scholarly journals An Outbreak of Trichophyton quinckeanum Zoonotic Infections in the Czech Republic Transmitted from Cats and Dogs

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 684
Author(s):  
Pavlína Lysková ◽  
Radim Dobiáš ◽  
Adéla Čmoková ◽  
Miroslav Kolařík ◽  
Petr Hamal ◽  
...  

Trichophyton quinckeanum, a zoophilic dermatophyte mostly known as the causative agent of rodent favus, is relatively rarely reported to cause human infections. Indeed, no infections were detected in Czechia between 2012 and 2015 despite routine verification of species identification by ITS rDNA sequencing. By contrast, 25 human and 11 animal cases of infection were documented from December 2016 to December 2020 and the rates tended to grow every following year. Interestingly, most of the cases were reported in the Olomouc region, suggesting a local outbreak. We bring the evidence that human T. quinckeanum infections are most commonly contracted from infected cats or, less frequently, dogs. Although rodents or contaminated soil and environment could be the source of infection to cats and dogs, the occurrence of infections in multiple animals in the same household suggests direct transmission among animals. Confirmation of the identification by molecular methods is highly recommended due to morphological similarity with T. mentagrophytes/T. interdigitale. Antifungal susceptibility testing of isolates to eight antifungals was performed using EUCAST methodology (E.Def 11.0). Among the tested antifungals, terbinafine, amorolfine, ciclopirox and efinaconazole were most potent in vitro and elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations were obtained for fluconazole and ketoconazole.

Dermatology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Julia J. Shen ◽  
Maiken C. Arendrup ◽  
Shyam Verma ◽  
Ditte Marie L. Saunte

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Dermatophytosis is commonly encountered in the dermatological clinics. The main aetiological agents in dermatophytosis of skin and nails in humans are <i>Trichophyton</i> (<i>T</i>.) <i>rubrum</i>, <i>T. mentagrophytes</i> and <i>T. interdigitale</i> (former <i>T. mentagrophytes-</i>complex). Terbinafine therapy is usually effective in eradicating infections due to these species by inhibiting their squalene epoxidase (SQLE) enzyme, but increasing numbers of clinically resistant cases and mutations in the SQLE gene have been documented recently. Resistance to antimycotics is phenotypically determined by antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST). However, AFST is not routinely performed for dermatophytes and no breakpoints classifying isolates as susceptible or resistant are available, making it difficult to interpret the clinical impact of a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). <b><i>Summary:</i></b> PubMed was systematically searched for terbinafine susceptibility testing of dermatophytes on October 20, 2020, by two individual researchers. The inclusion criteria were <i>in vitro</i> terbinafine susceptibility testing of <i>Trichophyton (T.) rubrum</i>, <i>T. mentagrophytes</i> and <i>T. interdigitale</i> with the broth microdilution technique. The exclusion criteria were non-English written papers. Outcomes were reported as MIC range, geometric mean, modal MIC and MIC<sub>50</sub> and MIC<sub>90</sub> in which 50 or 90% of isolates were inhibited, respectively. The reported MICs ranged from &#x3c;0.001 to &#x3e;64 mg/L. The huge variation in MIC is partly explained by the heterogeneity of the <i>Trichophyton</i> isolates, where some originated from routine specimens (wild types) whereas others came from non-responding patients with a known SQLE gene mutation. Another reason for the great variation in MIC is the use of different AFST methods where MIC values are not directly comparable. High MICs were reported particularly in isolates with SQLE gene mutation. The following SQLE alterations were reported: F397L, L393F, L393S, H440Y, F393I, F393V, F415I, F415S, F415V, S443P, A448T, L335F/A448T, S395P/A448T, L393S/A448T, Q408L/A448T, F397L/A448T, I121M/V237I and H440Y/F484Y in terbinafine-resistant isolates.


1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 871-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Dannaoui ◽  
Florence Persat ◽  
Marie-France Monier ◽  
Elisabeth Borel ◽  
Marie-Antoinette Piens ◽  
...  

