Cerebrospinal fluid: a target of some fungi and an overview

Meningitis is a potentially life-threatening infection characterised by the inflammation of the leptomeningeal membranes. The estimated annual prevalence of 8.7 million cases globally and the disease is caused by many different viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens. Although several genera of fungi are capable of causing infections in the central nervous system (CNS), the most significant number of registered cases have, as causal agents, yeasts of the genus Cryptococcus. The relevance of cryptococcal meningitis has changed in the last decades, mainly due to the increase in the number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and medications that impair the immune responses. In this context, coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has also emerged as a risk factor for invasive fungal infections (IFI), including fungal meningitis (FM), due to severe COVID-19 disease is associated with increased pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha, reduced CD4-interferon-gamma expression, CD4 and CD8 T cells. The gold standard technique for fungal identification is isolating fungi in the culture of the biological material, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, this methodology has as its main disadvantage the slow or null growth of some fungal species in culture, which makes it difficult to finalise the diagnosis. In conclusions, this article, in the first place, point that it is necessary to accurately identify the etiological agent in order to assist in the choice of the therapeutic regimen for the patients, including the implementation of actions that promote the reduction of the incidence, lethality, and fungal morbidity, which includes what is healthy in the CNS.

Estudo do efeito moluscicida de espécies vegetais em embriões e caramujos adultos de Biomphalaria glabrata SAY 1818 (Gastropoda, Planorbidae) / Investigation of the effects of plant species molluscicides on embryos and adult snails of the species Biomphalaria glabrata

A esquistossomose é uma doença parasitária causada por helmintos trematódeos do gênero Schistosoma, que tem o ser humano como hospedeiro definitivo e os planorbídeos do gêneroBiomphalaria como hospedeiros intermediários. É a segunda doença parasitária mais importante nomundo, atingindo mais de 220 milhões de pessoas. A busca por moluscicidas derivados de espécies vegetais tem sido intensificada como alternativa ao uso de moluscicidas sintéticos. O objetivo destetrabalho foi investigar o efeito moluscicida de Annona muricata e Jatropha elliptica no caramujoadulto e em suas desovas. Nos bioensaios, observou-se que os extratos etanólicos das espécies A. muricata e J. elliptica apresentaram efeito concentração-dependente com valores de DL90 68,3 e 41,1 mg/mL-1 , respectivamente, sobre o caramujo adulto, e DL90 27,7 e 24,0 mg/mL-1 sobre as suas desovas. As espécies vegetais investigadas neste trabalho apresentam efeito moluscicida epossivelmente podem ser fontes de compostos no controle da esquistossomose.

Telangiectasia hereditária hemorrágica: causa rara de hipertensão pulmonar? / Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia: rare cause of pulmonary hypertension?

Uma mulher de 73 anos foi admitida ao Pronto-Socorro com insuficiência cardíaca predominantemente direita e anemia. Após avaliação clínica e imagenológica, um diagnóstico de hipertensão pulmonar (HP) associado com telangiectasia hemorrágica hereditária (THH) foi confirmado. A resposta inicial à terapia com bosentan mais sildenafil foi boa, incluindo melhora na Classe Funcional e redução do edema, permitindo que ela recebesse alta hospitalar. Infelizmente, a paciente faleceu devido à sua condição básica, antes que o efeito do tratamento combinado pudesse ser completamente avaliado. A HP deve ser considerada em pacientes com THH e o screening para HP deve ser conduzido nesses pacientes e em seus familiares.

A 73-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room with predominantly right-sided heart failure and anemia. Following clinical and imagiological evaluation, a diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) was confirmed. The initial response to bosentan plus sildenafil was good, including improvement in functional class and reduction of edema, allowing her to be discharged. Unfortunately, the patient died, due to her underlying condition, before the effects of the combination treatment could be fully assessed. PH should be considered in patients with HTT and screening for pulmonary hypertension should be performed in these patients and their relatives.

Fungal flora of the digestive tract of Rhodnius prolixus, Rhodnius neglectus, Diptelanogaster maximus and Panstrongylus megistus, vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, Chagas, 1909

Um estudo da micobiota do trato digestivo de quatro importantes espécies de triatomíneos, Rhodnius prolixus, R. neglectus, Diptelanogaster maximus e Panstrongylus megistus, foi realizado. Foram examinados os tratos digestivos de 90 adultos e 425 ninfas destas espécies de triatomíneos e 365 cepas fúngicas foram isoladas. Os gêneros com o maior número de espécies encontradas foram Aspergillus, Penicillium (14 espécies cada), Acremonium e Cladosporium (3 espécies cada) e as espécies mais freqüentes, em ordem decrescente, foram Aspergillus awamori, Penicillium corylophilum, Cladosporium herbarum e Aspergillus niger. Dentre os fungos isolados, concluímos que Aspergillus niger e Penicillium corylophilum possam fazer parte da flora natural do trato digestivo destes triatomíneos.

