scholarly journals Triazole-Resistance in Environmental Aspergillus fumigatus in Latin American and African Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 292
Author(s):  
Agustin Resendiz-Sharpe ◽  
Klaas Dewaele ◽  
Rita Merckx ◽  
Beatriz Bustamante ◽  
Maria Celeste Vega-Gomez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Gene Mutations ◽  
Reference Method ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Environmental Resistance ◽  
Surveillance Programs ◽  
Expert Team ◽  
First Time

Triazole-resistance has been reported increasingly in Aspergillus fumigatus. An international expert team proposed to avoid triazole monotherapy for the initial treatment of invasive aspergillosis in regions with >10% environmental-resistance, but this prevalence is largely unknown for most American and African countries. Here, we screened 584 environmental samples (soil) from urban and rural locations in Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru in Latin America and Benin and Nigeria in Africa for triazole-resistant A. fumigatus. Samples were screened using triazole-containing agars and confirmed as triazole-resistant by the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) broth dilution reference method. Isolates were further characterized by cyp51A sequencing and short-tandem repeat typing. Fungicide presence in samples was likewise determined. Among A. fumigatus positive samples, triazole-resistance was detected in 6.9% (7/102) of samples in Mexico, 8.3% (3/36) in Paraguay, 9.8% (6/61) in Peru, 2.2% (1/46) in Nigeria, and none in Benin. Cyp51A gene mutations were present in most of the triazole-resistant isolates (88%; 15/17). The environmentally-associated mutations TR34/L98H and TR46/Y121F/T289A were prevalent in Mexico and Peru, and isolates harboring these mutations were closely related. For the first time, triazole-resistant A. fumigatus was found in environmental samples in Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Nigeria with a prevalence of 7–10% in the Latin American countries. Our findings emphasize the need to establish triazole-resistance surveillance programs in these countries.

Affirmative Action and Leadership Attitudes in Brazilian Women Managers

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gazi Islam ◽  
Sarah E. S. Zilenovsky
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Women Managers ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Preferential Selection ◽  
Justice Perceptions ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship

This note examines the relationship between affirmative action (AA) program perceptions and women’s self-ascribed capacity and desire to become leaders. We propose that women who believe that their organization implements a program of preferential selection toward women will experience negative psychological effects leading to lowered self-expectations for leadership, but that this effect will be moderated by their justice perceptions of AA programs. We test this proposition empirically for the first time with a Latin American female sample. Among Brazilian women managers, desire but not self-ascribed capacity to lead was reduced when they believed an AA policy was in place. Both desire’s and capacity’s relationships with belief in an AA policy were moderated by justice perceptions.

Azole resistance among clinical isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus in Lima-Peru

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Bustamante ◽  
Luis Ricardo Illescas ◽  
Andrés Posadas ◽  
Pablo E Campos
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Azole Resistance ◽  
Molecular Testing ◽  
Naive Patient ◽  
In Vitro Susceptibility

Abstract Azole resistance among Aspergillus fumigatus isolates, which is mainly related to mutations in the cyp51A gene, is a concern because it is rising, worldwide disseminated, and associated with treatment failure and death. Data on azole resistance of aspergillus from Latin American countries is very scarce and do not exist for Peru. Two hundred and seven Aspergillus clinical isolates collected prospectively underwent mycology and molecular testing for specie identification, and 143 isolates were confirmed as A. fumigatus sensu stricto (AFSS). All AFSS were tested for in vitro azole susceptibility, and resistant isolates underwent PCR amplification and sequencing of the whole cyp51A gene and its promoter. The in vitro susceptibility showed a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) range, MIC50 and MIC90 of 0.125 to >16, 0.25, and 0.5 μg/ml for itraconazole; 0.25 to 2, 0.5, and 0.5 μg/ml for voriconazole; and 0.003 to 1, 0.06, and 0.125 μg/ml for posaconazole. Three isolates (2%) showed resistance to itraconazole and exhibited different mutations of the cyp51A gene. One isolate harbored the mutation M220K, while a second one exhibited the G54 mutation plus a modification in the cyp51A gene promoter. The third isolate, from an azole naive patient, presented an integration of a 34-bp tandem repeat (TR34) in the promoter region of the gene and a substitution of leucine 98 by histidine (L98H). The three source patients had a diagnosis or suspicion of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis.

scholarly journals Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Nasal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma: A Mini-Review

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 422-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuyuki Aozasa ◽  
Mona A. A. Zaki
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Gene Mutations ◽  
T Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Hla Antigen ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Nk T Cell

Nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) frequently presents with necrotic, granulomatous lesions in the upper respiratory tract, and usually shows a highly aggressive clinical course. Thus, it was initially included in the clinical condition of lethal midline granuloma. Recently, the disease has been recognized as a neoplastic proliferation of NK/T cells. The disease is much more frequent in Asian and Latin American countries than in Western countries, and is universally associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Analyses of gene mutations, especially p53 and c-kit, revealed the different frequencies by district. Abnormalities of other genes have also been reported. Case-control studies showed that the exposure to pesticides and chemical solvents could be causative of NKTCL. Further studies including HLA antigen typing of patients is necessary to further clarify the disease mechanism.

scholarly journals Virological and Epidemiological Features of Norovirus Infections in Brazil, 2017–2018

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1724
Author(s):  
Sylvia Kahwage Sarmento ◽  
Juliana da Silva Ribeiro de Andrade ◽  
Marize Pereira Miagostovich ◽  
Tulio Machado Fumian
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Median Viral Load ◽  
Molecular Surveillance ◽  
Predominant Genotype ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Surveillance Programs ◽  
Partial Rdrp ◽  
Stool Samples ◽  
First Time

Noroviruses are considered an important cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) across all age groups. Here, we investigated the incidence of norovirus, genotypes circulation, and norovirus shedding in AGE stool samples from outpatients in Brazil. During a two-year period, 1546 AGE stool samples from ten Brazilian states were analyzed by RT-qPCR to detect and quantify GI and GII noroviruses. Positive samples were genotyped by dual sequencing using the ORF1/2 junction region. Overall, we detected norovirus in 32.1% of samples, with a massive predominance of GII viruses (89.1%). We also observed a significant difference between the median viral load of norovirus GI (3.4×105 GC/g of stool) and GII (1.9×107 GC/g). The most affected age group was children aged between 6 and 24 m old, and norovirus infection was detected throughout the year without marked seasonality. Phylogenetic analysis of partial RdRp and VP1 regions identified six and 11 genotype combinations of GI and GII, respectively. GII.4 Sydney[P16] was by far the predominant genotype (47.6%), followed by GII.2[P16], GII.4 Sydney[P31], and GII.6[P7]. We detected, for the first time in Brazil, the intergenogroup recombinant genotype GIX.1[GII.P15]. Our study contributes to the knowledge of norovirus genotypes circulation at the national level, reinforcing the importance of molecular surveillance programs for future vaccine designs.

Festival of Contemporary Latin American Music

Tempo ◽  
1955 ◽  
pp. 4-5
Author(s):  
Aaron Copland
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
American Music ◽  
Latin American Music ◽  
American Composers ◽  
Historical Significance ◽  
Orchestral Works ◽  
The Moment ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Town ◽  
Latin American Countries

Caracas, Venezuela, unlike Paris, France, is a newcomer in the field of present day music. Nevertheless it recently succeeded in putting itself on the contemporary musical map—and with a bang. No one, not even Paris, had ever before thought of organising a festival of orchestral works by contemporary Latin American composers. This happened for the first time anywhere in Caracas, which is full of vitality at the moment, thanks to an oil-engendered prosperity. The town boasts of a good orchestra, a brand new open-air amphitheatre seating six thousand people, and a lively cultural organisation, the Institución José Angel Lamas, headed by Dr. Inocente Palacios. This musically minded enthusiast is the kind of Maecenas composers dream about. By enlisting the aid of the Venezuelan government and other private sources he managed to put on an event that will have historical significance in the annals of Ibero-American music. Within the space of two and a half weeks forty symphonic compositions originating in seven Latin American countries were performed in a series of eight concerts. This was a major effort for all concerned, especially for the courageous musicians of the Orquesta Sinfonica Venezuela and the Festival's principal conductors: Heitor Villa Lobos, Carlos Chávez, Juan José Castro, and Rios Reyna.

Biological Sampling and Analysis Procedures for the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) in Iraq

1995 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan J. Mohr
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Special Commission ◽  
Biological Sampling ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
June July ◽  
A Site ◽  
First Time ◽  
Production Facilities

In June/July 1994, I was fortunate in having been selected by the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) to be the chief inspector (CI) of one of the most interesting inspections conducted by the commission, namely UNSCOM 84/BW6. This particular inspection was fascinating because of its complexity—the team not only conducted inspections of Iraqi biological research and production facilities, it also excavated a site that UNSCOM surmised might contain materials from Iraq's former BW program. As such, this inspection was the first time that UNSCOM collected environmental samples for analysis. In this paper I discuss my experiences during this inspection and comment on the effectiveness of sampling and analysis as a verification measure.