A comparative study of visual and spectrophotometric MIC endpoint determinations for antifungal susceptibility testing of Aspergillus species was performed. A broth microdilution method adapted from the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) was used for susceptibility testing of 180 clinical isolates of Aspergillus species against amphotericin B and itraconazole. MICs were determined visually and spectrophotometrically at 490 nm after 24, 48, and 72h of incubation, and MIC pairs were compared. The agreement between the two methods was 99% for amphotericin B and ranged from 95 to 98% for itraconazole. It is concluded that spectrophotometric MIC endpoint determination is a valuable alternative to the visual reference method for susceptibility testing of Aspergillus species.Key words: antifungal, susceptibility testing, Aspergillus, spectrophotometric reading.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zarifeh Adampour ◽  
Malihe Hasanzadeh ◽  
Hossein Zarrinfar ◽  
Maryam Nakhaei ◽  
Monika Novak Babič

Introduction: Endometrial cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the female genital tract, which can be serious or life-threatening. Microbial infections can be one of the underlying causes of this type of cancer. Case Presentation: The present study describes the isolation of Pichia fermentans (Candida firmentaria var. firmentaria) from the vaginal secretions of a 61-year-old woman affected by endometrial cancer. She reported abdominal pain and vaginal discharge for 3 months, and had a history of diabetes, hypertension, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The isolated yeast was identified based on nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-ITS2 rDNA) sequence analysis. The in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing showed a higher effect for ketoconazole against P. fermentans than fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole. Conclusion: Correct differentiation between P. fermentans and other yeast should be considered. The in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing is recommended for rare yeast, and will help the physicians in providing the best treatment.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 3675-3682 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Risslegger ◽  
C. Lass-Flörl ◽  
G. Blum ◽  
M. Lackner

ABSTRACTFor antifungal susceptibility testing of nonsporulating or poorly sporulating dermatophytes, a fragmented-mycelium inoculum preparation method was established and compared to broth microdilution testing according to CLSI and EUCAST guidelines. Moreover, thein vitroactivity of new antifungal agents against dermatophytes was evaluated. Agreement between the mycelial inoculum method and the CLSI broth microdilution method was high (93% to 100%). Echinocandins (minimal effective concentration [MEC], ≤0.5 mg/liter) and posaconazole (MIC, ≤3.00 mg/liter) showed good activity against all tested dermatophytes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 3582-3585
Author(s):  
Olga Rivero-Menendez ◽  
Manuel Cuenca-Estrella ◽  
Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the in vitro activity of olorofim, a new broad-spectrum antifungal with a novel mechanism of action, against a collection of 123 Spanish clinical isolates belonging to five Scedosporium species and Lomentospora prolificans. Methods The activity of olorofim against Scedosporium apiospermum (n = 30), Scedosporium boydii (n = 30), Scedosporium ellipsoideum (n = 10), Scedosporium aurantiacum (n = 20), Scedosporium dehoogii (n = 3) and Lomentospora prolificans (n = 30) was compared with that of amphotericin B, voriconazole, isavuconazole and micafungin by performing EUCAST and CLSI reference methods for antifungal susceptibility testing. Results Amphotericin B and isavuconazole showed MICs ≥2 mg/L for all the species evaluated and voriconazole was moderately active (GM, MIC50 and MIC90 values ≤2 mg/L) against all of them except L. prolificans. Micafungin was effective against S. apiospermum complex strains, but exhibited elevated MECs for S. dehoogii and S. aurantiacum. Olorofim showed low MICs for all the Scedosporium strains tested (GM values were lower than 0.130 and 0.339 by the EUCAST method and the CLSI method, respectively, for all of the species), including those belonging to the MDR species L. prolificans, for which GM values were 0.115 and 0.225 mg/L by the EUCAST method and the CLSI method, respectively, while the GMs for the rest of the antifungals evaluated were higher than 3.732 mg/L using both methodologies. Conclusions Olorofim displayed promising in vitro activity against the Scedosporium and L. prolificans strains tested, some of which have reduced susceptibility to the antifungals that are currently in use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Schwarz ◽  
Eric Dannaoui

