Detection ofParacoccidioidesspp. in environmental aerosol samples

Abstract

Taking into account that paracoccidioidomycosis infection occurs by inhalation of the asexual conidia produced by Paracoccidioides spp. in its saprobic phase, this work presents the collection of aerosol samples as an option for environmental detection of this pathogen, by positioning a cyclonic air sampler at the entrance of armadillo burrows. Methods included direct culture, extinction technique culture and Nested PCR of the rRNA coding sequence, comprising the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region. In addition, we evaluated one armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) as a positive control for the studied area. Although the pathogen could not be isolated by the culturing strategies, the aerosol sampling associated with molecular detection through Nested PCR proved the best method for discovering Paracoccidioides spp. in the environment. Most of the ITS sequences obtained in this investigation proved to be highly similar with the homologous sequences of Paracoccidioides lutzii from the GenBank database, suggesting that this Paracoccidioides species may not be exclusive to mid-western Brazil as proposed so far.

Paracoccidioidomycosis infection in domestic and wild mammals by Paracoccidioides lutzii

“…Another study, detecting P. lutzii DNA in aerosols from the southeast region of Brazil, had already suggested that this fungus could not exist exclusively in the Midwest region of the country as previously proposed . Our results corroborate with this study, suggesting the presence of P. lutzii also in southern Brazil.…”

“…7 Phylogenetic studies about the aetiological agent of the disease found that Paracoccidioides brasiliensis corresponds to a complex of species: P. brasiliensis (S1, PS2, PS3, PS4) and P. lutzii, with descriptive occurrence in geographical areas of Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela (S1 and PS2) and Colombia (PS3). 8,9 The subspecies PS4 was most recently isolated in Venezuela 10,11 and P. lutzii was recently described in Brazil. 8 Few data are described in the literature concerning the infection by this new PCM agent, P. lutzii.…”

Fatal Fungemia due to Paracoccidioides lutzii

“…Recently, Arantes and others 27 reported environmental nucleic acid sequences belonging to P. lutzii in the hyperendemic region of Botucatu in the southeast region of Brazil, 27 an area formerly assumed to have a high prevalence of species S1. [2][3][4] However, no increase in clinical cases of PCM caused by P. lutzii has been seen in areas others than the central-west region of Brazil, which could be related to differences in the survival and growth of this species in nature, differences in human exposure, or even host resistance to infection in this area, and the misidentification of this pathogenic species by currently available techniques.…”

Prevalence and Serological Diagnosis of Relapse in Paracoccidioidomycosis Patients

“…Such results suggest that there are differences in the fungus antigenic composition of P. brasiliensis . Arantes et al [27] collected aerosol samples for the environmental detection of Paracoccidioides ssp. , by placing a cyclonic air sampler at the entrance of the armadillo burrow in Botucatu (SP).…”