Thermophilous fungi of decomposing sugarcane bagasse

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (18) ◽  
pp. 2015-2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. K. Sandhu ◽  
Surinder Singh ◽  
M. K. Waraich
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Sugarcane Bagasse ◽  
New Record ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Northern India ◽  
First Time ◽  
Temperature Responses

Twenty species of thermophilous fungi were identified from sugarcane bagasse at Batala in Northern India. Seven fungal species are reported from bagasse for the first time and Aspergillus caespitosns is a new record for India. Aspergillus fumigatus was the most common fungus followed by Mncor pusillus. The temperature responses of the fungi revealed 5 microthermophiles, 11 thermotolerant, and 4 true thermophiles. Three species of thermophilous fungi are reported in addition to those already recorded in the literature.

scholarly journals Azole Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus Isolates from the ARTEMIS Global Surveillance Study Is Primarily Due to the TR/L98H Mutation in thecyp51AGene

2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 4465-4468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn R. Lockhart ◽  
João P. Frade ◽  
Kizee A. Etienne ◽  
Michael A. Pfaller ◽  
Daniel J. Diekema ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Surveillance Study ◽  
Azole Resistance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACTWe surveyed 497 isolates ofAspergillus fumigatuscollected from 2008 to 2009 as part of the ARTEMIS global surveillance study for elevated MIC values to itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole. Sequencing of thecyp51Agene revealed that 8/29 isolates with elevated MIC values to one or more triazoles, all originating in China, contained the TR/L98H mutation associated with resistant European isolates ofA. fumigatus. This is the first time the TR/L98H mutation has been identified outside Europe.

Fernando Ortiz on Afro-Cuban Music

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Moore
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Latin American ◽  
New World ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Fernando Ortiz ◽  
Cuban Studies ◽  
First Time ◽  
American Authors ◽  
Insight Into

Fernando Ortiz is recognized today as one of the most influential Latin American authors of the 20th century. Amazingly prolific, his publications written between the 1890s and the mid-1950s engage with a vast array of subjects and disciplines. Perhaps Ortiz’s most significant accomplishments were the creation of the field of Afro-Cuban studies and major early contributions to the emergent field of Afro-diasporic studies. Almost everyone else associated with similar research began their investigations decades after Ortiz and in dialogue with his work. Ortiz was one of the first to seriously examine slave and post-abolition black cultures in Cuba. His studies became central to new and more positive discourses surrounding African-derived expression in the mid-20th century that embraced it as national expression for the first time in Latin America. This essay considers Ortiz’s academic career and legacy as regards Afro-Cuban musical study beginning in the early 20th century (when his views were quite dated, even racist) and gradual, progressive changes in his attitudes. Ortiz’s work on music and dance have been underrepresented in existing academic literature, despite the fact that most of his late publications focus on such topics and are considered among his most valuable works. His writings on black heritage provide insight into the struggles within New World societies to overcome the racial/evolutionist ideologies that justified colonial subjugation. His scholarship resonates with broader debates throughout the Americas over the meanings of racial pluralism and the legacy of slavery. And his changing views over the years outline the trajectory of modern Western thought as regards Africa and race, specifically the contributions of Afro-diasporic peoples, histories, and cultures to New World societies.

scholarly journals A Novel Broad Allele-Specific TaqMan Real-Time PCR Method To Detect Triazole-Resistant Strains of Aspergillus fumigatus, Even with a Very Low Percentage of Triazole-Resistant Cells Mixed with Triazole-Susceptible Cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Wang ◽  
Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis ◽  
Ruoyu Li ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Dingfang Bu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Gene Mutations ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clinical Strains ◽  
Allele Specific ◽  
Resistant Strains

ABSTRACT Invasive aspergillosis caused by triazole-resistant strains of Aspergillus fumigatus is a growing public health concern, as is the occurrence of mixed infections with triazole-resistant and -susceptible A. fumigatus strains. Therefore, it is crucial to develop robust methods to identify triazole-resistant strains of A. fumigatus, even in mixtures of triazole-resistant and -susceptible strains of A. fumigatus. In this work, we developed a robust, highly selective, and broad-range allele-specific TaqMan real-time PCR platform consisting of 7 simultaneous assays that detect TR34 (a 34-bp tandem repeat in the promoter region), TR46, G54W (a change of G to W at position 54), G54R, L98H, Y121F, and M220I mutations in the cyp51A gene of A. fumigatus. The method is based on the widely used TaqMan real-time PCR technology and combines allele-specific PCR with a blocking reagent (minor groove binder [MGB] oligonucleotide blocker) to suppress amplification of the wild-type cyp51A alleles. We used this method to detect triazole-resistant clinical strains of A. fumigatus with a variety of cyp51A gene mutations, as well as the triazole-resistant strains in mixtures of triazole-resistant and -susceptible strains of A. fumigatus. The method had high efficiency and sensitivity (300 fg/well, corresponding to about 100 CFU per reaction mixture volume). It could promptly detect triazole resistance in a panel of 30 clinical strains of A. fumigatus within about 6 h. It could also detect cyp51A-associated resistance alleles, even in mixtures containing only 1% triazole-resistant A. fumigatus strains. These results suggest that this method is robustly able to detect cyp51A-associated resistance alleles even in mixtures of triazole-resistant and -susceptible strains of A. fumigatus and that it should have important clinical applications.

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