Absidia panacisoli sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere of Panax notoginseng.

A strain (SYPF 7183T) was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Panax notoginseng in southwest China. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that strain SYPF 7183T was distinct from the other Absidia species with well-supported values. Strain SYPF 7183T produced spherical or subpyriform sporangia and short cylindrical sporangiospores. The azygospores were globose to oval. Based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence, the novel strain Absidia panacisoli sp. nov. is proposed.

Queratitis por Absidia corymbifera en paciente inmunocompetente sin traumatismo corneal previo / Keratitis caused by Absidia corymbifera in an immunocompetent male with no corneal injuries

CASO CLÍNICO: Varón sano de 55 años sin antecedente de traumatismo corneal acude a urgencias por un infiltrado en el ojo izquierdo que responde parcialmente a tratamiento antibiótico tópico. Tras la introducción de corticoterapia tópica presenta un importante empeoramiento de la úlcera. El examen directo y la tinción de Gram permiten un rápido diagnóstico de las hifas de Absidia. Presenta buena respuesta al tratamiento combinado de anfotericina y posaconazol. DISCUSIÓN: Las queratitis por Zygomycetes son raras. Es rara la afectación de pacientes sanos sin antecedentes de traumatismo corneal. El tratamiento combinado de anfotericina y posaconazol ejerce un efecto sinergico contra hongos filamentosos

CASE REPORT: A healthy 55-years-old male went to emergency due to a white infiltrate in the left eye without corneal trauma which partially responds to antibiotic treatment. The infiltrate worsened by the use of topical steroids. Direct microscopic evaluation and Gram stain are a valuable diagnostic tool for the detection of Absidia filaments. There is a successful treatment with anphotericin and posaconazole. DISCUSSION: Keratitis caused by Zygomicetes are unusual. This is a rare condition in healthy patients with no corneal trauma. The treatment with amphotericin and posaconazole are synergistic against filamentous fungi

Microbial transformations of halolactones with p-menthane system.

Biologically active piperitone-derived racemic iodo-, bromo- and chlorolactones (1-3) were transformed with the use of microbial enzymatic systems. Four strains of filamentous fungi Absidia glauca AM254, Absidia cylindrospora AM336, Mortierella vinaceae AM149 and Nigrospora oryzae AM8 transformed halolactones (1-3) to four new halohydroxylactones (4-7). In all biotransformations the hydroxy group was incorporated in inactivated methine carbon atom at isopropyl substituent. In N. oryzae AM8 culture the bromolactone with additional hydroxy group in α-position, relative to CO bond in γ-lactone ring, was also formed as a product. The structures of new compounds were established on the basis of spectral data.

Invasive zygomycosis in patients with graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Invasive mold infections are a threat to immunosuppressed patients such as patients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Up to 10% of SCT recipients develop invasive aspergillosis (IA). Invasive zygomycosis (IZ) may occur during treatment against IA. Here we report 4 SCT patients with GVHD diagnosed with IZ. All patients had received myeloablative hematopoietic SCT and developed chronic GVHD requiring systemic immunosuppression. Underlying diseases were acute lymphocytic leukemia (2), osteomyelofibrosis, and multiple myeloma. All patients had developed pulmonary infiltration that led to initiation of antifungal therapy. Treatment for IA was voriconazole, caspofungin, or itraconazole. Organs involved with zygomycosis were lung, nasal sinus, skin, and kidney. Treatment with liposomal amphotericin and posaconazole was initiated in all patients, and 2 patients also had surgical debridement as well. Despite intensive treatment, no patient survived. IZ is becoming more common in patients with GVHD on successful treatment for IA. Even non-specific symptoms are suspicious in this group of patients and need to be evaluated by vigorous diagnostics. Despite effective antifungals and surgical intervention, the prognosis is grim in patients with active GVHD, as immunoreconstitution is mandatory for successful management.