The interaction of isavuconazole with immunosuppressors (tacrolimus, cyclosporin A, or sirolimus) against 30 Aspergillus isolates belonging to the most common species responsible for invasive aspergillosis in humans (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus terreus) was evaluated in vitro by a microdilution checkerboard technique based on the EUCAST reference method for antifungal susceptibility testing. The interpretation of the results was performed based on the fractional inhibitory concentration index. The combination of isavuconazole with tacrolimus, cyclosporin A, or sirolimus, was synergistic for 56, 20, or 10% of the isolates, respectively. Interestingly synergy of the combination of isavuconazole with tacrolimus was also achieved for the majority of azole-resistant isolates of A. fumigatus, and for all A. niger isolates with isavuconazole minimal inhibitory concentrations ≥ 8 µg/mL. Antagonistic interactions were never observed for any combination tested.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lysett Wagner ◽  
Sybren de Hoog ◽  
Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo ◽  
Kerstin Voigt ◽  
Oliver Kurzai ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTRecently, the species concept of opportunisticMucor circinelloidesand its relatives has been revised, resulting in the recognition of its classical formae as independent species and the description of new species. In this study, we used isolates of all clinically relevantMucorspecies and performed susceptibility testing using the EUCAST reference method to identify potential species-specific susceptibility patterns.In vitrosusceptibility profiles of 101 mucoralean strains belonging to the genusMucor(72), the closely related speciesCokeromyces recurvatus(3),Rhizopus(12),Lichtheimia(10), andRhizomucor(4) to six antifungals (amphotericin B, natamycin, terbinafine, isavuconazole, itraconazole, and posaconazole) were determined. The most active drug for all Mucorales was amphotericin B. Antifungal susceptibility profiles of pathogenicMucorspecies were specific for isavuconazole, itraconazole, and posaconazole. The species formerly united inM. circinelloidesshowed clear differences in their antifungal susceptibilities.Cokeromyces recurvatus,Mucor ardhlaengiktus,Mucor lusitanicus(M. circinelloidesf.lusitanicus), andMucor ramosissimusexhibited high MICs to all azoles tested.Mucor indicuspresented high MICs for isavuconazole and posaconazole, andMucor amphibiorumandMucor irregularisshowed high MICs for isavuconazole. MIC values ofMucorspp. for posaconazole, isavuconazole, and itraconazole were high compared to those forRhizopusand the Lichtheimiaceae (LichtheimiaandRhizomucor). Molecular identification combined within vitrosusceptibility testing is recommended forMucorspecies, especially if azoles are applied in treatment.


2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
János Varga ◽  
Jos Houbraken ◽  
Henrich A. L. Van Der Lee ◽  
Paul E. Verweij ◽  
Robert A. Samson

ABSTRACT Aspergillus ustus is a relatively rare human pathogen causing invasive infections in immunocompromised hosts. In this study isolates originating from clinical and other sources have been examined using molecular, morphological, and physiological approaches to clarify their species assignment. Phylogenetic analysis of partial β-tubulin, calmodulin, actin, and intergenic transcribed spacer sequences indicated that none of the clinical isolates recognized previously as A. ustus belongs to this species. All but two of these isolates formed a well-defined clade related to A. pseudodeflectus based on sequence analysis of protein-coding regions. Morphological and physiological examination of these isolates indicated that they are able to grow above 37°C, in contrast with A. ustus isolates, and give a positive Ehrlich reaction, in contrast with related species including A. granulosus, A. ustus, and A. pseudodeflectus. These isolates are proposed as a new species, A. calidoustus. Antifungal susceptibility testing showed that this species has decreased susceptibilities to several antifungal drugs. The triazoles are inactive in vitro, including the new azole posaconazole.


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