Dematiaceous fungi

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) and pheohyphomycosis (PHM) are the most common implantation mycoses caused by dematiaceous fungi. In the past, flucytosine (5-FC) has been used to treat CBM, but development of resistance is common. Carmofur belongs to the same class as 5-FC and has in vitro inhibitory activity against the main agents of CBM and PHM. The aim of this study was to compare the action of these two pyrimidine analog drugs against CBM and PHM agents. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the selectivity index based on cytotoxicity tests of these two drugs against some agents of these mycoses were determined, with carmofur presenting a higher selectivity index than 5-FC...

Chromoblastomycosis is a rare fungal infection acquired by traumatic inoculation of pigmented fungi from an environmental source. The polymorphic presentation of chromoblastomycosis may mimic other dermatologic conditions, leading to delays in diagnosis. Thus, histopathology is critical in identifying the presence of fungi and confirming the diagnosis. We present a case of chromoblastomycosis caused by the organism Fonsecaea monophora mimicking a lesion of lichen planus to highlight the importance of histopathology in the diagnosis of this condition...

Despite being a small island, Sri Lanka is rich in fungal diversity. Most of the fungi from Sri Lanka have been identified as pathogens of vegetables, fruits, and plantation crops to date. The pleosporalean genus Curvularia ( Dothideomycetes ) includes phytopathogenic, saprobic, endophytic, and human/animal opportunistic pathogenic fungal species. The majority of the plant-associated Curvularia species are known from poaceous hosts. During the current study, 22 geographical locations of the country were explored and collections were made from 10 different poaceous hosts...

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of dematiaceous fungal keratitis caused by Cladophialophora boppii ( C. boppii ) in an immunocompromised patient. OBSERVATIONS: An 83-year-old male with chronic renal failure was referred to the Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan due to persistent corneal epithelial defects (PEDs) in his left eye. Initial examination revealed decreased central corneal sensitivity and decreased tear secretion in that eye, both thought to be associated with herpetic keratitis...

Phaeohyphomycosis is caused by dematiaceous (pigmented) fungi. Most phaeohyphomycosis is non-invasive infections, however, they can lead to invasive infections, including fungemia and disseminated disease, particularly in severely immunocompromised patients. Invasive phaeohyphomycosis has recently emerged, however, the treatment strategy was not determined because of the intrinsic resistance to antifungals and the lack of clinical experience. Here, we describe a novel case of echinocandin-breakthrough Coniochaeta hoffmannii (Lecythophora hoffmannii) fungemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which was identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and ribosomal RNA sequencing...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Onychomycosis caused by dematiaceous fungi is rarely reported and the identification is also quite tricky due to poor sporulation. Recent emergence of dematiaceous fungi as a major cause of onychomycosis is a matter of concern in the field of mycology. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the dematiaceous fungi as a possible cause of onychomycosis, especially among agricultural workers. In addition, the evaluation of the antifungal susceptibility patterns led to the idea of an accurate drug that will help to treat and prevent antifungal resistance...

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM), a chronic, granulomatous, suppurative mycosis of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, is caused by several dematiaceous fungi. The formation of granulomas, tissue proliferation, and fibrosis in response to these pathogenic fungi is believed to be intricately linked to host immunity. To understand this complex interaction, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of immune cell infiltrates, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation, and the fibrosis mechanism in 20 CBM lesion biopsies, using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining methods...

INTRODUCTION: Azole resistance has been increasingly reported and become an issue for clinical managements of invasive mycoses. New strategy with combination therapy arises as a valuable and promising alternative option. The aim of the present study is to investigate the in vitro combinational effect of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and azoles against pathogenic fungi. METHODS: In vitro interactions of PPIs including omeprazole (OME), lansoprazole (LAN), pantoprazole (PAN), and rabeprazole (RAB), and commonly used azoles including itraconazole (ITC), posaconazole (POS), voriconazole (VRC) and fluconazole (FLC), were investigated via broth microdilution chequerboard procedure adapted from the CLSI M27-A3 and M38-A2...

Dematiaceous fungi are defined by pigment within their cell walls. They are increasingly recognised human pathogens, causing a wide range of clinical presentations, from localised subcutaneous infections to disseminated disease in rare cases. We report our institutional experience with diagnosis of dematiaceous fungal infections from 2005 to 2022 and highlight four instructive cases that clinically and pathologically mimicked other diseases for which the diagnosis was confirmed by fungal culture (one case) or supported by PCR with 28S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer primers (three cases)...

Phaeohyphomycosis is a rare infection caused by dematiaceous fungi containing melanin in their cell wall. Patients are often immunocompromised, and cases seen in immunocompromised hosts have increased in recent years. Dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody against interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) used for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, has been linked to hypersensitivity reactions resulting in facial redness, and there is growing evidence that dupilumab may increase susceptibility to yeast infections as well...

