomycosis. Occupational cancers were discussed as they occur in the lung, pleura, peritoneum, bladder, kidneys, blood, nasal cavity, skin, nasal sinuses, and liver.

Ulcerated Lesion of the Tongue as Manifestation of Systemic Coccidioidomycosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis A. Mendez

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Systemic mycoses and their oral manifestations are very rare. We present a case of a 60-year-old man with an ulcerated lesion on the lateral border of the tongue. Histologic studies revealed a granulomatous fungal infection by Coccidioides immitis. After pharmacological treatment, the lesion resolved. Recently, northern Mexico has been reported to be an endemic zone of C. immitis infections; therefore it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mouth lesions. A comprehensive clinical history, physical exploration, and complementary studies are essential for an accurate diagnosis.

Ulcerated Lesion of the Tongue as Manifestation of Systemic Coccidioidomycosis

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Sergio A.; Martinez, Ricardo; de Almeida, Oslei Paes

2017-01-01

Systemic mycoses and their oral manifestations are very rare. We present a case of a 60-year-old man with an ulcerated lesion on the lateral border of the tongue. Histologic studies revealed a granulomatous fungal infection by Coccidioides immitis. After pharmacological treatment, the lesion resolved. Recently, northern Mexico has been reported to be an endemic zone of C. immitis infections; therefore it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mouth lesions. A comprehensive clinical history, physical exploration, and complementary studies are essential for an accurate diagnosis. PMID:28386282

Peritoneal and genital coccidioidomycosis in an otherwise healthy Danish female

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bæk, Ole; Astvad, Karen; Serizawa, Reza

2017-01-01

pain. Computed tomography scan and ultrasound examination of the pelvis raised suspicion of salpingitis. A laparoscopy exposed a necrotic salpinx and several small white elements that resembled peritoneal carcinomatosis. Histological workup however determined that she suffered from disseminated...

Invasive fungal infections after natural disasters.

Science.gov (United States)

Benedict, Kaitlin; Park, Benjamin J

2014-03-01

The link between natural disasters and subsequent fungal infections in disaster-affected persons has been increasingly recognized. Fungal respiratory conditions associated with disasters include coccidioidomycosis, and fungi are among several organisms that can cause near-drowning pneumonia. Wound contamination with organic matter can lead to post-disaster skin and soft tissue fungal infections, notably mucormycosis. The role of climate change in the environmental growth, distribution, and dispersal mechanisms of pathogenic fungi is not fully understood; however, ongoing climate change could lead to increased disaster-associated fungal infections. Fungal infections are an often-overlooked clinical and public health issue, and increased awareness by health care providers, public health professionals, and community members regarding disaster-associated fungal infections is needed.

Mortality due to systemic mycoses as a primary cause of death or in association with AIDS in Brazil: a review from 1996 to 2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Prado, Marli; Silva, Marcelo Barbosa da; Laurenti, Ruy; Travassos, Luiz R; Taborda, Carlos P

2009-05-01

Deaths caused by systemic mycoses such as paracoccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis, coccidioidomycosis and zygomycosis amounted to 3,583 between 1996-2006 in Brazil. When analysed as the underlying cause of death, paracoccidioidomycosis represented the most important cause of deaths among systemic mycoses (approximately 51.2%). When considering AIDS as the underlying cause of death and the systemic mycoses as associated conditions, cryptococcosis (50.9%) appeared at the top of the list, followed by candidiasis (30.2%), histoplasmosis (10.1%) and others. This mortality analysis is useful in understanding the real situation of systemic mycoses in Brazil, since there is no mandatory notification of patients diagnosed with systemic mycoses in the official health system.

Mortality due to systemic mycoses as a primary cause of death or in association with AIDS in Brazil: a review from 1996 to 2006

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marli Prado

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Deaths caused by systemic mycoses such as paracoccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis, coccidioidomycosis and zygomycosis amounted to 3,583 between 1996-2006 in Brazil. When analysed as the underlying cause of death, paracoccidioidomycosis represented the most important cause of deaths among systemic mycoses (~ 51.2%. When considering AIDS as the underlying cause of death and the systemic mycoses as associated conditions, cryptococcosis (50.9% appeared at the top of the list, followed by candidiasis (30.2%, histoplasmosis (10.1% and others. This mortality analysis is useful in understanding the real situation of systemic mycoses in Brazil, since there is no mandatory notification of patients diagnosed with systemic mycoses in the official health system.

Experimental coccidioidomycosis in the immunosuppressed rat Coccidioidomicose experimental em ratos imunossuprimidos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirta C. Remesar

1992-08-01

Full Text Available C. immitis inoculated rats are known to develop infection restricted to lung whereas cyclophosphamide (CY treatment leads to widespread dissemination with considerable mortality. In this study, an attempt was made to elucidate the mechanisms involved in such behaviour. With this aim, spleen cells were transferred from infected CY-treated to infected untreated rats, achieving significant specific inhibition in footpad swelling to coccidioidin in recipients, attributable to a suppressor T cell subpopulation induced by greater fungal antigen concentration arising from widespread C. immitis dissemination in immunosuppressed animals. NK activity proved similar regardless of CY treatment. Lastly, chronically infected rats presented increased colony forming units count after several weekly doses of CY, as happens in immunosuppressed patients harbouring a previous infection.Ratos adultos inoculados com C. immitis desenvolveram infecção circunscrita ao pulmão sem apresentar mortalidade; no entanto, ao serem imunossuprimidos com CY apresentaram disseminação fúngica em vários órgãos, ausência de granulomas e depressão na resposta celular à coccidioidina junto com uma mortalidade de 50%. Tentou-se determinar os mecanismos envolvidos neste comportamento. Para isso foram medidas as atividades dos linfócitos supressores e células NK. Ao serem transferidos esplenócitos de animais infectados e tratados com CY a ratos somente infectados conseguiu-se significativa inibição específica da resposta à coccidioidina. Este efeito seria devido a uma subpopulação de linfócitos T supressores induzida por maior concentração de antígeno nos animais imunossuprimidos. A atividade NK foi semelhante nos ratos infectados independentemente do tratamento com CY. Por outro lado, tentou-se a reativação da infecção crônica com C. immitis. Os animais infectados apresentaram maior quantidade de unidades formadoras de colônias nos pulmões depois de várias doses semanais de CY, assim como ocorre em pacientes que apresentam deficiências a nível imunológico.

Coccidioidomicose: novo caso brasileiro Coccidiodomycosis: a new Brazilian case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mário A.P. Moraes

1998-12-01

Full Text Available É descrito um caso de coccidioidomicose pulmonar oriundo da zona rural de Bertolínia, PI. A manifestação clínica principal consistiu em dor torácica e o diagnóstico teve por base o achado do agente3/4Coccidioides immitis3/4em cortes histológicos. Formas teciduais do microrganismo3/4esférulas imaturas e maduras3/4estavam presentes nas lesões observadas em fragmento pulmonar removido do paciente por biópsia a céu aberto. Este novo caso autóctone da doença, como os outros anteriormente descritos no Brasil, procedia do interior semi-árido da Região Nordeste. O ambiente quente e seco do sertão nordestino oferece, sem dúvida, condições propícias ao desenvolvimento de C. immitis, um habitante do solo. As pessoas e animais do local devem adquirir a infecção ao revolver a terra, ato que os expõe à poeira contendo os propágulos do fungo.A case of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis from the rural zone of Bertolinia, PI, is reported. The patient, a farm worker, attributed his illness to the dust inhaled while digging a water well during the dry season of the year, some weeks before the onset of the clinical manifestations. The main symptoms of the disease were severe chest pain and moderate fever. The diagnosis was made histopathologically: tissue phase fungal organisms3/4immature spherules and spherules with endospores3/4were observed in histological sections of a lung fragment obtained by open chest biopsy. This is the twelfth autochthonous case of coccidioidomycosis found so far in Brazil. All of them involved native inhabitants of the semi-arid part of Northeastern Brazil. The hot and dry environment of the region seems to favor the development of C. immitis in the soil. Humans and animals probably acquire the infection by digging the soil, when they become exposed to the conidium-bearing dust raised by this activity.