Molecular and phenotypic evaluation of Lichtheimia corymbifera (formerly Absidia corymbifera) complex isolates associated with human mucormycosis: rehabilitation of L. ramosa.

Thirty-eight isolates (including 28 isolates from patients) morphologically identified as Lichtheimia corymbifera (formerly Absidia corymbifera) were studied by sequence analysis (analysis of the internal transcribed spacer [ITS] region of the ribosomal DNA, the D1-D2 region of 28S, and a portion of the elongation factor 1alpha [EF-1alpha] gene). Phenotypic characteristics, including morphology, antifungal susceptibility, and carbohydrate assimilation, were also determined. Analysis of the three loci uncovered two well-delimited clades. The maximum sequence similarity values between isolates from both clades were 66, 95, and 93% for the ITS, 28S, and EF-1alpha loci, respectively, with differences in the lengths of the ITS sequences being detected (763 to 770 bp for isolates of clade 1 versus 841 to 865 bp for isolates of clade 2). Morphologically, the shapes and the sizes of the sporangiospores were significantly different among the isolates from both clades. On the basis of the molecular and morphological data, we considered isolates of clade 2 to belong to a different species named Lichtheimia ramosa because reference strains CBS 269.65 and CBS 270.65 (which initially belonged to Absidia ramosa) clustered within this clade. As neotype A. corymbifera strain CBS 429.75 belongs to clade 1, the name L. corymbifera was conserved for clade 1 isolates. Of note, the amphotericin B MICs were significantly lower for L. ramosa than for L. corymbifera (P < 0.005) but were always

Invasive fungal infections in the paediatric and neonatal population: diagnostics and management issues.

Invasive fungal infections in children appear to have increased over the past few decades. Especially neonates and children with primary and secondary immunodeficiencies are at risk. Candida and Aspergillus spp. are the most commonly isolated organisms. In addition, Malassezia may cause systemic infections in newborns and zygomycosis is important because of its rising incidence and high case fatality rate. Timely diagnosis and initiation of appropriate antifungal therapy is imperative for improving outcomes. However, traditional techniques are time-consuming and representative sample material, using invasive procedures, may be difficult to obtain in the paediatric setting. This review provides an overview of the advances in detection and rapid species identification, with a focus on issues relevant in these settings. Subsequently, the current antifungal treatment options for neonates and children are discussed in light of the antifungal spectrum of the available agents and the specific pharmacokinetic properties in different age groups. Although a multitude of newer antifungal compounds have become available within the last decade, further studies are necessary to clearly establish the role for each of these agents among neonates and children.

Absidia parricida plays a dominant role in biotrophic fusion parasitism among mucoralean fungi (Zygomycetes): Lentamyces, a new genus for A. parricida and A. zychae.

Within the order Mucorales (Zygomycetes), the facultative parasites Parasitella parasitica, Chaetocladium brefeldii, Chaetocladium jonesii and Absidia parricida are known to initiate biotrophic fusion parasitic interactions on a wide variety of other mucoralean hosts. Their phylogenetic relationship within the Mucorales and their ability to form parasitic structures with several known host species was examined. Together with interspecific reactions between the mycoparasites, this study found: (i) no evident differences in the spectrum of non-parasitic hosts tested within the study; (ii) A. parricida parasitises all other fusion parasites; (iii) A. parricida is ancestral to all other parasites; (iv) A. parricida is reported for the first time as phylogenetically basal to all other mucoralean fungi except the Umbelopsidaceae and (v) based on phylogenetic analyses and physiological and morphological characteristics, the slow-growing species A. parricida and Absidia zychae are removed from the genus Absidia and reclassified in the newly described genus Lentamyces.

Post-traumatic infection of the lower limb caused by rare Enterobacteriaceae and Mucorales in a young healthy male.

