Isolamento de leveduras patogênicas da microbiota superficial de tamanduás mantidos em cativeiro

A composição da microbiota fúngica do pelame de animais silvestres ainda é pouco conhecida. Estabelecer parâmetros microbiológicos que permitam prever eventos infecciosos oportunistas nesses animais pode ser útil na preservação de espécies amaçadas de extinção. O objetivo dessa investigação foi isolar e identificar leveduras de potencial patogênico do pelame de tamanduás mantidos em cativeiro. Vinte e sete tamanduás, provenientes da Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo (FPZSP) e Parque Municipal Quinzinho de Barros (Zôo-Sorocaba, SP) foram pesquisados. Catorze espécimes serão de tamanduá-bandeira (Mymercophaga tridactyla) e 13 de tamanduá-mirim (Tamandua tetradactyla), dos quais, 63% machos e 37%, fêmeas. A técnica do quadrado do carpete foi empregada na obtenção das amostras de pelame. As leveduras isoladas foram identificadas por meio de suas características morfológicas e por método semi-automatizado ID-32CÒ. Para descrever as variáveis obtidas por meio do instrumento de pesquisa, foram verificadas a frequência de ocorrência e os resultados foram expressos em valores relativos. Foram isoladas, no total, 33 leveduras a partir das amostras de pelame dos 27 tamanduás. As espécies de leveduras isoladas foram: oito Candida guilliermondii (24,2%), três C. famata (9,1%), três C. kefyr (9,1%), duas C. glabrata (6,1%), três Cryptococcus laurentii (9,1%), um C. humicola (3,0%), seis Geotrichum candidum (18,2%), três Malassezia pachydermatis (9.1%), duas Rhodotorula glutinis (6,1%) e dois Trichosporon asahii (6,1%). Pode-se concluir que leveduras reconhecidamente patogênicas podem colonizar a microbiota do tegumento de tamanduás-bandeira e tamanduás-mirim mantidos em cativeiro e representam potencial risco de infecção oportunista para esses animais.

Trichosporon asahii Urinary Tract Infection in a Patient with Severe COVID-19

Trichosporon asahii is a yeast-like basidiomycete that is an emerging opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients. Urinary tract infections due to T. asahii are rarely reported in the literature and typically seen only in immunocompromised patients. In addition to being immunocompromised, critically ill COVID-19 patients often have prolonged exposure to antibiotics, corticosteroids, and Foley catheters, which further increases their susceptibility to infection with T. asahii. There are limited case reports documenting successful treatment of T. asahii among hospitalized patients, particularly among COVID-19 patients, in the literature. Therefore, it is important that successful treatment regimens be reported. Here, we report a case of T. asahii urinary tract infection successfully treated with fluconazole and voriconazole in a 73-year-old male recovering from COVID-19. Urinary tract infections with T. asahii should be considered in persistently febrile COVID-19 patients with fungal urinary tract infections since prompt recognition and treatment can reduce the risk of disseminated disease and early mortality.

Detection of invasive Trichosporon asahii in patient blood by a fungal PCR array

Rare invasive fungal infections are increasingly emerging in hosts with predisposing factors such as immunodeficiency. Their timely diagnosis remains difficult, as their clinical picture may initially mimic infections with more common fungal species and species identification may be difficult with routine methods or may require time-consuming subcultures. This often results in ineffective drug administration and fatal outcomes. We report on a patient in their early twenties with mixed cellularity classical Hodgkin lymphoma with a disseminated Trichosporon asahii (T. asahii) infection. Even though pathogen detection and identification was possible via the standard procedure consisting of culture followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, the patient passed away in the course of multi organ failure. Herein, we report on a retrospectively applied experimental diagnostic fungal PCR-analysis used on an EDTA blood sample and consisting of two pan-fungal reactions and seven branch-specific reactions. Regarding invasive T. asahii infection, this PCR array could considerably shorten time to diagnosis and switch to a targeted therapy with triazoles.

Complicated Trichosporon asahii mastoiditis in immunocompetent child

Background Trichosporon asahii is an opportunistic fungus that causes infections in immunosuppressed patients. It is rarely seen in children and immunocompetent hosts. The mortality rates are still high despite early treatment with proper antifungal drugs. Trichosporon asahii mastoiditis in an immunocompetent child makes this case challenging. Case presentation This report presents a case of Trichosporon asahii mastoiditis which was complicated by transverse sinus thrombosis, in an otherwise healthy 21-month-old girl, and successfully treated with voriconazole. Trichosporon asahii was isolated, in three different occasions, from ear discharge of an immunocompetent healthy child, who presented with prolonged history of fever and received appropriate dosages of multiple types of antimicrobials as an outpatient but without improvement. After 48 h of starting the Voriconzole; post auricular swelling and ear discharge improved significantly. Conclusion A high index of clinical and microbiological suspicion is needed for optimal diagnosis of Trichosporon infection. Trichosporon asahii can also cause infection in immunocompetent individual even without previous history of hospitalization or intervention. We emphasize the importance of early pediatric infectious evaluation and intervention.

Disseminated Fungal Infection and Fungemia Caused by Trichosporon asahii in a Captive Plumed Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons)

Trichosporon spp. are heavily arthroconidiating fungi and widely distributed in nature. Due to the similar fungal morphology, confusion among Trichosporon spp., Geotrichum spp., and Nannizziopsis spp. in reptiles is apparent and cannot be overlooked. Although few reptile Trichosporon isolates have been examined using the newer speciation criteria, the information on Trichosporon asahii in reptiles is still scarce. In the present study, we report the case of disseminated fungal infection and fungemia caused by T. asahii in a captive plumed basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons). Multiple 0.2–0.5 cm, irregularly shaped, ulcerative nodules on the left hind foot were observed. The animal died due to the non-responsiveness to treatment. A microscopic evaluation revealed the fungal infection that primarily affected the left hind foot and right lung lobe with fungal embolisms in the lung and liver. The molecular identification of the fungal species by the DNA sequences of the ITS regions and D1/D2 gene from the fungal culture and ITS regions, from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) lung tissues, were completely matched to those of T. asahii. The current report describes the first confirmed case of disseminated fungal infection and fungemia caused by T. asahii in a captive plumed basilisk.