Viability and molecular authentication of Coccidioides spp. isolates from the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo culture collection, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavalcanti, Sarah Desirée Barbosa; Vidal, Mônica Scarpelli Martinelli; Sousa, Maria da Glória Teixeira de; Del Negro, Gilda Maria Barbaro

2013-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging fungal disease in Brazil; adequate maintenance and authentication of Coccidioides isolates are essential for research into genetic diversity of the environmental organisms, as well as for understanding the human disease. Seventeen Coccidioides isolates maintained under mineral oil since 1975 in the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMTSP) culture collection, Brazil, were evaluated with respect to their viability, morphological characteristics and genetic features in order to authenticate these fungal cultures. Only five isolates were viable after almost 30 years, showing typical morphological characteristics, and sequencing analysis using Coi-F and Coi-R primers revealed 99% identity with Coccidioides genera. These five isolates were then preserved in liquid nitrogen and sterile water, and remained viable after two years of storage under these conditions, maintaining the same features.

Viability and molecular authentication of Coccidioides spp. isolates from the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo culture collection, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Desirée Barbosa Cavalcanti

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging fungal disease in Brazil; adequate maintenance and authentication of Coccidioides isolates are essential for research into genetic diversity of the environmental organisms, as well as for understanding the human disease. Seventeen Coccidioides isolates maintained under mineral oil since 1975 in the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMTSP culture collection, Brazil, were evaluated with respect to their viability, morphological characteristics and genetic features in order to authenticate these fungal cultures. Only five isolates were viable after almost 30 years, showing typical morphological characteristics, and sequencing analysis using Coi-F and Coi-R primers revealed 99% identity with Coccidioides genera. These five isolates were then preserved in liquid nitrogen and sterile water, and remained viable after two years of storage under these conditions, maintaining the same features.

Aspectos incomuns da paracoccidioidomicose infantil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Achiléa Lisboa Bittencourt

1987-12-01

Full Text Available São relatados dois casos de paracoccidioidomicose (PCM infantil. Em um deles, a principal manifestação da doença foi tumoração abdominal, simulando linfoma maligno não Hodgkin. O outro apresentou acentuado envolvimento articular, com ruptura da cápsula. Representam o segundo e terceiro casos de PCM infantil observados na Bahia, ambos procedentes de áreas urbanas.The authors present two cases of infantil para-coccidioidomycosis. In one case the main presentation was an abdominal mass that mimicked non- Hodgkin lymphoma. In the other case the child had a joint swelling with rupture of the capsule and the clinical diagnosis was piogenic arthritis. They represent the second and third cases of infantile paracoccidioidomycosis observed in the state of Bahia, all coming from urban areas.

Miliary Histoplasmosis in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Lum

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Miliary histoplasmosis is a rare presentation that may mimic miliary tuberculosis. We report a case of miliary histoplasmosis in a 52-year-old male who was being treated with hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, and sulfasalazine for his rheumatoid arthritis and presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath and fevers. Computed tomography (CT chest revealed miliary pulmonary nodules. Urine Histoplasma antigen and serum Histoplasma antigen were negative; however, Coccidioides immitis complement immunofixation assay and Coccidioides IgM were positive. The patient was initiated on treatment for pulmonary coccidioidomycosis and immunosuppression was held. However, a few days later, Histoplasma capsulatum was isolated from cultures from bronchoscopy. This case highlights the difficulty in diagnosing histoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients and the importance of having a broad differential diagnosis for miliary pulmonary nodules. Tissue culture and histopathology remain the gold standard for the diagnosis of histoplasmosis. Further research needs to be conducted to determine the optimal duration of histoplasmosis treatment in immunocompromised patients.

Medical image of the week: actinomycosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siddiqi TA

2015-05-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. A 55-year-old man with history of tobacco and alcohol abuse, presented with unresolving pneumonia despite treatment with moxifloxacin. It was thought to be possible coccidioidomycosis and an azole was started. However, he returned with increasing dyspnea and hypoxemia. He had leukocytosis with a thoracic CT revealing a loculated empyema, multifocal necrotizing infection and a large intrapulmonary abscess (Figure 1. He was admitted to MICU, intubated and ventilated. He was in septic shock requiring fluid resuscitation, vasopressors, and broad antibiotics. Bronchoscopy revealed erythematous and edematous airways, with drainage of over one liter of purulent fluid. A chest tube was placed to drain pleural fluid with removal of around two liters of blood-tinged, purulent fluid. His condition worsened with development of disseminated intravascular coagulation leading to hemorrhagic shock. He arrested and died. Gram stain on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed mixed gram negative and gram variable rods, and cultures grew lactobacillus species. GMS ...

November 2012 Arizona thoracic society notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2012-11-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. A dinner meeting was held on Wednesday, 11/28/2012 at Scottsdale Shea beginning at 6:30 PM. There were 20 in attendance representing the pulmonary, critical care, sleep, infectious disease, pathology, and radiology communities. Dr. George Parides stated he was unable to find further information on treating patients begun on biologicals for RA who developed a + QuantiFERON. Four cases were presented: 1. Dr. Suresh Uppalapu, a pulmonary fellow at Good Samaritan/VA, presented a case of a 29 yo woman with a rash and a myriad of nonspecific complaints. She had recently been a contestant in a reality TV show. Just prior to admission she developed a neurologic complaints including incontinence. Her CXR was negative but CT of the chest showed scattered areas of ground glass opacities peripherally. A MRI of the brain revealed nonspecific abnormalities. CBC showed an elevated eosinophil count of 8%. Coccidioidomycosis antigen was negative. An LP was performed …

March 2016 pulmonary case of the month

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sista RR,

2016-03-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after first page. History of Present Illness: A 74-year-old man was referred for a recently identified right pleural effusion and dyspnea on exertion. Past Medical History, Family History and Social History: He has a history of anemia, hypertension, and prostate cancer with a prostatectomy in 2015. He is a life-long nonsmoker and has no occupational exposures. Family history is noncontributory. Physical Examination: He had diminished breath sounds at the right lung base and a palpable spleen. Otherwise the physical examination was unremarkable. Laboratory: CBC: hemoglobin 8.5 g/dL, white blood count 7.7 X 109 cells/L, platelets 357 X 109 cells/L. Radiography: A chest X-ray showed a right pleural effusion. Representative images from the CT scan are shown in Figure 1. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis? 1. Empyema; 2. Lung cancer; 3. Tuberculosis; 4. Usual interstitial pneumonia; 5. Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis. ...

