ABSTRACT
Resumen Trichophyton benhamiae es un dermatofito zoofílico. Puede causar tinea corporis, tinea faciei y tinea capitis. Se caracteriza por producir lesiones inflamatorias, sobre todo en niños. El objetivo de esta publicación es describir 7 casos clínicos de pacientes pediátricos atendidos entre julio del 2019 y enero del 2020 en nuestra institución. A los pacientes se les solicitó estudio micológico convencional, con posterior confirmación con MALDI-TOF MS y secuencia-ción del ADN ribosomal. Se aisló e identificó T. benhamiae como agente etiológico; el nexo epidemiológico fue el contacto con cobayos. Estas son las primeras descripciones de infecciones causadas por T. benhamiae en Argentina. Al realizar estudios micológicos convencionales, este agente puede confundirse con otros dermatofitos, por lo tanto, se requieren herramientas como MALDI-TOF MS o la secuenciación para llegar a un diagnóstico definitivo. Es importante contar con datos epidemiológicos, como el contacto con mascotas no tradicionales, para una presunción diagnóstica adecuada.
Trichophyton benhamiae is a zoonotic dermatophyte that can cause tinea corporis, tinea faciei and tinea capitis, producing inflammatory lesions, especially in children. In this publication, we describe 7clinical cases of pediatric patients that occurred in our institution between July 2019 and January 2020. All patients underwent a conventional mycological study. The identification of fungi isolates was confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS and sequencing of the ribosomal DNA. T. benhamiae was identified as the etiological agent, whose epidemiological link in all cases was the contact with Guinea pigs. This is the first description of infections caused by T. benhamiae in Argentina. This dermatophyte can be misidentified as other more frequent dermatophytes when performing conventional studies. Molecular technology should be used to reach a definitive diagnosis. It is important to have epidemiological data from patients such as contact with non-traditional pets, especially Guinea pigs, for an adequate presumptive diagnosis of this dermatophytosis.
ABSTRACT
Case summary: A 10-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat from Quilmes (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina) presented at the Infectious Diseases and Parasitology Unit with a hyperpigmented nodule of 5 cm diameter on the nasal plane with a small ulceration of more than 1 year's evolution. A scaly and hyperpigmented alopecic lesion of 3 cm in diameter was found on the lower edge of the tail. The patient was under immunosuppressive therapy with corticosteroids for lymphoplasmacytic duodenitis. Samples of the lesion present on the nasal plane were taken under a surgical procedure. In the wet mount preparations, pigmented irregular hyphae were observed. They developed dark colonies when cultured on Sabouraud medium. On micromorphology, structures compatible with Phialophora species were identified. PCR and sequencing of ITS (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) confirmed Phialophora americana as the etiologic agent. A therapeutic scheme that included a combination of itraconazole oral solution (1.5 mg/kg PO q12h) with terbinafine (30 mg/kg PO q24h) was indicated for a period of 10 months. The patient died of complications resulting from its underlying disease. Relevance and novel information: As far as the authors are aware, this is the first study to report P americana as an etiologic agent of phaeohyphomycosis in cats. In this case study, the species was identified using molecular tests.
ABSTRACT
Trichophyton benhamiae is a zoonotic dermatophyte that can cause tinea corporis, tinea faciei and tinea capitis, producing inflammatory lesions, especially in children. In this publication, we describe 7clinical cases of pediatric patients that occurred in our institution between July 2019 and January 2020. All patients underwent a conventional mycological study. The identification of fungi isolates was confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS and sequencing of the ribosomal DNA. T. benhamiae was identified as the etiological agent, whose epidemiological link in all cases was the contact with Guinea pigs. This is the first description of infections caused by T. benhamiae in Argentina. This dermatophyte can be misidentified as other more frequent dermatophytes when performing conventional studies. Molecular technology should be used to reach a definitive diagnosis. It is important to have epidemiological data from patients such as contact with non-traditional pets, especially Guinea pigs, for an adequate presumptive diagnosis of this dermatophytosis.