Production of L-asparaginase by filamentous fungi

L-asparaginase production was investigated in the filamentous fungi Aspergillus tamarii and Aspergillus terreus. The fungi were cultivated in medium containing different nitrogen sources. A. terreus showed the highest L-asparaginase (activity) production level (58 U/L) when cultivated in a 2 percent proline medium. Both fungi presented the lowest level of L-asparaginase production in the presence of glutamine and urea as nitrogen sources. These results suggest that L-asparaginase production by of filamentous fungi is under nitrogen regulation.

Isolation of fungi in Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Muscidae) captured at two natural breeding grounds in the municipality of Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The objective of this study was to isolate and identify fungal species found in natural association with adults of Musca domestica. The adult insects were collected from two natural breeding grounds: hog pens and an urban sanitary landfill. The isolated fungi were identified as: Aspergillus flavus (23.8 percent), A. niger var. niger (14.4 percent), Penicillium corylophilum (21.4 percent), P. fellutanum (11.9 percent), Cladosporium cladosporoides (4.7 percent), Fusarium sp. (4.7 percent), Alternaria alternata (11.9 percent), Curvularia brachyspora (2.4 percent), Mycelia sterilia (2.4 percent) and the Mucorales order (2.4 percent)

Avaliação in vitro dos fungos aspergillus flavus e penicillium corylophilum em larvas de musca domestica diptera muscidade / In vitro avaliation of the fungus aspergillus flavus and penicillium corylophilum in larvae of musca domestica diptera muscidade

The present study was aimed at the evaluation of two isolates of Aspergillus flavus and two isolates of Penicilium corylophilum on third stage larvae of Musca domestica. The samples tested were isolated directly from M. domestica specimens. Third stage larvae were obtained from pupas of a laboratory colony. Four batches with 20 larvae were used for each of conidia dilution tested (105 to 108 conidia/ml). Larvae were dipped for one minute into conidia dilution, being then moved to dishes and kept under controlled environmental conditions. Two control groups were used: one received a treatment with spreading adhesive and the other one with no treatment at all. Larval surviving rates were: 57.50 percent and 86.25 percent for groups treated with 108 conidia/ml of A. flavus; and 63.75 percent and 72.50 percent for those who had received the same concentration of P. corylophilum conidia. Larval mortality rates were greater for groups that received higher conidia concentrations, and also increased directly proportional to exposition time. Adult hatching rates on treated groups, were affected by fungi treatment. It was concluded that A. flavus and P. corylophilum presented detrimental effects for third stage larvae of M. domestica

Avaliacao in vitro dos fungos aspergillus flavus e penicillium corylophilum em adultos de musca domestica / In vitro avaliation of the fungus aspergillus flavus and penicillium corylophilum in adults of musca domestica

O objetivo do presente estudo foi o de avaliar o potencial de dois isolados fúngicos de Aspergillus flavus e dois isolados de Penicillium corylophilum sobre adultos de Musca domestica. Para a realizacao dos bioensaios foram selecionados dois isolados de cada especie fúngica. Os adultos de M. domestica para os bioensaios foram obtidos a partir de pupas da colonia desta especie. Moscas adultas recem emergidas foram separadas en quatro grupos con dez moscas para cada uma das diluicoes das suspensoes conidiais (10 elevado a 5 a 10 elevado a 8 conídios/ml). Foram realizadas pulverizacoes de 2,5 ml das suspensoes conidiais para cada repeticao. Dois grupos controles foram mantidos, no primeiro as moscas foram tratadas com espalhante adesivo e o segundo sem nenhum tratamento. Os insetos adultos foram sensíveis aos tratamentos com diferentes isolados fúngicos, princeipalmente nos tratamentos com suspensoes com maiores concentracoes conidiais. No bioensaio com um dos isolados de A. flavus ocorreu a mortalidade de 100 percento das moscas no terceiro dia após a infeccao. Nos bioensaios com os dois isolados de P. corylophilum, 100 percento das moscas tratadas morreram até o sétimo dia após infeccao. O ritmo de mortalidade foi mais lento nos tratamentos com menores concentracoes conidiais prolongandose até o 15º dia