March 2014 Arizona thoracic society notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2014-04-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. The March 2014 Arizona Thoracic Society meeting was a special meeting. In conjunction with the Valley Fever Center for Excellence and the Arizona Respiratory Center the Eighteenth Annual Farness Lecture was held in the Sonntag Pavilion at St. Joseph's Hospital at 6 PM on Friday, April 4, 2014. The guest speaker was Antonio "Tony" Catanzaro, MD from the University of California San Diego and current president of the Cocci Study Group. There were 57 in attendance representing the pulmonary, critical care, sleep, and infectious disease communities. After opening remarks by Arizona Thoracic Society president, Lewis Wesselius (a former fellow under Dr. Catanzaro at UCSD, John Galgiani, director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, gave a brief history of the Farness lecture before introducing Dr. Catanzaro. The lecture is named for Orin J. Farness, a Tucson physician, who was the first to report culture positive coccidioidomycosis (cocci or Valley Fever. ...

October 2012 Arizona thoracic society notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robbins RA

2012-10-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. A dinner meeting was held on 10/24/2012 at Scottsdale Shea beginning at 6:30 PM. There were 23 in attendance representing the pulmonary, critical care, sleep, infectious disease, pathology, and radiology communities. An announcement was made that the Colorado Thoracic Society has accepted an invitation to partner with the Arizona and New Mexico Thoracic Societies in the Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Discussions continue to be held regarding a combined Arizona Thoracic Society meeting with Tucson either in Casa Grande or electronically. Six cases were presented: Dr. Tim Kuberski, chief of Infectious Disease at Maricopa Medical Center, presented a 48 year old female who had been ill for 2 weeks. A CT of the chest revealed a left lower lobe nodule and a CT of the abdomen showed hydronephrosis and a pelvic mass. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA was elevated. All turned out to be coccidioidomycosis on biopsy. CEA decreased …

Nocardial mycetoma: Diverse clinical presentations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharma Nand

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Nocardia spp are gram-positive, aerobic, acid-fast bacteria which exist as saprophytes in nature. Invasive disseminated infections are particularly common in immunocompromised or debilitated hosts. Superficial infections with Nocardia spp occur as a result of local trauma and contamination of the wound. Clinically, it presents as acute infection (abscesses or cellulitis, mycetoma, or sporotrichoid infection. Differential diagnosis includes eumycetoma, chromomycosis, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, sporotrichosis, tuberculosis, botryomycosis, syphilis, yaws, and neoplasia. Its diagnosis is confirmed by demonstrating the causative organism in exudates (as granules, tissue specimens, or cultures. Early diagnosis will obviate need for drastic surgical measures as early institution of chemotherapy is effective in most patients. However, its diagnosis is often delayed due to diverse clinical presentations and for want of clinical suspicion, particularly in non-endemic areas. This paper presents 4 clinical forms of this not so uncommon disease, emphasizing the importance of high index of clinical suspicion, especially in non-endemic regions; and the significance of repeated examination of exudates for Nocardia granules for an early diagnosis.

Medical image of the week: fungus ball

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosen S

2015-04-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. A 69 year-old Asian woman living in Arizona with a past medical history of nephrotic syndrome on high-dose steroids had worsening pulmonary symptoms. A computed tomography (CT of the chest (Figure 1 showed a 4.7 cm thin walled cavitary lesion in the right middle lobe compatible with mycetoma. She underwent thoracotomy for mycetoma resection. Surgical pathology confirmed an epithelial-lined cavity containing dense mycelia (Figure 2. Given the patient lived in an endemic area; the cavity was thought to be likely due to coccidioidomycosis. However, the mycetoma was of unclear etiology. No spherules were noted on GMS stain and tissue culture was negative. While of unclear clinical significance which fungus colonizes a pre-existing cavity, a Coccidioides PCR was performed and no Coccidioides genes were amplified making a Coccidioides mycetoma very unlikely. Pulmonary mycetoma or “fungus ball” consists of dense fungal elements and amorphous cellular material within a pre-existing pulmonary cavity. Classically ...

Serologic survey for disease in endangered San Joaquin kit fox, Vulpes macrotis mutica, inhabiting the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve, Kern County, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCue, P.M.; O' Farrell, T.P.

1986-07-01

Serum from endangered San Joaquin kit foxes, Vulpes macrotis mutica, and sympatric wildlife inhabiting the Elk Hills Petroleum Reserve, Kern County, and Elkhorn Plain, San Luis Obispo County, California, was collected in 1981 to 1982 and 1984, and tested for antibodies against 10 infectious disease pathogens. Proportions of kit fox sera containing antibodies against diseases were: canine parvovirus, 100% in 1981 to 1982 and 67% in 1984; infectious canine hepatitis, 6% in 1981 to 1982 and 21% in 1984; canine distemper, 0 in 1981 to 1982 and 14% in 1984; tularemia, 8% in 1981 to 1982 and 31% in 1984; Brucella abortus, 8% in 1981 to 1982 and 3% in 1984; Brucella canis, 14% in 1981 to 1982 and 0 in 1984; toxoplasmosis, 6% in 1981 to 1982; coccidioidomycosis, 3% in 1981 to 1982; and plague and leptospirosis, 0 in 1981 to 1982. High population density, overlapping home ranges, ability to disperse great distances, and infestation by ectoparasites were cited as possible factors in the transmission and maintenance of these diseases in kit fox populations.

In vitro activities of caspofungin, amphotericin B and azoles against Coccidioides posadasii strains from Northeast, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordeiro, R A; Brilhante, R S N; Rocha, M F G; Fechine, M A B; Costa, A K F; Camargo, Z P; Sidrim, J J C

2006-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic infection caused by the soil-dwelling dimorphic fungi Coccidioides spp. The disease is endemic in semiarid Northeast Brazil, where it is caused by C. posadasii. The aim of this study was to perform antifungal susceptibility tests of clinical and environmental strains of C. posadasii from Northeast Brazil. The in vitro activities of caspofungin, amphotericin B and azoles against clinical and environment isolates of C. posadasii were determined in accordance with the NCLLS M-38P macrodilution method. The antifungal susceptibility analysis showed that all the strains of C. posadasii (n = 10) were sensitive to caspofungin (16 microg/ml < or = MIC < or = 32 microg/ml), amphotericin B (0.0625 mug/ml < or = MIC < or = 0.125 microg/ml), ketoconazole (0.039 microg/ml < or = MIC < or = 0.156 microg/ml), itraconazole (0.125 microg/ml < or = MIC < or = 0.5 microg/ml), fluconazole (3.125 microg/ml < or = MIC < or = 6.25 microg/ml), and voriconazole (0.125 microg/ml). This study is the first description of in vitro antifungal susceptibility pattern of Brazilian strains of C. posadasii.

Rhodotorula minuta fungemia in a ewe lamb.

