Black fungi: A survey of dematiaceous hyphomycetes from clinical specimens identified over a five year period in a reference laboratory

Pritchard, Robert C.; Muir, D.

doi:10.3109/00313028709066564

Cited by 40 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Dematiaceous molds are usually rarely found at our institution (7.5% in the prospective study, with Cladosporium sp. being found most commonly) and mostly represent contaminants or are considered to be of no pathogenetic significance (33,34).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of the Bruker MALDI Biotyper for Identification of Molds in the Clinical Mycology Laboratory

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is increasingly used for the identification of bacteria and fungi in the diagnostic laboratory. We evaluated the mold database of Bruker Daltonik (Bremen, Germany), the Filamentous Fungi Library 1.0. First, we studied 83 phenotypically and molecularly well-characterized, nondermatophyte, nondematiaceous molds from a clinical strain collection. Using the manufacturer-recommended interpretation criteria, genus and species identification rates were 78.3% and 54.2%, respectively. Reducing the species cutoff from 2.0 to 1.7 significantly increased species identification to 71.1% without increasing misidentifications. In a subsequent prospective study, 200 consecutive clinical mold isolates were identified by the MALDI Biotyper and our conventional identification algorithm. Discrepancies were resolved by ribosomal DNA (rDNA) internal transcribed spacer region sequence analysis. For the MALDI Biotyper, genus and species identification rates were 83.5% and 79.0%, respectively, when using a species cutoff of 1.7. Not identified were 16.5% of the isolates. Concordant genus and species assignments of MALDI-TOF MS and the conventional identification algorithm were observed for 98.2% and 64.2% of the isolates, respectively. Four erroneous species assignments were observed using the MALDI Biotyper. The MALDI Biotyper seems highly reliable for the identification of molds when using the Filamentous Fungi Library 1.0 and a species cutoff of 1.7. However, expansion of the database is required to reduce the number of nonidentified isolates. Molds are an important cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients, particularly among those who are immunocompromised or suffer from serious underlying disease (1-3). Traditionally, identification of molds in the diagnostic mycology laboratory is based on phenotypic traits (4-6). Sufficient growth and sporulation are required to assess macromorphological criteria, including growth on different media and at different temperatures, as well as micromorphological criteria, such as shape of conidia, spores, and mycelial structures. Conventional identification methods have important drawbacks: (i) conventional identification of molds requires a comparably long time to result, (ii) the enormous morphological variability of molds asks for extensive individual expertise of the laboratory personnel, and (iii) some mold isolates do not develop their characteristic structural features under laboratory conditions, preventing identification or even leading to misidentifications. Nucleic acid sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions between the 18S and 28S rRNA genes has emerged as an alternative to conventional identification, especially for isolates with unusual phenotypic profiles and rare molds, including environmental contaminants (4, 7-9).Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is increasingly used in diagnostic bacter...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of the Bruker MALDI Biotyper for Identification of Molds in the Clinical Mycology Laboratory

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, only 10% of dematiaceous lab isolates are likely to have clinical significance (72,607). Clinical disease due to these fungi is uncommon, with one estimate from a large metropolitan area of one case/million persons/year (617).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melanized Fungi in Human Disease

2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY Melanized or dematiaceous fungi are associated with a wide variety of infectious syndromes. Many are soil organisms and are generally distributed worldwide, though certain species appear to have restricted geographic ranges. Though they are uncommon causes of disease, melanized fungi have been increasingly recognized as important pathogens, with most reports occurring in the past 20 years. The spectrum of diseases with which they are associated has also broadened and includes allergic disease, superficial and deep local infections, pneumonia, brain abscess, and disseminated infection. For some infections in immunocompetent individuals, such as allergic fungal sinusitis and brain abscess, they are among the most common etiologic fungi. Melanin is a likely virulence factor for these fungi. Diagnosis relies on careful microscopic and pathological examination, as well as clinical assessment of the patient, as these fungi are often considered contaminants. Therapy varies depending upon the clinical syndrome. Local infection may be cured with excision alone, while systemic disease is often refractory to therapy. Triazoles such as voriconazole, posaconazole, and itraconazole have the most consistent in vitro activity. Further studies are needed to better understand the pathogenesis and optimal treatment of these uncommon infections.

show abstract

“…Fungi are an infrequent cause of peritonitis in patients on PD: the incidence of fungal peritonitis varies from 1% to 15% [1]. Yeast, and rarely filamentous fungi [2,3], are the most frequent causes of fungal peritonitis. In our study, the intent was to report all cases in our institution, from January 1997 until and including December, 2007, where fungal species were isolated from peritoneal fluid (PF) of patients with peritonitis on PD who exhibited some clinical and diagnostic characteristics of fungal peritonitis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ten-year prevalence of fungal peritonitis in the city of Nis, South Serbia

Tasić¹,

Miladinović-Tasić²,

Djordjević

et al. 2010

Open Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AbstractFungal peritonitis is a rare but serious complication in patients with chronic renal failure on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The purpose of this study was to report the prevalence of fungal peritonitis in patients on CAPD in the Clinical Center-Nis (South Serbia) in the period from 1997 until the end of 2007. Fungal species were isolated in 66 cases (4.5%) of 1471 peritoneal fluid (PF) samples that we examined. During the study period, 22 (1.5%) cases of fungal peritonitis were registered. In 19 cases, Candida isolates were identified, Candida albicans (C. albicans) being the most common species (n=15). Two cases of fungal peritonitis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus and 1 possible case caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides (Cl. cladosporioides) were also detected.

show abstract

Black fungi: A survey of dematiaceous hyphomycetes from clinical specimens identified over a five year period in a reference laboratory

Cited by 40 publications

References 9 publications

Use of the Bruker MALDI Biotyper for Identification of Molds in the Clinical Mycology Laboratory

Use of the Bruker MALDI Biotyper for Identification of Molds in the Clinical Mycology Laboratory

Melanized Fungi in Human Disease

Ten-year prevalence of fungal peritonitis in the city of Nis, South Serbia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About