Subject(s)
Arthrodermataceae , Tinea , Animals , Argentina/epidemiology , Arthrodermataceae/genetics , DNA, Ribosomal , Guinea Pigs , Tinea/diagnosis , Tinea/epidemiology , Tinea/veterinary , Trichophyton/geneticsABSTRACT
Sporotrichosis, caused by Sporothrix schenckii and related species, is the most frequent implantation mycosis in Latin America. In Argentina, over the last 8 years, there have been 0.16 new cases per month of feline sporotrichosis in 2011, increasing to 0.75 cases per month in 2019 and involving zoonotic transmission to humans. Molecular identification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected Sporothrix brasiliensis in these feline and zoonotic outbreaks. This study will focus on different feline and human sporotrichosis outbreaks caused by S. brasiliensis in Argentina during 2011-2019. We will address the sources of infection and environmental hotspots, as well as the application of several treatment strategies for improving the pharmacotherapy of the different clinical forms of the disease. Finally, we will provide a detailed summary of the clinical aspects and new advances in host-pathogen interactions, virulence factors and immune response, focusing on state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and potential vaccine candidates.
Subject(s)
Rhinosporidiosis , Animals , Argentina , Dogs , Rhinosporidiosis/diagnosis , Rhinosporidiosis/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Mycelial basidiomycetes rarely produce mycoses in animals including humans. We report a case of a 9-year-old female mongrel dog with lesions in the prescapular lymph nodes. The histopathology of a lymph node sample showed flexuous septate hyphae, and a sterile mold grew in culture from that specimen. DNA sequencing of the ITS region allowed us to identify the fungus as Tropicoporus tropicalis. The dog was treated with itraconazole, but it was euthanized six months later due to an unfavorable clinical outcome. Tropicoporus tropicalis is an infrequent pathogen of pets, and the use of molecular tools is needed for its identification. Animal infections due to T. tropicalis were not previously been reported in Argentina.
Subject(s)
Basidiomycota/isolation & purification , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Dog Diseases/pathology , Mycoses/pathology , Mycoses/veterinary , Animals , Antifungal Agents/administration & dosage , Argentina , Basidiomycota/classification , Basidiomycota/genetics , DNA, Fungal/chemistry , DNA, Fungal/genetics , DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/chemistry , DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics , Dog Diseases/drug therapy , Dogs , Female , Histocytochemistry , Itraconazole/administration & dosage , Lymph Nodes/pathology , Microbiological Techniques , Mycoses/drug therapy , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Treatment FailureABSTRACT
La enfermedad por arañazo de gato (EAG) es producida por Bartonella henselae.Afecta principalmente a ninos y el reservorio es el gato doméstico. El diagnóstico de laboratorio se basa en la detección de anticuerpos por inmunofluorescencia indirecta (IFI). El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la evidencia serológica de infección por B. henselae en pacientes pediátricos que reunían criterios clínicos/epidemiológicos para la sospecha de EAG. Se estudió a 92 pacientes; de acuerdo con los resultados serológicos, estos fueron categorizados en 4 grupos: 1) IgG (+)/IgM (+), 31,5% (n = 29);2) IgG (-)/IgM (+), 10,9% (n = 10);3) IgG (+)/IgM (-), 9,8% (n = 9), y 4) IgG (-)/IgM (-), 47,8% (n = 44). La divulgación de estos resultados intenta promover futuros trabajos que investiguen la seroprevalencia de Bartonella spp. en Argentina. Esto permitirá conocer la importancia de esta zoonosis en nuestra población y evaluar nuevos puntos de corte para esta técnica serológica.