Science.gov (United States)

Chitko-McKown, C G; Leymaster, K A; Heaton, M P; Griffin, D D; Veatch, J K; Jones, S A; Clawson, M L

2014-12-01

An 8-month-old crossbred ewe, normal upon physical examination, was humanely euthanized for tissue collection. After approximately 3 weeks in tissue culture, fungi began budding out of cells obtained from the choroid plexus. After an additional 3 weeks, budding was observed in kidney cell cultures and eventually in monocyte cultures as well. Serum from the lamb was submitted to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Colorado State University for fungal diagnosis and was found negative for Aspergillus, Blastomyces, Coccidioidomycosis and Histoplasmosis. DNA was isolated from fungi collected from tissue culture supernatants and used in a set of pan-fungal PCR assays with DNA from Candida acting as a positive control. PCR products were sequenced and BLAST analysis performed. The unknown fungal sequence aligned with 100% identity to Rhodotorula minuta an emerging opportunistic pathogen. Samples were submitted to The Fungal Testing Laboratory at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio for additional validation. We believe this to be the first report of Rhodotorula fungemia in a sheep in the United States. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

November 2017 imaging case of the month

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gotway MB

2017-11-01

Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. Clinical History: A 70-year-old white woman with a remote history of smoking and mild gastroesophageal reflux disease presented with complaints of a dry cough and shortness of breath, present for some time but worsening over the previous 8 months. No hemoptysis was noted and the patient did not complain of chest pain. No history of syncope was noted. Physical examination was largely unremarkable and the patient’s oxygen saturation was 86% on room air, 90% on 4 L/m by mask. The patient’s vital signs were within normal limits. Laboratory evaluation was unremarkable. Quantiferon testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was negative, and testing for coccidioidomycosis was unrevealing. Enhanced thoracic CT (Figure 1 was performed. Which of the following statements regarding the thoracic CT is most accurate? 1. The thoracic CT shows advanced destructive emphysema 2. The thoracic CT shows bilateral, basal and subpleural predominant reticulation associated with ground-glass opacity, architectural distortion, and traction …

Systemic fungal infections in patients with human inmunodeficiency virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Cerdeira, C; Arenas, R; Moreno-Coutiño, G; Vásquez, E; Fernández, R; Chang, P

2014-01-01

Histoplasmosis is a systemic infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. In immunocompromised patients, primary pulmonary infection can spread to the skin and meninges. Clinical manifestations appear in patients with a CD4(+) lymphocyte count of less than 150 cells/μL. Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis caused by Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. It can present as diffuse pulmonary disease or as a disseminated form primarily affecting the central nervous system, the bones, and the skin. Cryptococcosis is caused by Cryptococcus neoformans (var. neoformans and var. grubii) and Cryptococcus gattii, which are members of the Cryptococcus species complex and have 5 serotypes: A, B, C, D, and AD. It is a common opportunistic infection in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS, even those receiving antiretroviral therapy. Histopathologic examination and culture of samples from any suspicious lesions are essential for the correct diagnosis of systemic fungal infections in patients with HIV/AIDS. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

Evolución de los conocimientos sobre aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos de la Coccidioidomycosis en las Américas Historical evolution of some clinical and epidemiological knowledge of coccidioidomycosis in the Americas

OpenAIRE

R. Negroni

2008-01-01

La coccidioidomicosis es una micosis sistémica endémica exclusiva de América, producida por dos especies de hongos dimorfos del género Coccidioides: Coccidioides immitis y Coccidioides posadasii. En este artículo se presenta una revisión histórica de la evolución de los conocimientos sobre la coccidioidomicosis en varios países del continente americano. La mayor parte de los hallazgos epidemiológicos, patogénicos, clínicos y terapéuticos se realizaron en los EE. UU. La enfermedad fue descubie...

Biochemical Characterization of an In-House Coccidioides Antigen: Perspectives for the Immunodiagnosis of Coccidioidomycosis

OpenAIRE

Renato Evando Moreira Filho; Silviane Praciano Bandeira; Raimunda Sâmia Nogueira Brillhante; Marcos Fábio Gadelha Rocha; Ilka Maria Vasconcelos; Mirella Leite Pereira; Débora de Souza Collares Maia Castelo-Branco; Francisco Airton Castro Rocha; Zoilo Pires de Camargo; Marcio Viana Ramos; Rossana de Aguiar Cordeiro; José Júlio Costa Sidrim

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reactivity of an in-house antigen, extracted from a strain of C. posadasii isolated in northeastern Brazil, by radial immunodiffusion and Western blotting, as well as to establish its biochemical characterization. The protein antigen was initially extracted with the use of solid ammonium sulfate and characterized by 1-D electrophoresis. Subsequently, it was tested by means of double radial immunodiffusion and Western blottin...

Pulmonary and extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis: three cases in an endemic area in the state of Ceará, Brazil

OpenAIRE

Togashi, Ricardo Hideo; Aguiar, Fernando Moreira Batista; Ferreira, Dalton Barros; Moura, Camille Matos de; Sales, Monique Teixeira Montezuma; Rios, Nikaelle Ximenes

2009-01-01

A coccidioidomicose, uma doença fúngica adquirida através da inalação do agente Coccidioides sp. sob a forma de artroconídio, foi pela primeira vez descrita em 1894. Restringe-se principalmente a áreas de clima árido, solo alcalino e regiões de baixo índice pluviométrico. Não por acaso, a maioria dos casos descritos no Brasil ocorreu na região Nordeste. Relatam-se três casos de coccidioidomicose pulmonar ocorridos nos anos de 2005 e 2006, em zona endêmica no interior do Ceará. Todos eram home...

Detection of Tropical Fungi in Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissue: Still an Indication for Microscopy in Times of Sequence-Based Diagnosis?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hagen Frickmann

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The aim of the study was the evaluation of panfungal PCR protocols with subsequent sequence analysis for the diagnostic identification of invasive mycoses in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples with rare tropical mycoses. Materials and Methods. Five different previously described panfungal PCR/sequencing protocols targeting 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA gene fragments as well as internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 fragments were evaluated with a collection of 17 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples of patients with rare and/or tropical invasive mycoses, comprising chromoblastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, mucormycosis, mycetoma/maduromycosis, and rhinosporidiosis, in a proof-of-principle analysis. Results. The primers of the panfungal PCRs readily and predominantly reacted with contaminating environmental fungi that had deposited on the paraffin blocks. Altogether three sequence results of histoplasmosis and mycetoma samples that matched the histological assessment were associated with sample age <10 years and virtually without PCR inhibition. Conclusions. The high risk of amplifying environmental contaminants severely reduces the usefulness of the assessed panfungal PCR/sequencing protocols for the identification of rare and/or tropical mycoses in stored formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Histological assessment remains valuable for such indications if cultural differentiation is impossible from inactivated sample material.

Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma in the Setting of Noncirrhotic Portal Hypertension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saman Ratnayake MD

2015-09-01

Full Text Available We present a case of a 65-year-old Hispanic man with a history of disseminated cutaneous coccidioidomycosis who presented to the emergency room for progressively worsening abdominal pain associated with shortness of breath. The patient was found to have pleural effusion and moderate ascites on physical examination. Abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography scan were consistent with moderate ascites and portal hypertension but negative for both liver cirrhosis and for venous or arterial thrombosis. Cytology of ascitic fluid was suggestive of portal hypertension and was negative for infection. Subsequent, thoracentesis was suggestive of exudative effusion and also negative for infection. Liver biopsy confirmed the absence of cirrhosis. Complete blood count indicated pancytopenia, whereas bone marrow biopsy and flow cytometry were suggestive of marginal zone lymphoma (MZL. Clinically, the patient’s shortness of breath was resolved by thoracentesis and paracentesis; however, his abdominal pain persisted. A diagnosis of idiopathic noncirrhotic portal hypertension in the setting of splenic MZL was made. The patient was transferred to a higher level of care for splenectomy; however, he missed multiple appointments. Since discharge, the patient has been seen in the outpatient setting and states that he is controlling his disease with diet and exercise; however, he continues to complain of intermittent shortness of breath with exertion.