Enterobacter amnigenus and Leclercia adecarboxylata are gram-negative aerobic bacilli of the family Enterobacteriaceae that have been isolated from water and, rarely, from various clinical specimens. Absidia is a filamentous fungus of the class Zygomycetes that is ubiquitous in nature and can cause infection, primarily in immunocompromised hosts. Here, we describe an infection of the left lower limb caused by E. amnigenus and L. adecarboxylata with subsequent isolation of Absidia spp. in a patient with multiple traumatic injuries after a major motor vehicle accident. The severity of the clinical picture made amputation necessary, despite aggressive anti-infective therapy with both antibacterial and antifungal agents. Prompt diagnosis and management are mandatory in order to minimize morbidity and even mortality, and reduce the social and economic cost.

Septic arthritis due to Absidia corymbifera in a patient with HIV-1 infection.

We report the first case described of septic arthritis caused by Absidia corymbifera in the setting of cellular immune deficiency associated with HIV-1 infection. Isolation of this organism from sterile fluids as synovial fluid should be regarded as pathogenic.

Revision of the genus Absidia (Mucorales, Zygomycetes) based on physiological, phylogenetic, and morphological characters; thermotolerant Absidia spp. form a coherent group, Mycocladiaceae fam. nov.

The genus Absidia comprises ubiquitously distributed soil fungi inhabiting different growth temperature optima ranging from 20-42 degrees C. Some of the mesophilic species are important biotechnologically in the biotransformation of steroids or as producers of rennin-like components, whereas species with higher growth temperature optima are of clinical relevance as opportunistic human pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogenetic relationships between these species and to establish a revision of their systematics. For this purpose single and combined genealogies based on distance, MP, ML, and Bayesian analyses of aligned nucleotide sequences of the nuclear-encoded genes for actin (act) and for the 5.8S ribosomal RNA flanked by the ITS regions 1 and 2 (comprising 807 and 828 characters, respectively) of 16 Absidia species were reconstructed. The phylogenetic reconstructions suggest a trichotomy of the Absidia genus consisting of a mesophilic, a fast-growing thermotolerant, and a slowly-growing mycoparasitic Absidia group. The trichotomous phylogenetic grouping is concordant with the morphology of the zygospores, which are zygotes resulting from sexual conjugation between two compatible mating partners. Whereas the mesophilic group comprises the majority of absidiaceaeous species forming sterile hair-like, mycelial appendages on the suspensors of their zygospores, the thermotolerant group is characterised by the formation of smooth-walled zygospores, and the mycoparasitic group, namely Absidia parricida and A. zychae, by Mucor-like rough-walled zygospores. Based on the phylogenetic coherence of mesophilic and thermotolerant Absidia species, we propose that the two groups are separated into two distinct genera, Absidia for the mesophilic Absidia species resembling the Absidiaceae and Mycocladus for the thermotolerant species A. corymbifera, A. blakesleeana and A. hyalospora. Because Mycocladus is physiologically, phylogenetically, and morphologically distinct from the Absidiaceae s. str. we suggest that they are classified as a separate family, Mycocladiaceae fam. nov., which comprises the three species M. corymbifer, M. blakesleeanus and M. hyalospora.

Soft tissue infection with Absidia corymbifera in a patient with idiopathic aplastic anemia.

We describe a case of primary cutaneous mucormycosis (zygomycosis) in a patient with idiopathic aplastic anemia which responded to surgical debridement and therapy with liposomal amphotericin B. The tissue removed at surgery showed dense infiltration with fungal hyphae on histopathological examination. Primary cultures of tissue on solid media were negative, but Absidia corymbifera was isolated from unprocessed tissue placed in brain heart infusion broth.

Treatment of Absidia corymbifera infection in mice with amphotericin B and itraconazole.

The activities of amphotericin B and itraconazole were studied in a temporarily neutropenic murine model of disseminated Absidia corymbifera infection, caused by two different strains. Amphotericin B MICs were 0.25 mg/L for both strains and itraconazole MICs were 1 and 2 mg/L. Amphotericin B was effective in vivo with both isolates. Itraconazole was less effective.