INTRODUCTION: Dematiaceous fungi are a group of fungi characterized by the presence of melanin in their cell walls. These fungi are known to cause a wide range of infections in humans, including skin and soft-tissue infections, sinusitis, and meningitis. Infections caused by dematiaceous fungi are typically seen in immunocompromised hosts and manifest most commonly as cutaneous or subcutaneous disease. Systemic infections are exceedingly rare and associated with significant morbidity and mortality...

Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic granulomatous mycosis of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by traumatic inoculation with dematiaceous fungi. This disease primarily affects agricultural workers, who are mostly men. We present a case of chromoblastomycosis in a 63-year-old male farmer patient with dermatosis over 50 years of evolution, with warty, erythematous, and scaly plaques that predominate on the left hemithorax. Direct examination with potassium hydroxide (KOH) revealed numerous fumagoid cells. Amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF-1a) gene revealed that chromoblastomycosis was caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides ...

At present, the public health risks caused by pathogenic fungi are greater in China and have attracted great attention from disease control departments. Due to the difficulty in diagnosing fungal infections, the public health risk of pathogenic fungi is currently hidden in the unexplained pneumonia/encephalitis/fever syndrome and is not effectively appreciated. From the public health perspective, the mainly focused fungal pathogens include highly pathogenic fungi (including dimorphic fungi and dematiaceous fungi), pathogenic fungi that cause regional aggregation infections, and drug-resistant pathogenic fungi...

Endophytic fungi isolated from medicinal ferns serve as significant natural resources for drug precursors or bioactive metabolites. During our survey on the diversity of endophytic fungi from Dicranopteris species (a genus of medicinal ferns) in Guizhou, Apoiospora was observed as a dominant fungal group. In this study, seven Apiospora strains, representing four new species, were obtained from the healthy plant tissues of three Dicranopteris species- D . ampla , D . linearis, and D . pedata . The four new species, namely Apiospora aseptata , A ...

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) is a neglected human disease, caused by different species of pigmented dematiaceous fungi that cause granulomatous and suppurative dermatosis. This infection is difficult to treat and there are limited therapeutic options, including terbinafine, itraconazole, and tioconazole. Classic treatment is administered for a long period of time, but some patients do not respond properly, and therefore, such therapeutic approaches possess low cure rates. Therefore, it is vital to develop new strategies for the treatment of CBM...

INTRODUCTION: Rhino-Orbito-cerebral mycoses are not only caused by Aspergillus spp. and Zygomycetes spp. but also can be associated with other rare species such as Neurospora spp. , Cladosporium spp. and Fusarium spp. Mucormycosis is associated causatively with immunocompromised states, for example patients with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus. Clinical symptoms of coronavirus disease (COVID) and mucormycosis in tandem are critical and relentless, frequently with no life-saving treatment...

We report on a case study involving a 58-year-old male with a pigmented corneal ulcer. The patient presented with a two-month history of an unresolved corneal ulcer in the oculus sinister (OS), accompanied by increasing ocular discomfort. His best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 oculus dexter and hand motion OS. Examination of OS revealed mild conjunctival injection, diffuse corneal edema, and the presence of a central pigmented lesion. Microbiological analysis via culture identified the causative agent as Ochroconis fungi, belonging to the dematiaceous species...

A 5-y-old, Piedmontese cow had a 4-mo history of ongoing development of skin masses. This was the only cow affected in a herd of 20 cows. Up to 12, hairless, red-to-black, raised nodules-to-plaques were distributed along the dorsum and tail head. Biopsies were taken for histopathology and ancillary testing. An ulcerated skin section contained dermal infiltrates of eosinophils, plasma cells, neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes, and multinucleate giant cells, and pyogranulomas. Fungal hyphae were seen within the dermis, multinucleate giant cells, and pyogranulomas...

BACKGROUND: Cladosporium halotolerans is a saprobic fungus, rarely implicated in human infections. The identification is challenging due to non-specific phenotypic features. OBJECTIVE: To decipher clinical spectrum, microbiological and susceptibility profile of clinical and environmental isolates of Cladosporium halotolerans. METHOD: All the isolates identified as Cladosporium halotolerans deposited in National Culture Collection for Pathogenic Fungi (NCCPF), Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India were revived...

Fungal keratitis is a medical emergency that is among the most common causes of blindness in developing countries. The type of the agent may vary depending on the geographical conditions under which the patient lives, trauma exposure, the use of contact lenses and profession. Curvularia spp. is a saprophytic genus that rarely causes systemic disease in humans and has 250 species identified to date. They proliferate in soil and plants and spread to the environment with their spores and the formation of blackish and fluffy colonies is its most well-known morphological feature...