The burden of serious human fungal infections in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Giacomazzi, Juliana; Baethgen, Ludmila; Carneiro, Lilian C; Millington, Maria Adelaide; Denning, David W; Colombo, Arnaldo L; Pasqualotto, Alessandro C

2016-03-01

In Brazil, human fungal infections are prevalent, however, these conditions are not officially reportable diseases. To estimate the burden of serious fungal diseases in 1 year in Brazil, based on available data and published literature. Historical official data from fungal diseases were collected from Brazilian Unified Health System Informatics Department (DATASUS). For fungal diseases for which no official data were available, assumptions of frequencies were made by estimating based on published literature. The incidence (/1000) of hospital admissions for coccidioidomycosis was 7.12; for histoplasmosis, 2.19; and for paracoccidioidomycosis, 7.99. The estimated number of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis cases was 6832. Also, there were 4115 cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia in AIDS patients per year, 1 010 465 aspergillosis and 2 981 416 cases of serious Candida infections, including invasive and non-invasive diseases. In this study, we demonstrate that more than 3.8 million individuals in Brazil may be suffering from serious fungal infections, mostly patients with malignant cancers, transplant recipients, asthma, previous tuberculosis, HIV infection and those living in endemic areas for truly pathogenic fungi. The scientific community and the governmental agencies should work in close collaboration in order to reduce the burden of such complex, difficult-to-diagnose and hard to treat diseases. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

[Immunodiagnosis of endemic mycoses and bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: a multicenter study in Argentina].

Science.gov (United States)

Canteros, C E; Rivas, M C; Soria, M; Lee, W; Perrotta, D; Rodero, L; Davel, G

2004-01-01

In order to contribute to the knowledge of the relative frequency of chronic fungal diseases and assess the performance of diagnostic laboratories in Argentina, a multicenter study was performed with the participation of 25 medical centers located in 12 different provinces and Buenos Aires City. Between 04-01-2000 and 03-30-2001, 965 serum specimens from patients clinically suspected of having histoplasmosis (HP), paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), coccidioidomycosis (CM) or aspergilosis were analyzed. Agar immunodiffusion tests (IDD) were done locally. All positive and 35% of negative sera were retested in the reference center. Results of laboratories of origin showed 98.8% concordance with those of reference center. Antibodies against any of the etiological agents were detected in 120 specimens from 98 patients. Endemic mycoses (HP, PCM and CM) were diagnosed in 70 patients (71.4%) and aspergilosis in 28 (28.6%). The frequencies of the different mycoses in decreasing order were PCM 47 patients (47.9%), aspergilosis 28 patients (28.6%), HP 13 patients (13.3%) and CM 10 patients (10.2%). The study was carried out on a voluntary basis and some areas of the country were not represented. However, the frequencies were in range with the expected rates in the population under study.

PCR Assays for Identification of Coccidioides posadasii Based on the Nucleotide Sequence of the Antigen 2/Proline-Rich Antigen

Science.gov (United States)

Bialek, Ralf; Kern, Jan; Herrmann, Tanja; Tijerina, Rolando; Ceceñas, Luis; Reischl, Udo; González, Gloria M.

2004-01-01

A conventional nested PCR and a real-time LightCycler PCR assay for detection of Coccidioides posadasii DNA were designed and tested in 120 clinical strains. These had been isolated from 114 patients within 10 years in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, known to be endemic for coccidioidomycosis. The gene encoding the specific antigen 2/proline-rich antigen (Ag2/PRA) was used as a target. All strains were correctly identified, whereas DNA from related members of the family Onygenaceae remained negative. Melting curve analysis by LightCycler and sequencing of the 526-bp product of the first PCR demonstrated either 100% identity to the GenBank sequence of the Silveira strain, now known to be C. posadasii (accession number AF013256), or a single silent mutation at position 1228. Length determination of two microsatellite-containing loci (GAC and 621) identified all 120 isolates as C. posadasii. Specific DNA was amplified by conventional nested PCR from three microscopically spherule-positive paraffin-embedded tissue samples, whereas 20 human tissue samples positive for other dimorphic fungi remained negative. Additionally, the safety of each step of a modified commercially available DNA extraction procedure was evaluated by using 10 strains. At least three steps of the protocol were demonstrated to sufficiently kill arthroconidia. This safe procedure is applicable to cultures and to clinical specimens. PMID:14766853

Development of vaccines and their use in the prevention of fungal infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, D M; Casadevall, A; Klein, B; Mendoza, L; Travassos, L; Deepe, G S

1998-01-01

Vaccine approaches to infectious diseases are widely applied and appreciated. Disciplines such as bacteriology and virology have a rich history of successful vaccine development. The complexity of eukaryotic systems presents additional challenges to the development of vaccines against them. These challenges are being met in the fields of parasitology, and are being revisited for application in oncology. Vaccine opportunities exist in medical mycology. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has held a series of workshops in medical mycology where the need to develop vaccines for fungal diseases was noted and where important opportunities were discussed. Major advances in vaccinology and the technology of antigen preparation and delivery have increased feasibility and heightened interest. The recent epidemic of coccidioidomycosis in the American Southwest has demonstrated the need for developing a vaccine as an effective preventive measure for those living in and for those who subsequently move into regions with the endemic mycoses. The XIIth Congress of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology included a symposium that summarized new vaccination strategies for selected fungi: Candida albicans, Coccidioides immitis, and Trichophyton verrucosum. The goal of the present summary is to provide representative examples of continuing efforts relating to vaccine development within the medical mycological community highlighting Blastomyces dermatidis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Histoplasma capsulatum, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, and Pythiumn insidiosum.

Burden of serious fungal infections in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Corzo-León, D E; Armstrong-James, D; Denning, D W

2015-10-01

Serious fungal infections (SFIs) could be more frequent than are recognised. Estimates of the incidence and prevalence of SFIs are essential in order to identify public health problems. We estimated the rates of SFIs in Mexico, following a methodology similar to that used in prior studies. We obtained information about the general population and populations at risk. A systematic literature search was undertaken to identify epidemiological reports of SFIs in Mexico. When Mexican reports were unavailable, we based our estimates on international literature. The most prevalent SFIs in Mexico are recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (5999 per 100,000) followed by allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (60 per 100,000), chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (15.9 per 100,000), fungal keratitis (10.4 per 100,000), invasive candidiasis (8.6 per 100,000) and SFIs in HIV (8.2 per 100,000); coccidioidomycosis (7.6 per 100,000), IA (4.56 per 100,000). These correspond to 2,749,159 people affected in any year (2.45% of the population), probably >10,000 deaths and 7000 blind eyes. SFIs affect immunocompromised and healthy populations. Most are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Validation of these estimates with epidemiological studies is required. The burdens indicate that an urgent need to improve medical skills, surveillance, diagnosis, and management of SFIs exists. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Climate Change and Respiratory Infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirsaeidi, Mehdi; Motahari, Hooman; Taghizadeh Khamesi, Mojdeh; Sharifi, Arash; Campos, Michael; Schraufnagel, Dean E

2016-08-01

The rate of global warming has accelerated over the past 50 years. Increasing surface temperature is melting glaciers and raising the sea level. More flooding, droughts, hurricanes, and heat waves are being reported. Accelerated changes in climate are already affecting human health, in part by altering the epidemiology of climate-sensitive pathogens. In particular, climate change may alter the incidence and severity of respiratory infections by affecting vectors and host immune responses. Certain respiratory infections, such as avian influenza and coccidioidomycosis, are occurring in locations previously unaffected, apparently because of global warming. Young children and older adults appear to be particularly vulnerable to rapid fluctuations in ambient temperature. For example, an increase in the incidence in childhood pneumonia in Australia has been associated with sharp temperature drops from one day to the next. Extreme weather events, such as heat waves, floods, major storms, drought, and wildfires, are also believed to change the incidence of respiratory infections. An outbreak of aspergillosis among Japanese survivors of the 2011 tsunami is one such well-documented example. Changes in temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and air pollution influence viral activity and transmission. For example, in early 2000, an outbreak of Hantavirus respiratory disease was linked to a local increase in the rodent population, which in turn was attributed to a two- to threefold increase in rainfall before the outbreak. Climate-sensitive respiratory pathogens present challenges to respiratory health that may be far greater in the foreseeable future.