Cat scratch disease (CSD) is caused by Bartonella henselae, which mainly affects children. The cat is the reservoir. The laboratory diagnosis is based on the detection of antibodies by the Indirect Immunofluorescence (IFI) assay. The objective of this study was to analyze the serological evidence of B. henselae infection in pediatric patients that met the clini-cal/epidemiological criteria for suspected CSD. We studied 92 patients, who were categorized into four serological groups: 1) IgG (+)/IgM(+), 31,5% (n = 29); 2) IgG (-)/IgM(+), 10,9% (n = 10); 3) IgG (+)/IgM(-), 9,8% (n = 9); 4) IgG (-)/IgM(-), 47,8% (n = 44). These findings aim to promote future works for investigating the seroprevalence of Bartonella spp. in Argentina, which will allow us to know the importance of this zoonosis in our population and to evaluate new cut-off points of the technique.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Cat-Scratch Disease/blood , Cat-Scratch Disease/diagnosis , Bartonella henselae/immunology , Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Serologic Tests , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Cat scratch disease (CSD) is caused by Bartonella henselae, which mainly affects children. The cat is the reservoir. The laboratory diagnosis is based on the detection of antibodies by the Indirect Immunofluorescence (IFI) assay. The objective of this study was to analyze the serological evidence of B. henselae infection in pediatric patients that met the clinical/epidemiological criteria for suspected CSD. We studied 92 patients, who were categorized into four serological groups: 1) IgG (+)/IgM(+), 31,5% (n=29); 2) IgG (-)/IgM(+), 10,9% (n=10); 3) IgG (+)/IgM(-), 9,8% (n=9); 4) IgG (-)/IgM(-), 47,8% (n=44). These findings aim to promote future works for investigating the seroprevalence of Bartonella spp. in Argentina, which will allow us to know the importance of this zoonosis in our population and to evaluate new cut-off points of the technique.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Bartonella henselae/immunology , Cat-Scratch Disease/blood , Cat-Scratch Disease/diagnosis , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Retrospective Studies , Serologic TestsABSTRACT
Mycobacterioses can produce nonspecific clinical signs in dogs and cats that make diagnosis difficult. Furthermore, the full characterization of mycobacterial agents is not always possible or practical. We characterized mycobacteria detected through cytology in 12 dogs and 7 cats with generalized clinical signs from the province of Buenos Aires in Argentina. In dogs, molecular testing confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) in 8 cases and M. fortuitum in 1 case. All dogs were Miniature Schnauzers, suggesting that this breed may be more susceptible to M. avium than other dog breeds. The cat isolates were 2 M. bovis, 1 M. fortuitum, and 1 MAH. Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem repeat patterns suggested possible links with cattle, swine, and humans studied previously in Argentina. The results show that pets may act as susceptible hosts with the potential risk of transmitting the infection to humans and other animals.
Subject(s)
Cat Diseases/microbiology , Dog Diseases/microbiology , Mycobacterium Infections/veterinary , Mycobacterium/classification , Animals , Argentina/epidemiology , Cat Diseases/diagnosis , Cat Diseases/epidemiology , Cats , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Dog Diseases/epidemiology , Dogs , Minisatellite Repeats , Mycobacterium/isolation & purification , Mycobacterium Infections/epidemiology , Mycobacterium Infections/microbiologyABSTRACT
AntecedentesLos hongos Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Histoplasma capsulatum y Coccidioides sp. son los agentes etiológicos de paracoccidioidomicosis, histoplasmosis y coccidioidomicosis, respectivamente. Estas 3 micosis son endémicas en distintas áreas geográficas de Argentina. En Latinoamérica existen antecedentes de investigación de áreas endémicas que utilizan perros domésticos como indicadores epidemiológicos.ObjetivoDeterminar la presencia de P. brasiliensis, H. capsulatum y Coccidioides sp. en una zona rural del noreste de Argentina, denominada interfluvio Teuco-Bermejito, provincia del Chaco.MétodosSe evaluaron 89 sueros de igual número de perros domésticos que habitaban 10 comunidades del área. Mediante la técnica de western blot se buscaron anticuerpos específicos contra los antígenos extracelulares fúngicos específicos: anti-gP43 de P. brasiliensis, anti-H/M de H. capsulatum y anti-120, 82 y 48kDa de Coccidioides sp.ResultadosNueve de los 89 sueros (10%) mostraron anticuerpos específicos contra uno