An investigation on non-invasive fungal sinusitis; Molecular identification of etiologic agents

Abstract

Background:Fungal sinusitis is increasing worldwide in the past two decades. It is divided into two types including invasive and noninvasive. Noninvasive types contain allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) and fungus ball. AFS is a hypersensitivity reaction to fungal allergens in the mucosa of the sinonasal tract in atopic individuals. The fungus ball is a different type of noninvasive fungal rhinosinusitis which is delineated as an accumulation of debris and fungal elements inside a paranasal sinus. Fungal sinusitis caused by various fungi such as Aspergillus species, Penicillium, Mucor, Rhizopus, and phaeohyphomycetes. The aim of the present study is to identify fungal species isolated from noninvasive fungal sinusitis by molecular methods.Materials and Methods:During 2015–2016, a total of 100 suspected patients were examined for fungal sinusitis. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery was performed using the Messerklinger technique. Clinical samples were identified by phenotypic and molecular methods. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequencing of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism with MspI restriction enzyme was performed for molecular identification of molds and yeasts, respectively.Results:Twenty-seven out of 100 suspected cases (27%) had fungal sinusitis. Nasal congestion (59%) and headache (19%) were the most common clinical signs among patients. Fifteen patients (55.5%) were male and 12 patients (44.5%) were female. Aspergillus flavus was the most prevalent fungal species (26%), followed by Penicillium chrysogenum (18.5%) and Candida glabrata species complex (15%).Conclusion:Since clinical manifestations, computed tomography scan, endoscopy, and histopathological findings are very nonspecific in AFS and fungus ball; therefore, molecular investigations are compulsory for precise identification of etiologic agents and appropriate management of these fungal infections.

Development of a lateral flow recombinase polymerase amplification assay for rapid and visual detection of Cryptococcus neoformans/C. gattii in cerebral spinal fluid

“…DNA extraction was conducted using glass beads (CapitalBio, Beijing, China) and boiling method as earlier reported with a little revision [26–28]. Briefly, a bit of sediments of CSF after centrifugation or fresh colonies were suspended in 50 μl of 1× TE buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA, pH 8.0) within an extraction tube and incubated at 95 °C in a boiling water-bath for 5 min.…”

Frequency of non-invasive fungal sinusitis in patients undergoing surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis

“…In recent studies, the fungus species frequently isolated in the microbiological analyses of allergic fungal sinusitis were Aspergillus, Alternaria, Curvularia, Exserohilum, Drechslera, Helminthosporium, and Fusarium. In mycetoma, Aspergillus, especially Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus were frequently isolated [15][16][17][18][21][22][23][24]. In our study, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Candida and Aspergillus fumigatus (most common) and Aspergillus flavus were the most prevalent fungus species in the patients with allergic fungal sinusitis.…”

Occurrence of common diseases among the staff of three residential halls of University of Dhaka

“…In the present study, the highest occurrence of sinusitis was observed among the middle aged (31 -45) staff of Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah hall (37.25%). Mohammadi et al (2017) conducted a study in medical centers of Iran and found 27 out of 100 suspected cases (27%) had fungal sinusitis.…”