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Dinev T, Velichkova K, Stoyanova A, Sirakov I. Microbial Pathogens in Aquaponics Potentially Hazardous for Human Health. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2824. [PMID: 38137969 PMCID: PMC10745371 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The union of aquaculture and hydroponics is named aquaponics-a system where microorganisms, fish and plants coexist in a water environment. Bacteria are essential in processes which are fundamental for the functioning and equilibrium of aquaponic systems. Such processes are nitrification, extraction of various macro- and micronutrients from the feed leftovers and feces, etc. However, in aquaponics there are not only beneficial, but also potentially hazardous microorganisms of fish, human, and plant origin. It is important to establish the presence of human pathogens, their way of entering the aforementioned systems, and their control in order to assess the risk to human health when consuming plants and fish grown in aquaponics. Literature analysis shows that aquaponic bacteria and yeasts are mainly pathogenic to fish and humans but rarely to plants, while most of the molds are pathogenic to humans, plants, and fish. Since the various human pathogenic bacteria and fungi found in aquaponics enter the water when proper hygiene practices are not applied and followed, if these requirements are met, aquaponic systems are a good choice for growing healthy fish and plants safe for human consumption. However, many of the aquaponic pathogens are listed in the WHO list of drug-resistant bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed, making disease control by antibiotics a real challenge. Because pathogen control by conventional physical methods, chemical methods, and antibiotic treatment is potentially harmful to humans, fish, plants, and beneficial microorganisms, a biological control with antagonistic microorganisms, phytotherapy, bacteriophage therapy, and nanomedicine are potential alternatives to these methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toncho Dinev
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria;
| | - Katya Velichkova
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria;
| | - Antoniya Stoyanova
- Department of Plant Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria;
| | - Ivaylo Sirakov
- Department of Animal Husbandry–Non-Ruminant Animals and Special Branches, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria;
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Cheng J, Zeng D, Zhang T, Zhang L, Han X, Zhou P, Wang L, He J, Han Q. Microascus cirrosus SZ 2021: A potentially new genotype of Microascus cirrosus, which can cause fatal pulmonary infection in patients with acute leukemia following haplo‑HSCT. Exp Ther Med 2023; 26:404. [PMID: 37522054 PMCID: PMC10375443 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2023.12103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Uncommon Microascus cirrosus (M. cirrosus) species have been reported to cause an increasing number of subcutaneous and invasive fungal infections worldwide; since the first human infection was reported in 1992, seven cases have been reported in PubMed. The present study reports a novel genotype named M. cirrosus SZ 2021 isolated from a patient undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, who exhibited extensive drug resistance and suffered a fatal pulmonary infection. This isolated M. cirrosus was cultured and determined by morphological observation, multi-locus sequence typing, matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and whole genome sequencing by next-generation sequencing. The whole nucleotide sequence (32.61 Mb) has been uploaded in the NCBI database (PRJNA835605). In addition, M. cirrosus SZ 2021 was not sensitive to the commonly used antifungal drugs, including fluconazole, amphotericin B, 5-flucytosine and caspofungin. The current literature on human infections by M. cirrosus was reviewed to closely define the comprehensive clinical characteristics and etiological identification. In brief, the present study identified a new M. cirrosus and summarized the clinical characteristics of fungal pneumonia by M. cirrosus species. Complete laboratory identification methods from morphology to gene sequencing were also established for an improved etiological identification and further investigation into the real prevalence of invasive pneumonia by M. cirrosus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianjun Cheng
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, P.R. China
| | - Daxiong Zeng
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, P.R. China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, P.R. China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, P.R. China
| | - Xiu Han
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, P.R. China
| | - Peng Zhou
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, P.R. China
| | - Lin Wang
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, P.R. China
| | - Jun He
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
- Department of Human Leukocyte Antigen Laboratory, Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215031, P.R. China
| | - Qingzhen Han
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, P.R. China
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Peng D, Zhu X, Liu Y, Li X, Chen G, Li Y, Xiao X. Evaluation of Formic Acid Sandwich (FA-sandwich), A Pretreatment method for Filamentous Fungi, for the Identification of Clinically Relevant Filamentous Fungi by Two MALDI-TOF MS systems. Med Mycol 2022; 60:6535568. [PMID: 35199840 DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myac018] [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: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been successfully applied to identify microorganisms. However, unlike bacteria and yeast where identification results can be obtained rapidly and accurately by using a simple direct-coating pretreatment method, the traditional pretreatment methods for filamentous fungi are more complex, involving ethanol, formic acid, acetonitrile, and a protein extraction process by centrifugation, i.e., the EtOH-FA full extraction. This cumbersome pretreatment for filamentous fungi is a major reason for the lack of widespread use of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of filamentous fungi in clinical settings. The present study describes an alternative method, the FA-sandwich, and demonstrates that the approach is efficient and effective. 148 clinical filamentous fungal isolates collected from three large general hospitals in Hubei Province, China, were processed by the FA-sandwich method and identified by two MALDI-TOF MS platforms, Autof ms and Vitek MS. The FA-sandwich allowed a 93.9% species-level identification with Autof ms, and 97.3% species-level identification rates were found for Vitek MS when the IVD, the RUO and in-house databases are used in combination. Further comparison of the ease of FA-sandwich with the EtOH-FA full extraction showed that the FA-sandwich is a more convenient, time- and reagent-saving, and sensitive pretreatment method. These findings indicate that the FA-sandwich method is suitable for pretreating filamentous fungi followed by MALDI-TOF MS identification in clinical microbiology laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Peng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huanggang Central Hospital, Huanggang, Hubei Province, China
| | - Xiaobin Zhu
- Department of Spine Surgery and Musculoskeletal Tumor, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanhua Liu
- Department of clinical laboratory, Hospital of China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoning Li
- Department of Nephrology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Guoqiang Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huanggang Central Hospital, Huanggang, Hubei Province, China
| | - Yirong Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Engineering Center for Infectious Disease Prevention, Control and Treatment
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Engineering Center for Infectious Disease Prevention, Control and Treatment
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Liu Q, Kong L, Hua L, Xu S. Pulmonary Microascus cirrosus infection in an immunocompetent patient with bronchiectasis: A case report. Respir Med Case Rep 2021; 34:101484. [PMID: 34386343 PMCID: PMC8346684 DOI: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2021.101484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Microascus species are widely distributed and rarely cause invasive infection in humans. Here we report a case of lung Microascus cirrosus infection in an immunocompetent patient with bronchiectasis. While on systemic voriconazole and aerosolized amphotericin B for three months, the patient's overall condition improved. This case report highlights the possibility of rare pathogen infection occurred in a bronchiectasis patient, as well as the importance of accurate diagnosis and individualized therapy of pulmonary Microascus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Health Ministry, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Luxia Kong
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Health Ministry, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Lijuan Hua
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Health Ministry, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shuyun Xu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases of Health Ministry, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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