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Khan S, Bilal H, Shafiq M, Zhang D, Awais M, Chen C, Khan MN, Wang Q, Cai L, Islam R, Zeng Y. Distribution of Aspergillus species and risk factors for aspergillosis in mainland China: a systematic review. Ther Adv Infect Dis 2024; 11:20499361241252537. [PMID: 38835831 PMCID: PMC11149451 DOI: 10.1177/20499361241252537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Aspergillus, a widespread fungus in the natural environment, poses a significant threat to human health by entering the human body via the airways and causing a disease called aspergillosis. This study comprehensively analyzed data on aspergillosis in published articles from mainland China to investigate the prevalence of Aspergillus, and risk factors, mortality rate, and underlying condition associated with aspergillosis. Methods Published articles were retrieved from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct online search engines. In the 101 analyzed studies, 3558 Aspergillus isolates were meticulously collected and classified. GraphPad Prism 8 was used to statistically examine the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of aspergillosis. Results Aspergillus fumigatus was prominently reported (n = 2679, 75.14%), followed by A. flavus (n = 437, 12.25%), A. niger (n = 219, 6.14%), and A. terreus (n = 119, 3.33%). Of a total of 9810 patients, 7513 probable cases accounted for the highest number, followed by confirmed cases (n = 1956) and possible cases (n = 341). In patients, cough emerged as the most common complaint (n = 1819, 18.54%), followed by asthma (n = 1029, 10.48%) and fever (1024, 10.44%). Of total studies, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) was reported in 47 (45.53%) studies, exhibiting an increased prevalence in Beijing (n = 12, 25.53%), Guangdong (n = 7, 14.89%), and Shanghai (n = 6, 12.76%). Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) was reported in 14 (13.86%) studies. Among the total of 14 studies, the occurrence of CPA was 5 (35.71%) in Beijing and 3 (21.42%) in Shanghai. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), was reported at a lower frequency (n = 8, 7.92%), Guangdong recorded a relatively high number (n = 3, 37.5%), followed by Beijing (n = 2, 25.0%), and Shanghai (n = 1, 12.5%). Percentage of death reported: IPA had the highest rate (n = 447, 68.87%), followed by CPA (n = 181, 27.88%) and ABPA (n = 14, 2.15%). Among the aspergillosis patients, 6220 had underlying conditions, including chronic lung disease (n = 3765, 60.53%), previous tuberculosis (n = 416, 6.68%), and organ transplant or organ failure (n = 648, 10.41%). Aspergillosis was also found in patients using corticosteroid therapy (n = 622, 10.0%). Conclusion This review sheds light on the prevalence patterns of Aspergillus species, risk factors of aspergillosis, and gaps in surveillance that could be helpful for the control and treatment of aspergillosis and guide the researchers in future studies. Registration This systematic review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO: Registration ID CRD42023476870.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabir Khan
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Hazrat Bilal
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Muhammad Shafiq
- Department of Pharmacology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Dongxing Zhang
- Department of Dermatology, Meizhou Dongshan Hospital, Meizhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Dermatology, Meizhou People's Hospital, Meizhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Muhammad Awais
- Department of Environmental Science, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan, China
| | - Canhua Chen
- Clinical Laboratory, Meizhou People's Hospital, Meizhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Muhammad Nadeem Khan
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Medical-Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari - Neurology Unit, Azienza Ospedaliera Universitaria (AOU) Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Lin Cai
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Rehmat Islam
- Key Laboratory of Space Bioscience and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuebin Zeng
- Department of Dermatology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610021, China
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Bulpa P, Duplaquet F, Dimopoulos G, Vogelaers D, Blot S. Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations. Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2020; 41:851-861. [PMID: 32599634 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1702210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, reports in the literature support that patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at higher risk to develop invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). However, the interpretation of Aspergillus-positive cultures from the airways in critically ill COPD is still a challenge. Indeed, as the patient could be merely colonized, tissue samples are required to ascertain IPA diagnosis but they are rarely obtained before death. Consequently, diagnosis is often only suspected on the basis of a combination of three elements: clinical characteristics, radiological images (mostly thoracic CT scan), and microbiological, and occasionally serological, results. To facilitate the analysis of these data, several algorithms have been developed, and the best effectiveness has been demonstrated by the Clinical algorithm. This is of importance as IPA prognosis in these patients remains presently very poor and using such an algorithm could promote prompter diagnosis, early initiation of treatment, and subsequently improved outcome.While the most classical presentation of IPA in critically ill COPD patients features a combination of obstructive respiratory failure, antibiotic-resistant pneumonia, recent or chronic corticosteroid therapy, and positive Aspergillus cultures from the lower respiratory tract, the present article will also address less typical presentations and discuss the most appropriate treatments which could alter prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Bulpa
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, Mont-Godinne University Hospital, CHU UCL Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Fabrice Duplaquet