[Osteoarticular coccidioidomicosis. Clinical and pathological study of 36 Mexican patients].

Science.gov (United States)

Torres-Nájera, Manuel; de la Garza-Galván, Sergio; Cerda-Flores, Ricardo M; Nocedal-Rustrián, Fausto C; Calderón-Garcidueñas, Ana Laura

2006-01-01

Coccidioidomycosis (CM) is primarily a lung disease. Systemic spread occurs in 1% of cases and one of its manifestation is osteoarthritis. To describe the clinical and pathological characteristics of 36 patients with osteoarthritis by Coccidioides immitis (COA). The surgical pathology records of two medical institutions were reviewed; patients with clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis and definitive histopathological diagnosis of COA were included in the study. Results were analyzed by contingence tables (RXC) and chi2 test. Twenty six adults (19 men, seven women) and 10 children (seven males, three females) were studied. The chi2 analysis demonstrated a predominance of disease in men (72.2%, p = 0.008). There was no difference between males and females in relation to history of mycotic disease or diagnosis of lung disease after the diagnosis of COA. Bone involvement (76% of cases) was more frequent that pure joint lesions and the predominant radiological lesion was of lytic type. 30.5% of patients (11 cases) had multiple bone lesions and eight of them were men with multiple vertebral bone lesions. The COA was the only manifestation of disease in 83% of the patients. Therefore is important to consider this etiology in patients of endemic area. The clinical and radiological spectrum of COA is wide and may include a dentigerous and synovial cyst or simulates metastatic disease. The recognition of the clinical manifestations of COA may contribute to an opportune diagnosis and treatment.

Isolation, purification, and radiolabeling of a novel 120-kD surface protein on Blastomyces dermatitidis yeasts to detect antibody in infected patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, B.S.; Jones, J.M.

1990-01-01

No well-defined Blastomyces-specific antigens are currently available. We used sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting to identify immunologically active molecules in the cell wall of B. dermatitidis. A major immunoreactive 120-kD protein (WI-1) was present in all five strains studied and comprised 5% of the protein in the cell wall extract obtained after freezing and thawing yeast cells. WI-1 was recognized by serum from all 10 patients with blastomycosis but by none of those from 5 patients with histoplasmosis. It was purified by electroelution, radiolabeled with 125I, and incorporated into a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for serodiagnosis of blastomycosis. Antibody to WI-1 was detected in 58 (85%) of 68 patients with blastomycosis (geometric mean titer, 1:2,981), in two (3%) of 73 patients with histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, sporotrichosis, or candidiasis (titers, 1:86 and 1:91) and in none of 44 healthy persons. WI-1 was shown to be a surface molecule abundant on B. dermatitidis yeasts that were indirectly stained with serum from a rabbit immunized with WI-1. Approximately 0.93 pg of WI-1 or 4.7 x 10(6) WI-1 molecules were found on the surface of an individual yeast using an antigen-inhibition RIA; none was found on Histoplasma capsulatum or Candida albicans yeasts. We conclude that WI-1 is a novel, immunologically active surface molecule on the invasive form of B. dermatitidis and that WI-1 can be used to reliably detect antibody and study the immunopathogenesis of blastomycosis

Phenotypic characterization and ecological features of Coccidioides spp. from Northeast Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordeiro, R A; Brilhante, R S N; Rocha, M F G; Fechine, M A B; Camara, L M C; Camargo, Z P; Sidrim, J J C

2006-11-01

This study extends phenotypic and ecological knowledge of Coccidioides spp., by describing its recovery from soils of Ceará State (Northeast Brazil) and analyzing the in vitro features of the growth of its vegetative phase. Following a human coccidioidomycosis case, Coccidioides spp. strains were isolated from 3 of 14 soil samples collected in an armadillo's burrow. Mycological analysis showed colonies with glabrous, velvety or cottony texture and an increasing quantity of arthroconidia. The overall growth rates of the strains were slower in 8% NaCl medium, maximum growth rate was obtained at 30 degrees C, and their pH tolerance ranged from 4.0 to 11.0. Several carbohydrates and polyalcohol sources could be efficiently metabolized by Coccidioides spp. strains in the mycelial form. Total absence of growth was observed in media supplemented with either L-aspartic acid or L-histidine. Whereas intense growth was found when strains were incubated with any other aminoacid sources studied. Coccidioides spp. strains did not grow in the presence of Tween 60 and Tween 80, but exhibited intense growth in Tween 20. Nicotinic acid and the toxic compounds caffeic acid and phenol could not be metabolized by any strain. All of the strains were positive for urease production and displayed intense growth in media containing cycloheximide concentrations ranging from 0.01 and 0.05%, but did not grow at 0.1 and 0.2%. The present findings confirm the importance of armadillos burrows in the ecology of Coccidioides spp. in Northeast Brazil and indicate that the fungus is a very physiologically versatile organism.

Burden of Serious Fungal Infections in Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando O. Riera

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The number of fungal infections at any given time in Argentina is not known. Here we estimate the burden of serious fungal infections in Argentina for the first time. Specific population statistics were searched from multiple sources, local literature was identified, and estimates made. Some additional data were sourced from the Ministry of Health, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA program, and national haematology and transplant societies. Argentina has a population of 43.8 million, with 25% of this total being children under 15 years. The predicted candidemia annual incidence is 2193 cases, with 50% occurring in the ICU. At a 6% prevalence rate, an estimated 593,695 women suffer from recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Invasive aspergillosis is relatively common because of high smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD rates, with 268 cases in immunocompromised patients and another 1938 in the 168,000 COPD patients admitted to hospital. Asthma is also common, affecting 14% of adults, and so allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA and severe asthma with fungal sensitization (SAFS are major problems. An estimated 432 cases of cryptococcal meningitis (CM—90% of them in AIDS patients—and 1177 cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP occur each year. The estimated annual case number of disseminated histoplasmosis is 404 in AIDS patients, almost as frequent as CM. Paracoccidioidomycosis annual incidence is estimated at 219, and coccidioidomycosis at 16 cases. At least 881,023 people (>2.01% in Argentina are affected by a serious fungal disease annually, with considerable morbidity and mortality.

Isolation, purification, and radiolabeling of a novel 120-kD surface protein on Blastomyces dermatitidis yeasts to detect antibody in infected patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein, B.S.; Jones, J.M.

