An in vitro study of the photodynamic effect of rose bengal on Trichophyton rubrum.

Onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the finger or toenails, is predominantly caused by Trichophyton rubrum. Treatment is difficult due to high recurrence rates and problems with treatment compliance. For these reasons, alternative therapies are needed. Here we describe the photoactivation of Rose Bengal (RB) using a green laser (λ = 532 nm) at fluences of 68, 133 and 228 J/cm(2) , and assess its fungicidal activity on T. rubrum spore suspensions. A 140 µM RB solution was able to induce a fungicidal effect on T. rubrum when photosensitized with the fluence of 228 J/cm(2) . RB photosensitization using a green laser provides a potential novel treatment for T. rubrum infections.

Genetic polymorphisms in the cytokine and chemokine system: their possible importance in allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Chemokines represent central players of the innate and adaptive immunity and are involved in the regulation of inflammatory events occurring during infectious complications or during graft vs. host disease (GvHD). Patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) are at a high risk for the development of acute GvHD or to suffer from fungal infections. Susceptibility to fungal infections and the course of GvHD can be genetically influenced by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which regulate expression or biological activity of chemokines, and therefore have an impact on the outcome of invasive aspergillosis and GvHD. High lightened studies of abetting factors for GvHD revealed SNPs in TNFA, IL-6, IL-10, INF-γ, CCL2, CCL5 (RANTES), IL-1Ra, IL-23R, IL-7Ralpha, IL-10RB, and CCR9 genes as prevalent considerable. Furthermore, additional SNPs were described to be significantly associated with fungal infections (Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans), including markers in CCL3, CCL4, CCL20, CXCL2, CXCL8, CXCL10, CCR1, and CCR2. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the growing number of genetic markers in chemokine genes and their relevance for patients after alloSCT.