- Department of Pneumology, Mont-Godinne University Hospital, CHU UCL Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - George Dimopoulos
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Haidari, Greece
| | - Dirk Vogelaers
- Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stijn Blot
- Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Collateral Development of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis (IPA) in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patients. Fungal Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-18586-2_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Baistrocchi SR, Lee MJ, Lehoux M, Ralph B, Snarr BD, Robitaille R, Sheppard DC. Posaconazole-Loaded Leukocytes as a Novel Treatment Strategy Targeting Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis. J Infect Dis 2017; 215:1734-1741. [PMID: 27799353 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiw513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Impaired delivery of antifungals to hyphae within necrotic lesions is thought to contribute to therapeutic failure in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). We hypothesized that transfusion of leukocytes loaded ex vivo with the lipophilic antifungal posaconazole could improve delivery of antifungals to the sites of established infection and improve outcome in experimental IPA. Methods The HL-60 leukemia cell line was differentiated to a neutrophil-like phenotype (differentiated HL-60 [dHL-60] cells) and then exposed to a range of posaconazole concentrations. The functional capacity and antifungal activity of these cells were assessed in vitro and in a mouse model of IPA. Results Posaconazole levels in dHL-60 cells were 265-fold greater than the exposure concentration. Posaconazole-loaded cells were viable and maintained their capacity to undergo active chemotaxis. Contact-dependent transfer of posaconazole from dHL-60 cells to hyphae was observed in vitro, resulting in decreased fungal viability. In a neutropenic mouse model of IPA, treatment with posaconazole-loaded dHL-60 cells resulted in significantly reduced fungal burden in comparison to treatment with dHL-60 cells alone. Conclusions Posaconazole accumulates at high concentrations in dHL-60 cells and increases their antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that posaconazole-loading of leukocytes may hold promise for the therapy of IPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane R Baistrocchi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University.,Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
| | - Mark J Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University.,Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
| | - Melanie Lehoux
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University.,Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
| | - Benjamin Ralph
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University.,Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
| | - Brendan D Snarr
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University.,Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
| | - Robert Robitaille
- Biochemistry Division, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, CIUSSS Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Donald C Sheppard
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University.,Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
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Hoenigl M, Salzer HJF, Raggam RB, Valentin T, Rohn A, Woelfler A, Seeber K, Linkesch W, Krause R. Impact of galactomannan testing on the prevalence of invasive aspergillosis in patients with hematological malignancies. Med Mycol 2012; 50:266-9. [DOI: 10.3109/13693786.2011.603102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Lanteri G, Marino F, Reale S, Vitale F, Macrì F, Mazzullo G. Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a red-crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae). J Avian Med Surg 2011; 25:40-3. [PMID: 21657186 DOI: 10.1647/2009-060.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
An adult female red-crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandieae) was presented for necropsy and histopathologic evaluation. The bird had died after exhibiting lameness, weight loss, respiratory signs, and hemoptysis. Postmortem radiographs revealed lesions in the diaphysis of the left femur and soft-tissue opacities in the lungs. At necropsy, the muscles of the left femur were pale and swollen, white-yellow small nodules were visible in lungs and air sacs, and the liver and other coelomic organs appeared pale. On histologic examination, areas of necrosis in the lungs were extensively infiltrated with acid-fast positive bacilli surrounded by macrophages, epithelioid cells, and giant cells. Acid-fast bacilli were also present in the left leg muscle and in granulomas in the liver, kidneys, and intestine. Fungal hyphae associated with a Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon were visible in the left leg muscle. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction testing performed on muscle samples. Results were indicative of infection with M tuberculosis complicated by mycotic myositis. The disease in avian species is of zoonotic importance, and infected birds may be a useful sentinel for human infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Lanteri
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, 98168 Messina, Italy
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Vescia N, Brenier-Pinchart MP, Osborn JF, Cerquetani F, Cavarischia R, Grillot R, D’Alessandro D. Field validation of a dusting cloth for mycological surveillance of surfaces. Am J Infect Control 2011; 39:156-8. [PMID: 20817315 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2010.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2009] [Revised: 05/03/2010] [Accepted: 05/03/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Efficient monitoring of surfaces for spores of filamentous fungi is essential for detecting minor contamination even when air samples test negative for fungi. This study evaluates and compares a pad prepared using a dusting cloth with Rodac contact plates and humidified swabs for detecting mycological contamination, and concludes that the new method is superior and cheaper.
