In Vitro Activities of Ravuconazole and Isavuconazole against Dematiaceous Fungi

ABSTRACT The in vitro activities of 11 antifungals against 84 dematiaceous fungi were tested. For most tested fungal species, the MIC values of ravuconazole and isavuconazole were lower than those obtained with itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole. Ravuconazole and isavuconazole appear to be more efficient against most dematiaceous fungal infections than the other triazoles. However, some pigmented fungi, such as Bipolaris spicifera and Veronaea botryosa, remain more susceptible to other triazoles or to echinocandins.

Detection and Identification of Mycobiota Associated with Rice in Three Districts of Iraq

The reduction of yield, quality, and nutritional value of grain cereals by different fungal species is of great concern around the world. A comprehensive investigation was made on fungal mycobiota in rice from three provinces; Baghdad, Al-Najaf and Al-Qadisiyah of Iraq surveyed during the growing season 2014-2015. Fields were selected due to their location near the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Mycological analysis indicated that there were a difference rates in disease infection due to various fungal species. Predominant fungal species identified as Bipolaris spicifera, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium spp., Nigrospora oryzae, Exserohilum rostratum, Alternaria spp. and Thanatephorus cucumeris. Confirmation of the associated fungal species was further accomplished by analysis of their ribosomal DNA and internal transcribed spacer region sequences. The present study provides a detailed description of the associated fungal species, which may help in understanding the population dynamics and in developing effective control measures.

Development of a Multilocus Sequence Typing System for Medically Relevant Bipolaris Species

Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is the gold standard genotyping technique for many microorganisms. This classification approach satisfies the requirements for a high-resolution, standardized, and archivable taxonomic system. Here, we describe the development of a novel MLST system to assist with the investigation of an unusual cluster of surgical site infections caused byBipolarisspp. in postoperative cardiothoracic surgery (POCS) patients during January 2008 to December 2013 in the southeastern United States. We also used the same MLST system to perform a retrospective analysis on isolates from a 2012Bipolarisendophthalmitis outbreak caused by a contaminated product. This MLST system showed high intraspecies discriminatory power forBipolaris spicifera,B. hawaiiensis, andB. australiensis. Based on the relatedness of the isolates, the MLST data supported the hypothesis that infections in the POCS cluster were from different environmental sources while confirming that the endophthalmitis outbreak resulted from a point source, which was a contaminated medication.