1990-01-01

No well-defined Blastomyces-specific antigens are currently available. We used sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting to identify immunologically active molecules in the cell wall of B. dermatitidis. A major immunoreactive 120-kD protein (WI-1) was present in all five strains studied and comprised 5% of the protein in the cell wall extract obtained after freezing and thawing yeast cells. WI-1 was recognized by serum from all 10 patients with blastomycosis but by none of those from 5 patients with histoplasmosis. It was purified by electroelution, radiolabeled with 125I, and incorporated into a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for serodiagnosis of blastomycosis. Antibody to WI-1 was detected in 58 (85%) of 68 patients with blastomycosis (geometric mean titer, 1:2,981), in two (3%) of 73 patients with histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, sporotrichosis, or candidiasis (titers, 1:86 and 1:91) and in none of 44 healthy persons. WI-1 was shown to be a surface molecule abundant on B. dermatitidis yeasts that were indirectly stained with serum from a rabbit immunized with WI-1. Approximately 0.93 pg of WI-1 or 4.7 x 10(6) WI-1 molecules were found on the surface of an individual yeast using an antigen-inhibition RIA; none was found on Histoplasma capsulatum or Candida albicans yeasts. We conclude that WI-1 is a novel, immunologically active surface molecule on the invasive form of B. dermatitidis and that WI-1 can be used to reliably detect antibody and study the immunopathogenesis of blastomycosis.

Cellular and Molecular Defects Underlying Invasive Fungal Infections—Revelations from Endemic Mycoses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pamela P. Lee

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The global burden of fungal diseases has been increasing, as a result of the expanding number of susceptible individuals including people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, hematopoietic stem cell or organ transplant recipients, patients with malignancies or immunological conditions receiving immunosuppressive treatment, premature neonates, and the elderly. Opportunistic fungal pathogens such as Aspergillus, Candida, Cryptococcus, Rhizopus, and Pneumocystis jiroveci are distributed worldwide and constitute the majority of invasive fungal infections (IFIs. Dimorphic fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides spp., Paracoccidioides spp., Blastomyces dermatiditis, Sporothrix schenckii, Talaromyces (Penicillium marneffei, and Emmonsia spp. are geographically restricted to their respective habitats and cause endemic mycoses. Disseminated histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, and T. marneffei infection are recognized as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS-defining conditions, while the rest also cause high rate of morbidities and mortalities in patients with HIV infection and other immunocompromised conditions. In the past decade, a growing number of monogenic immunodeficiency disorders causing increased susceptibility to fungal infections have been discovered. In particular, defects of the IL-12/IFN-γ pathway and T-helper 17-mediated response are associated with increased susceptibility to endemic mycoses. In this review, we put together the various forms of endemic mycoses on the map and take a journey around the world to examine how cellular and molecular defects of the immune system predispose to invasive endemic fungal infections, including primary immunodeficiencies, individuals with autoantibodies against interferon-γ, and those receiving biologic response modifiers. Though rare, these conditions provide importance insights to host defense mechanisms against endemic fungi, which can only be appreciated in unique

Factors regulated by interferon gamma and hypoxia-inducible factor 1A contribute to responses that protect mice from Coccidioides immitis infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woelk Christopher H

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Coccidioidomycosis results from airborne infections caused by either Coccidioides immitis or C. posadasii. Both are pathogenic fungi that live in desert soil in the New World and can infect normal hosts, but most infections are self-limited. Disseminated infections occur in approximately 5% of cases and may prove fatal. Mouse models of the disease have identified strains that are resistant (e.g. DBA/2 or susceptible (e.g. C57BL/6 to these pathogens. However, the genetic and immunological basis for this difference has not been fully characterized. Results Microarray technology was used to identify genes that were differentially expressed in lung tissue between resistant DBA/2 and sensitive C57BL/6 mice after infection with C. immitis. Differentially expressed genes were mapped onto biological pathways, gene ontologies, and protein interaction networks, which revealed that innate immune responses mediated by Type II interferon (i.e., IFNG and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1 contribute to the resistant phenotype. In addition, upregulation of hypoxia inducible factor 1A (HIF1A, possibly as part of a larger inflammatory response mediated by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFA, may also contribute to resistance. Microarray gene expression was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR for a subset of 12 genes, which revealed that IFNG HIF1A and TNFA, among others, were significantly differentially expressed between the two strains at day 14 post-infection. Conclusion These results confirm the finding that DBA/2 mice express more Type II interferon and interferon stimulated genes than genetically susceptible strains and suggest that differential expression of HIF1A may also play a role in protection.

Multi-criteria decision analysis tools for prioritising emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases associated with climate change in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Ruth; Sanchez, Javier; Revie, Crawford W

2013-01-01

Global climate change is known to result in the emergence or re-emergence of some infectious diseases. Reliable methods to identify the infectious diseases of humans and animals and that are most likely to be influenced by climate are therefore required. Since different priorities will affect the decision to address a particular pathogen threat, decision makers need a standardised method of prioritisation. Ranking methods and Multi-Criteria Decision approaches provide such a standardised method and were employed here to design two different pathogen prioritisation tools. The opinion of 64 experts was elicited to assess the importance of 40 criteria that could be used to prioritise emerging infectious diseases of humans and animals in Canada. A weight was calculated for each criterion according to the expert opinion. Attributes were defined for each criterion as a transparent and repeatable method of measurement. Two different Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis tools were tested, both of which used an additive aggregation approach. These were an Excel spreadsheet tool and a tool developed in software 'M-MACBETH'. The tools were trialed on nine 'test' pathogens. Two different methods of criteria weighting were compared, one using fixed weighting values, the other using probability distributions to account for uncertainty and variation in expert opinion. The ranking of the nine pathogens varied according to the weighting method that was used. In both tools, using both weighting methods, the diseases that tended to rank the highest were West Nile virus, Giardiasis and Chagas, while Coccidioidomycosis tended to rank the lowest. Both tools are a simple and user friendly approach to prioritising pathogens according to climate change by including explicit scoring of 40 criteria and incorporating weighting methods based on expert opinion. They provide a dynamic interactive method that can help to identify pathogens for which a full risk assessment should be pursued.

Multi-criteria decision analysis tools for prioritising emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases associated with climate change in Canada.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruth Cox

Full Text Available Global climate change is known to result in the emergence or re-emergence of some infectious diseases. Reliable methods to identify the infectious diseases of humans and animals and that are most likely to be influenced by climate are therefore required. Since different priorities will affect the decision to address a particular pathogen threat, decision makers need a standardised method of prioritisation. Ranking methods and Multi-Criteria Decision approaches provide such a standardised method and were employed here to design two different pathogen prioritisation tools. The opinion of 64 experts was elicited to assess the importance of 40 criteria that could be used to prioritise emerging infectious diseases of humans and animals in Canada. A weight was calculated for each criterion according to the expert opinion. Attributes were defined for each criterion as a transparent and repeatable method of measurement. Two different Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis tools were tested, both of which used an additive aggregation approach. These were an Excel spreadsheet tool and a tool developed in software 'M-MACBETH'. The tools were trialed on nine 'test' pathogens. Two different methods of criteria weighting were compared, one using fixed weighting values, the other using probability distributions to account for uncertainty and variation in expert opinion. The ranking of the nine pathogens varied according to the weighting method that was used. In both tools, using both weighting methods, the diseases that tended to rank the highest were West Nile virus, Giardiasis and Chagas, while Coccidioidomycosis tended to rank the lowest. Both tools are a simple and user friendly approach to prioritising pathogens according to climate change by including explicit scoring of 40 criteria and incorporating weighting methods based on expert opinion. They provide a dynamic interactive method that can help to identify pathogens for which a full risk assessment should

Viability and molecular authentication of Coccidioides spp. isolates from the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo culture collection, Brazil Viabilidade e autenticação molecular de isolados de Coccidioides spp. da coleção de culturas do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Desirée Barbosa Cavalcanti