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Comparison of two control measures of weatherstripping in reducing blowing dust during hospital renovations. J Infect Chemother 2010; 16:431-5. [PMID: 20981562 DOI: 10.1007/s10156-010-0173-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2010] [Accepted: 09/28/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Hospital renovation projects pose risks of invasive infection by fungi from dust that is blown about during the period in question. Control measures to reduce the amount of dust during hospital renovation are thus necessary. Currently, no study has compared different control measures for effectiveness through more than one period of renovation. In this study, we examined the capacities of two control measures of weatherstripping (0.15 mm poly film and adhesive tape) to reduce the amount of blowing dust during two different hospital renovations (in 2008 and 2009). The amount of dust in the air of the hospital before and during the renovation was measured about once a week in both 2008 and 2009, and the between-year and within-year differences were tested. Our study revealed that the weatherstripping used in 2009 (adhesive tape) was significantly more effective than the measures taken in 2008 (0.15 mm poly film) to reduce the amount of dust during the renovations (p < 0.001), while in both years the amount of dust became significantly higher during the renovations than before the renovations. Differences in the effectiveness of weatherstripping during renovations between floors of the hospital were not significant in both 2008 and 2009. The number of Aspergillus-positive samples did not significantly increase compared with the number observed before the start of the hospital renovations (2006-2007) in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The weatherstripping potentially reduced the associated risk of airborne fungal infection.
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Li DM, Xiu DR, Li RY, Samson R, De Hoog G, Wang DL. Aspergillus flavus myositis in a patient after liver transplantation. Clin Transplant 2008; 22:508-11. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2008.00801.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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11
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Quantifying fungal viability in air and water samples using quantitative PCR after treatment with propidium monoazide (PMA). J Microbiol Methods 2008; 72:180-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2007.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2007] [Revised: 11/19/2007] [Accepted: 11/19/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Saracli MA, Mutlu FM, Yildiran ST, Kurekci AE, Gonlum A, Uysal Y, Erdem U, Basustaoglu AC, Sutton DA. Clustering of invasiveAspergillus ustuseye infections in a tertiary care hospital: A molecular epidemiologic study of an uncommon species. Med Mycol 2007; 45:377-84. [PMID: 17510862 DOI: 10.1080/13693780701313803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus infections are being increasingly recognized as an important cause of morbidity and blindness. We report here the first cluster of Aspergillus ustus endophthalmitis cases which occurred in a large tertiary care hospital during the period October 2003 to June 2004. In three of the cases, the patients required enucleation following cataract surgery, while the fourth involved a fatal infection in a pediatric patient hospitalized for osteopetrosis. Patient charts from the four cases were reviewed retrospectively and indicated that postoperative signs of fungal endophthalmitis developed in the patients 1-11 weeks after surgery. The molecular characterization of the isolates and their epidemiological relatedness were evaluated by Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD). A source investigation of this mini outbreak was performed by environmental sampling, but no isolates of A. ustus were recovered from these studies. All A. ustus strains isolated from three patients with fungal endophthalmitis had the same RAPD pattern suggesting a common source. The strain from the pediatric patient differed from the ophthalmic isolates in five electrophoretic loci. The latter was included solely as an outbreak, unrelated control to evaluate the discriminatory power of the molecular typing method employed in the analysis of the ophthalmic strains. These cases illustrate the potential for uncommon species like A. ustus to cause high morbidity and mortality in some clinical settings. Aspergillus ustus endophthalmitis is a serious and devastating complication of ocular surgery. It is unknown whether ongoing hospital construction may have contributed to this cluster of cases. Random amplification of polymorphic DNA may give valuable clues about the clonality of A. ustus strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Saracli
- Department of Microbiology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Etlik, Ankara, Turkey.
