Fungal Biofilms in Human Disease

Williams, Craig; Ramage, Gordon

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-09782-4_2

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 207 publications

(120 reference statements)

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“…In addition, Aspergillus species have been reported to cause biomaterial-related biofilm infections, which involve catheters, cardiac pace makers, heart valves, and joint replacements (Williams and Ramage 2015). Like in C. albicans biofilms, the ECM that surrounds the intricate hyphal network of A. fumigatus (Beauvais et al 2007) in either IA or aspergilloma may account for the resistance of the fungus against phagocytic and antimicrobial attacks (Ramage et al 2012).…”

Section: Biofilm Production In Fungal Isolatesmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Although catheter removal is the conventional management of catheter-associated fungemia (Walraven and Lee 2013), salvaging the catheter can often help to minimize mechanical complications that the procedure itself carries; so, many techniques have been used to prevent the biofilm formation by targeting different stages of biofilm maturation (Yousif et al 2015). A plenty of studies reproducing a fungal sessile community in vitro has allowed not only to study the development of a biofilm, its interaction with other microorganisms and the environment, and its susceptibility to available antifungal agents, but also to search for new therapies (Williams and Ramage 2015). In the meantime, these studies have revealed biofilm features which led to the development of several methodologies strategies (Williams and Ramage 2015).…”

Section: Biofilm Production In Fungal Isolatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A plenty of studies reproducing a fungal sessile community in vitro has allowed not only to study the development of a biofilm, its interaction with other microorganisms and the environment, and its susceptibility to available antifungal agents, but also to search for new therapies (Williams and Ramage 2015). In the meantime, these studies have revealed biofilm features which led to the development of several methodologies strategies (Williams and Ramage 2015). For example, published work indicates that biofilms grown in microtiter dishes do develop some properties of mature biofilms, such as antibiotic tolerance and resistance to immune system effectors (Ramage et al 2012).…”

Section: Biofilm Production In Fungal Isolatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, while there is growing interest in unveiling the true involvement of fungal biofilms in human disease (Williams and Ramage 2015), this goal has been primarily achieved with the pathogenic fungi Candida albicans (and, at lesser extent, non-albicans Candida species) and Aspergillus fumigatus (Herwald and Kumamoto 2014;M€ uller et al 2011). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diagnostic of Fungal Infections Related to Biofilms

Sanguinetti

Posteraro

2016

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

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Fungal biofilm-related infections, most notably those caused by the Candida and Aspergillus genera, need to be diagnosed accurately and rapidly to avoid often unfavorable outcomes. Despite diagnosis of these infections is still based on the traditional histopathology and culture, the use of newer, rapid methods has enormously enhanced the diagnostic capability of a modern clinical mycology laboratory. Thus, while accurate specieslevel identification of fungal isolates can be achieved with turnaround times considerably shortened, nucleic acid-based or antigen-based detection methods can be considered useful adjuncts for the diagnosis of invasive forms of candidiasis and aspergillosis. Furthermore, simple, reproducible, and fast methods have been developed to quantify biofilm production by fungal isolates in vitro. In this end, isolates can be categorized as low, moderate, or high biofilm-forming, and this categorization may reflect their differential response to the conventional antifungal therapy. By means of drug susceptibility testing performed on fungal biofilm-growing isolates, it is now possible to evaluate not only the activity of conventional antifungal agents, but also of novel anti-biofilm agents. Despite this, future diagnostic methods need to target specific biofilm components/molecules, in order to provide a direct proof of the presence of this growth phenotype on the site of infection. In the meantime, our knowledge of the processes underlying the adaptive drug resistance within the biofilm has put into evidence biofilm-specific molecules that could be potentially helpful as therapeutic targets. Surely, the successful management of clinically relevant fungal biofilms will rely upon the advancement and/or refinement of these approaches.

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Section: Biofilm Production In Fungal Isolatesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Biofilm Production In Fungal Isolatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biofilm Production In Fungal Isolatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diagnostic of Fungal Infections Related to Biofilms

Sanguinetti

Posteraro

2016

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

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“…Biofilms are microbial communities that are attached to surfaces and held together by an extracellular matrix. Growth in a mass increases the resistance of the organisms to environmental stress, their resistance to antifungal activities and also effectively shields them from attack by phagocytes (Williams and Ramage, 2015). Fungi that are capable of forming biofilms are C. albicans (Zelante et al, 2012), C. neoformans, H. casulatum, P. brasiliensis , and A. fumigatus (Ramage et al, 2009; Pitangui et al, 2015; Sardi et al, 2015).…”

Section: Stealthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-Immune Strategies of Pathogenic Fungi

Marcos¹,

Oliveira²,

Melo³

et al. 2016

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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Pathogenic fungi have developed many strategies to evade the host immune system. Multiple escape mechanisms appear to function together to inhibit attack by the various stages of both the adaptive and the innate immune response. Thus, after entering the host, such pathogens fight to overcome the immune system to allow their survival, colonization and spread to different sites of infection. Consequently, the establishment of a successful infectious process is closely related to the ability of the pathogen to modulate attack by the immune system. Most strategies employed to subvert or exploit the immune system are shared among different species of fungi. In this review, we summarize the main strategies employed for immune evasion by some of the major pathogenic fungi.

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Aspergillus Biofilms in Human Disease

Williams

Rajendran

Ramage

2016

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

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The biofilm phenotype of Aspergillus species is an important and accepted clinical entity. While industrially these biofilms have been used extensively in important biofermentations, their role in clinical infection is less well defined. A recent flurry of activity has demonstrated that these interesting filamentous moulds have the capacity to form biofilms both in vitro and in vivo, and through various investigations have shown that these are exquisitely resistant to antifungal therapies through a range of adaptive resistance mechanisms independent of defined genetic changes. This review will explore the clinical importance of these biofilms and provide contemporary information with respect to their clinical management.

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Fungal Biofilms in Human Disease

Cited by 21 publications

References 207 publications

Diagnostic of Fungal Infections Related to Biofilms

Diagnostic of Fungal Infections Related to Biofilms

Anti-Immune Strategies of Pathogenic Fungi

Aspergillus Biofilms in Human Disease

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