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging fungal disease in Brazil; adequate maintenance and authentication of Coccidioides isolates are essential for research into genetic diversity of the environmental organisms, as well as for understanding the human disease. Seventeen Coccidioides isolates maintained under mineral oil since 1975 in the Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMTSP culture collection, Brazil, were evaluated with respect to their viability, morphological characteristics and genetic features in order to authenticate these fungal cultures. Only five isolates were viable after almost 30 years, showing typical morphological characteristics, and sequencing analysis using Coi-F and Coi-R primers revealed 99% identity with Coccidioides genera. These five isolates were then preserved in liquid nitrogen and sterile water, and remained viable after two years of storage under these conditions, maintaining the same features.Coccidioidomicose é uma doença emergente no Brasil; a manutenção adequada e autenticação de isolados de Coccidioides spp são essenciais para a pesquisa em diversidade genética de micro-organismos, bem como para a compreensão da doença em humanos. Dezessete isolados de Coccidioides preservados em óleo mineral desde 1975 na coleção de culturas do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMTSP foram avaliados com relação à viabilidade, características morfológicas e genéticas, com o objetivo de autenticação das culturas fúngicas. Dos 17 isolados, apenas cinco foram viáveis após quase 30 anos mantidos em óleo mineral, apresentando características morfológicas e moleculares típicas do gênero, o sequenciamento utilizando os oligonucleotídeos Coi-F e Coi-R revelou identidade de 99% com isolados de Coccidioides. Estes cinco isolados foram preservados em nitrogênio líquido e água destilada esterilizada, e permaneceram viáveis após dois anos de armazenamento sob estas condições, mantendo

Inmunodiagnóstico de micosis endémicas y aspergilosis broncopulmonar: Estudio multicéntrico en la República Argentina Immunodiagnosis of endemic mycoses and bronchopulmonary aspergilosis: A multicenter study in Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.E. Canteros

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Se realizó entre 01-04-2000 y 30-03-2001, un estudio de corte transversal, para conocer la frecuencia relativa de las enfermedades por hongos dimorfos y Aspergillus spp. en la República Argentina y evaluar la certeza en el diagnóstico de los laboratorios de diferentes áreas geográficas. Participaron 25 centros de salud provenientes de 12 provincias y de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Fueron analizados en el laboratorio de origen 965 sueros de pacientes con sospecha clínica de histoplasmosis (HP, paracoccidioidomicosis (PCM, coccidioidomicosis (CM y aspergilosis. Todos los sueros positivos y el 35% de los negativos fueron reevaluados en el laboratorio de referencia por inmunodifusión doble en agar. La concordancia entre los resultados obtenidos en los centros de origen y el de referencia fue de 98,8%. Se detectaron anticuerpos específicos en 120 sueros correspondientes a 98 pacientes. El 71,4% (70 casos de los diagnósticos correspondió a micosis endémicas (HP, PCM y CM y el resto a aspergilosis. PCM fue diagnosticada en 47,9% (47 casos, aspergilosis en 28,6% (28 casos, HP en13,3% (13 casos y CM en 10,2% (10 casos. La participación en este estudio fue voluntaria y no todos los centros del país estaban representados, sin embargo, las frecuencias de enfermedades fúngicas fueron las esperadas y coincidentes con estudios previos realizados a nivel nacional.In order to contribute to the knowledge of the relative frequency of chronic fungal diseases and assess the performance of diagnostic laboratories in Argentina, a multicenter study was performed with the participation of 25 medical centers located in 12 different provinces and Buenos Aires City. Between 04-01-2000 and 03-30-2001, 965 serum specimens from patients clinically suspected of having histoplasmosis (HP, paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM, coccidioidomycosis (CM or aspergilosis were analyzed. Agar immunodiffusion tests (IDD were done locally. All positive and 35% of negative

Detección de infección por Coccidioides immitis en zonas del estado de Coahuila, México Detection of Coccidioides immitis infection in Coahuila, Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Mondragón-González

2005-09-01

Full Text Available La coccidioidomicosis es una micosis inicialmente pulmonar causada por Coccidioides immitis; puede diseminarse principalmente a sistema nervioso central, huesos y piel. En México se desconoce la frecuencia exacta de esta enfermedad. Nuestro objetivo fue determinar, por intradermorreacción y por serología, los casos de infección por C. immitis en 12 comunidades (10 rurales y dos urbanas atendidas en el Hospital Rural Nº 79 del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS del estado de Coahuila, México. Se estudiaron 668 individuos adultos de ambos sexos; se les aplicó 0,1 ml de coccidioidina por vía intradérmica; después de 72 hs. se midió el diámetro de induración. Fueron seleccionados 180 individuos y a partir del suero se determinaron los niveles de inmunoglobulinas anti-C. immitis por ELISA. Fueron positivos a la coccidioidina 621 sujetos (93%, frecuencia mucho mayor a la reportada previamente en Coahuila. De los 180 sueros estudiados los promedios de densidad óptica (DO fueron: IgG1, 1,55; IgG2, 0,94; IgG total, 0,33; IgG3, 0,29; IgG4, 0,27; IgM, 0,08. Los valores de IgG1, IgG2 e IgM comparados con las otras inmunoglobulinas fueron estadísticamente significativos. Los valores de IgG1 e IgG2 sugieren contacto frecuente con los antígenos e incluso probables casos de enfermedad no diagnosticada.Coccidioidomycosis is a mycosis firstly pulmonar caused by Coccidioides immitis; it can be disseminated to central nervous system, bones and skin, principaly. In Mexico, the real frequency of the disease is unknown. The aim of this work was to determine, by skin test and by serology, the infection cases by C. immitis in twelve communities (10 rural and two urban, attended in the Hospital Rural Nº 79 at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS from the Coahuila State, Mexico. Six hundred and sixty eight adult individuals of both sexes were studied, to whom 0.1 ml of coccidioidin by intradermal route was applied; 72 h after, the

Development of a Quantitative TaqMan(trademark)-PCR Assay and Feasibility of Atmosphoric Collection for Coccidioides Immits for Ecological Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daniels, J.I.; Wilson, W.J.; DeSantis, T.Z.; Gouveia, F.J.; Anderson, G.L.; Shinn, J.H.; Pletcher, R.; Johnson, S.M.; Pappagianis, D.

2002-01-01

Understanding and then modeling the complex relationships between environmental, climatological, and biological systems can present great opportunities for developing effective strategies to prevent outbreaks of environmentally linked infectious disease. For example, a report from the American Academy of Microbiology (Rose et al., 2001) points out that including climatic signals and ecological triggers into the decision making process for disease management, is going to be essential for developing a proactive approach for protecting public health, and circumventing the practice of having to wait for clinical cases to appear before any action is taken. To meet this grand challenge, specific and sensitive analytical techniques and effective collection devices are required for finding the microorganisms of concern in environmentally relevant media (air, soil, water, vegetation, etc.), and a multidisciplinary approach is needed for evaluating all of the environmental and biological data and building the applicable predictive models. In this study, the unique capabilities in biotechnology and environmental science available at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are combined with the distinguished and highly regarded expertise for clinically investigating and treating infectious disease at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine of the University of California, Davis, in order to develop, standardize, validate, and test safely the feasibility of applying advanced polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology and new air-sample collection media that would be appropriate for addressing comprehensively the environmentally linked, medically important infectious disease Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis). The responsible agent for this disease is the airborne spore (arthroconidia) of the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis, which is a microorganism that is endemic to California, Arizona, and the southwestern United States, and also is