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Abstract
This is the first report of clustered Aspergillus ustus causing systemic disease in transplant patients. Aspergillus ustus is a mold that rarely infects humans; only 15 systemic cases have been reported. We report the first outbreak of invasive infection caused by A. ustus among hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Six patients with infections were identified; 3 infections each occurred in both 2001 and 2003. Molecular typing by using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and antifungal drug susceptibility testing were performed on clinical and environmental isolates recovered from our hospital from 1999 to 2003. The highest overall attack rate in HSCT patients was 1.6%. The overall death rate was 50%, and death occurred within 8 days after diagnostic culture collection. Clinical isolates exhibited decreased susceptibility to antifungal drugs, especially azoles. RAPD and phylogenetic analysis showed genetic similarity between isolates from different patients. Based on the clustering of cases in space and time and molecular data, common-source acquisition of this unusual drug-resistant species is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil A. Panackal
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Seattle, Washington, USA
- University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Alexander Imhof
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Seattle, Washington, USA
- University Hospital, Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Edward W. Hanley
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Kieren A. Marr
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Seattle, Washington, USA
- University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Vonberg RP, Gastmeier P. Nosocomial aspergillosis in outbreak settings. J Hosp Infect 2006; 63:246-54. [PMID: 16713019 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2006.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2005] [Accepted: 02/08/2006] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Nosocomial aspergillosis represents a serious threat for severely immunocompromised patients and numerous outbreaks of invasive aspergillosis have been described. This systematic review summarizes characteristics and mortality rates of infected patients, distribution of Aspergillus spp. in clinical specimens, concentrations of aspergillus spores in volumetric air samples, and outbreak sources. A web-based register of nosocomial epidemics (outbreak database), PubMed and reference lists of relevant articles were searched systematically for descriptions of aspergillus outbreaks in hospital settings. Fifty-three studies with a total of 458 patients were included. In 356 patients, the lower respiratory tract was the primary site of aspergillus infection. Species identified most often were Aspergillus fumigatus (154 patients) and Aspergillus flavus (101 patients). Haematological malignancies were the predominant underlying diseases (299 individuals). The overall fatality rate in these 299 patients (57.6%) was significantly greater than that in patients without severe immunodeficiency (39.4% of 38 individuals). Construction or demolition work was often (49.1%) considered to be the probable or possible source of the outbreak. Even concentrations of Aspergillus spp. below 1 colony-forming unit/m(3) were sufficient to cause infection in high-risk patients. Virtually all outbreaks of nosocomial aspergillosis are attributed to airborne sources, usually construction. Even small concentrations of spores have been associated with outbreaks, mainly due to A. fumigatus or A. flavus. Patients at risk should not be exposed to aspergilli.
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Affiliation(s)
- R-P Vonberg
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Medical School Hannover, Germany.
