The Mycobiome: Cancer Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Therapy.

Cancer is among the leading causes of death globally. Despite advances in cancer research, a full understanding of the exact cause has not been established. Recent data have shown that the microbiome has an important relationship with cancer on various levels, including cancer pathogenesis, diagnosis and prognosis, and treatment. Since most studies have focused only on the role of bacteria in this process, in this article we review the role of fungi-another important group of the microbiome, the totality of which is referred to as the "mycobiome"-in the development of cancer and how it can impact responses to anticancer medications. Furthermore, we provide recent evidence that shows how the different microbial communities interact and affect each other at gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal sites, including the skin, thereby emphasizing the importance of investigating the microbiome beyond bacteria.

A relapsed Pseudomonas stutzeri prosthetic valve endocarditis: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas stutzeri is a nonfluorescent denitrifying bacterium widely distributed in the environment, and it has also been isolated as an opportunistic pathogen from humans. It is a Gram-negative bacterium and a common inhabitant of soil and water. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 51-year-old arab gentleman who has systemic lupus erythematous complicated by lupus nephritis and underwent renal transplantation twice. He underwent mitral valve replacement and 4 years later was diagnosed with prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Pseudomonas stutzeri. CONCLUSIONS: Literature review was conducted and revealed that this pathogen may be of a particular medical relevance in immunocompromised patients. Our case proves that early infection and relapse despite optimal antibiotics course are possible outcomes of Pseudomonas stutzeri endocarditis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case of fulminant early prosthetic valve endocarditis occurring only 1 month post-cardiac surgery with relapse despite a complete antibiotics course.

Q-fever prosthetic valve endocarditis in a patient with SLE and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

Q fever prosthetic valve endocarditis in association with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has not been previously reported. Here, we report a 22-year-old Saudi female diagnosed with SLE and APS. She had mitral valve replacement with bio-prosthesis five years earlier for Libman-Sack endocarditis. She presented with two months' history of fever, cough, palpitations, and progressive shortness of breath. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed a degenerative mitral valve prosthesis with a large mass causing severe obstruction. Open heart surgery revealed multiple masses on the mitral valve. PCR from the resected tissues was positive for Coxiella burnetii DNA. Q fever serology showed phase two IgG 1:2048, phase one IgG 1:512, and IgM 1:1024. The valve was replaced with a bio-prosthesis. She was well at 12 months of follow-up.