o más de los antígenos probados. Ocho sueros tuvieron anticuerpos anti-H/M y uno solamente tuvo anticuerpos anti-M. Uno de estos 9 sueros reveló, además, anti-gp43 y otro reaccionó contra los 3 antígenos probados.ConclusionesEste es el primer estudio realizado en Argentina que utiliza perros domésticos para detectar áreas endémicas de paracoccidioidomicosis, histoplasmosis y coccidioidomicosis. Nuestros resultados indican que H. capsulatum es el principal agente de micosis endémicas en el interfluvio Teuco-Bermejito. Probablemente, los humanos que habitan esta zona tengan una exposición similar a este hongo y, por tanto, el diagnóstico de histoplasmosis debe considerarse cuando los pacientes que habitan esta área geográfica presenten manifestaciones clínicas pulmonares o mucocutáneas compatibles con la enfermedad(AU)
BackgroundThree fungal species causing human disease, namely Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Histoplasma capsulatum and Coccidioides sp., are endemic in different areas of Argentina. Rates of infection in domestic dogs have been used in other Latin American countries as indicators of the presence of these pathogens in a given area. We used such an approach to investigate the epidemiological relevance of paracoccidiodomycosis, histoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis in our country.AimTo investigate the presence of P. brasiliensis, H. capsulatum and Coccidioides sp. in a rural area of Argentina called Interfluvio Teuco-Bermejito, located in Chaco province.MethodsWe applied Western Blotting to determine the presence of specific antibodies in sera from 89 domestic dogs inhabiting the area. Antibodies against the following extra-cellular fungal antigens were investigated: gP43 of P. brasiliensis, H/M of H. capsulatum and 120, 82 and 48kDa antigen bands of Coccidioides sp.ResultsSpecific antibodies against H. capsulatum were found in 9/89 (10%) sera: 8 reacted against both H and M antigens and 1 only reacted against antigen M. Of these 9 sera, one showed additional anti-gp43 activity and another reacted against all the fungal antigens tested.ConclusionsThis is the first study using dog infection to assess the presence of endemic fungal pathogens in Argentina. Our results suggest that H. capsulatum is the main dimorphic fungal pathogen in the Interfluvio Teuco-Bermejito area. Therefore, the diagnosis of histoplasmosis should be taken into account in patients living in this geographic region who show pulmonary or mucocutaneous symptoms compatible with the disease(AU)
Subject(s)
Animals , Dogs , Mycoses/epidemiology , Paracoccidioides/isolation & purification , Histoplasma/isolation & purification , Coccidioides/isolation & purification , Dog Diseases/epidemiology , Endemic Diseases/statistics & numerical data , Rural Areas , Paracoccidioidomycosis/epidemiology , Histoplasmosis/epidemiology , Coccidioidomycosis/epidemiology , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Three fungal species causing human disease, namely Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Histoplasma capsulatum and Coccidioides sp., are endemic in different areas of Argentina. Rates of infection in domestic dogs have been used in other Latin American countries as indicators of the presence of these pathogens in a given area. We used such an approach to investigate the epidemiological relevance of paracoccidiodomycosis, histoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis in our country. AIM: To investigate the presence of P. brasiliensis, H. capsulatum and Coccidioides sp. in a rural area of Argentina called Interfluvio Teuco-Bermejito, located in Chaco province. METHODS: We applied Western Blotting to determine the presence of specific antibodies in sera from 89 domestic dogs inhabiting the area. Antibodies against the following extra-cellular fungal antigens were investigated: gP43 of P. brasiliensis, H/M of H. capsulatum and 120, 82 and 48kDa antigen bands of Coccidioides sp. RESULTS: Specific antibodies against H. capsulatum were found in 9/89 (10%) sera: 8 reacted against both H and M antigens and 1 only reacted against antigen M. Of these 9 sera, one showed additional anti-gp43 activity and another reacted against all the fungal antigens tested. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study using dog infection to assess the presence of endemic fungal pathogens in Argentina. Our results suggest that H. capsulatum is the main dimorphic fungal pathogen in the Interfluvio Teuco-Bermejito area. Therefore, the diagnosis of histoplasmosis should be taken into account in patients living in this geographic region who show pulmonary or mucocutaneous symptoms compatible with the disease.