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Hinrikson HP, Hurst SF, Lott TJ, Warnock DW, Morrison CJ. Assessment of ribosomal large-subunit D1-D2, internal transcribed spacer 1, and internal transcribed spacer 2 regions as targets for molecular identification of medically important Aspergillus species. J Clin Microbiol 2005; 43:2092-103. [PMID: 15872227 PMCID: PMC1153785 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.43.5.2092-2103.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular approaches are now being developed to provide a more rapid and objective identification of fungi compared to traditional phenotypic methods. Ribosomal targets, especially the large-subunit RNA gene (D1-D2 region) and internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2 regions), have shown particular promise for the molecular identification of some fungi. We therefore conducted an assessment of these regions for the identification of 13 medically important Aspergillus species: Aspergillus candidus, Aspergillus (Eurotium) chevalieri, Aspergillus (Fennellia) flavipes, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus granulosus, Aspergillus (Emericella) nidulans, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus restrictus, Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus ustus, and Aspergillus versicolor. The length of ribosomal regions could not be reliably used to differentiate among all Aspergillus species examined. DNA alignment and pairwise nucleotide comparisons demonstrated 91.9 to 99.6% interspecies sequence identities in the D1-D2 region, 57.4 to 98.1% in the ITS1 region, and 75.6 to 98.3% in the ITS2 region. Comparative analysis using GenBank reference data showed that 10 of the 13 species examined exhibited a < or = 1-nucleotide divergence in the D1-D2 region from closely related but different species. In contrast, only 5 of the species examined exhibited a < or = 1-nucleotide divergence from sibling species in their ITS1 or ITS2 sequences. Although the GenBank database currently lacks ITS sequence entries for some species, and major improvement in the quality and accuracy of GenBank entries is needed, current identification of medically important Aspergillus species using GenBank reference data seems more reliable using ITS query sequences than D1-D2 sequences, especially for the identification of closely related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans P Hinrikson
- Mycotic Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA
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Mühlemann K, Wenger C, Zenhäusern R, Täuber MG. Risk factors for invasive aspergillosis in neutropenic patients with hematologic malignancies. Leukemia 2005; 19:545-50. [PMID: 15729382 DOI: 10.1038/sj.leu.2403674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Risk factors for invasive aspergillosis (IA) are incompletely identified and may undergo changes due to differences in medical practice. A cohort of 189 consecutive, adult patients with neutropenia hospitalized in the hemato-oncology ward of the University hospital Berne between 1995 and 1999 were included in a retrospective study to assess risk factors for IA. In total, 45 IA cases (nine proven, three probable, 33 possible), 11 patients with refractory fever and 133 controls were analyzed. IA cases had more often acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (88 vs 38%, P < 0.001) and a longer duration of neutropenia (mean 20.6 vs 9.9 days, P < 0.001). They also had fewer neutropenic episodes during the preceding 6 months (mean 0.42 vs 1.03, P < 0.001), that is, confirmed (82%) and probable (73%) IA occurred most often during the induction cycle. A short time interval ( < or = 14 days) between neutropenic episodes increased the risk of IA four-fold (P = 0.06). Bacteremia, however, was not related to the number of preceding neutropenic episodes. Therefore, neutropenic patients with leukemia or MDS have the highest risk of IA. The risk is highest during the first induction cycle of treatment and increases with short-time intervals between treatment cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Mühlemann
- Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Berne, University Hospital Bern, Berne, Switzerland.
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Abstract
Antifungal prophylaxis represents a significant advance in the management of patients at risk from fungal infections in a variety of settings. Identification of patients at the highest risk and the utilisation of safe and effective drugs maximises the benefits of prophylaxis. Situations in which antifungal prophylaxis has been shown to be useful are bone marrow transplantation, liver and lung transplantation, surgical and neonatal intensive care units, secondary prophylaxis of fungal infections associated with HIV and neutropenia associated haematological malignancies and their treatment. New antifungal agents, such as the echinocandins and the new azoles, are available and have a potential role in antifungal prophylaxis. Future studies should evaluate which strategy is more useful; prophylaxis or pre-emptive therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner
- Laboratory of Mycology Research, Center for the Study of Emerging and Re-emerging Pathogens, University of Texas, Houston Medical School, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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Panackal AA, Dahlman A, Keil KT, Peterson CL, Mascola L, Mirza S, Phelan M, Lasker BA, Brandt ME, Carpenter J, Bell M, Warnock DW, Hajjeh RA, Morgan J. Outbreak of invasive aspergillosis among renal transplant recipients. Transplantation 2003; 75:1050-3. [PMID: 12698098 DOI: 10.1097/01.tp.0000055983.69730.ed] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is rare among renal transplant recipients (RTRs). We investigated a cluster of IA among RTRs at a California hospital from January to February 2001, when construction was ongoing. We conducted a cohort study among RTRs who were hospitalized between January 1 and February 5, 2001, to determine risk factors for IA. IA was defined using established guidelines. Four IA cases occurred among 40 RTRs hospitalized during the study period. Factors associated with an increased risk of IA included prolonged hemodialysis, lengthy corticosteroid treatment posttransplant, and use of sirolimus alone or with mycophenolate (P<0.05). After the study period, three additional RTRs developed IA; two Aspergillus isolates recovered from these patients had indistinguishable profiles by DNA fingerprinting, suggesting common-source exposure. This study suggests that immunosuppressed RTRs can be at an increased risk for IA. Measures to prevent IA in these patients should be taken during hospital construction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil A Panackal
- Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
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