Facial botryomycosis-like pyoderma in an HIV-infected patient: remission after initiation of darunavir and raltegravir

Abstract Botryomycosis is an uncommon, chronic, suppurative, bacterial infection that primarily affects the skin and subcutaneous tissues. It has long been associated with defects of cellular immunity. We report a 28-year-old woman who presented with a chronic, ulcerated lesion with draining sinuses in the right malar region. Predisposing factors were HIV infection with poor immunological control, alcoholism, and a previous trauma to the right cheek. Several courses of antimicrobial therapy provided only partial and temporary remission. Complete clinical remission was only achieved 5 years later when a novel antiretroviral regimen composed of darunavir and raltegravir was initiated.

Avaliação do extrato etanólico de Ottonia martiana Miq. para o controle de duas doenças florestais / Evaluation of Ottonia martiana Miq. alcoholic extract to control two forest diseases

Metabólitos secundários presentes em plantas medicinais apresentam várias propriedades biológicas incluindo a atividade antifúngica. Esse estudo avaliou o potencial antifúngico da planta medicinal Ottonia martiana no controle da pinta-preta em erva-mate (Ilex paraguariensis) e do mofo-cinzento em eucalipto (Eucalyptus dunnii). Extrato etanólico (EBEtOH) dos órgãos totais (raízes, caules, folhas e frutos) foi preparado e testado na concentração de 1000 μg mL-1 contra os patógenos Cylindrocladium spathulatum (pinta-preta) e Botrytis cinerea (mofo-cinzento). Bioensaios in vitro (germinação de esporos e bioautografia direta) e in vivo (teste de patogenicidade em mudas) mostraram que o EBEtOH reduziu o crescimento micelial dos patógenos testados e a germinação dos esporos de C. spathulatum e estimulou a germinação de esporos de B. cinerea. O teste de patogenicidade mostrou que o controle da pinta-preta em erva-mate e do mofo cinzento em eucalipto não é viável usando-se a concentração testada de EBEtOH de O. martiana. Na bioautografia direta, foram detectadas zonas de inibição de crescimento micelial dos fungos e que foram relacionadas com a presença de piperovatina.

Secondary metabolites from medicinal plants have several biological properties, including antifungal activity. This study evaluated the antifungal potential of the medicinal plant Ottonia martiana to control maté leaf spot (Ilex paraguariensis) and eucalypt gray mould (Eucalyptus dunnii). Ethanol extract (EBEtOH) of the total parts (roots, stems, leaves and fruits) was prepared at the concentration of 1000 μg mL-1 and tested against Cylindrocladium spathulatum (maté leaf spot) and Botrytis cinerea (eucalypt gray mould). In vitro bioassays (spore germination and direct bioautography) and in vivo bioassays (pathogenicity test in seedlings) showed that EBEtOH reduced the mycelial growth of the tested pathogens and the germination of C. spathulatum spores and stimulated the germination of B. cinerea spores. The pathogenicity test showed that the control of maté leaf spot and eucalypt gray mould is not viable using the tested concentration of O. martiana EBEtOH. Zones of mycelial growth inhibition were detected in direct bioautography and were related to the presence of piperovatine.

Boty-II, a novel LTR retrotransposon in Botrytis cinerea B05.10 revealed by genomic sequence

Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic pathogen causing pre- and post-harvest diseases in at least 235 plant species. It manifests extraordinary genotype and phenotype variation. One of the causes of this variation is transposable elements. Two transposable elements have been discovered in this fungus, the retrotransposon (Boty), and the transposon (Flipper). In this work, two complete (Boty-II-76 and Boty-II-103) and two partial (Boty-II-95 and Boty-II-141) long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons were identified by an in silico genomic sequence analysis. Boty-II-76 and Boty-II-103 contain 6439 bp nucleotides with a pair of LTRs at both ends, and an internal deduced pol gene encoding a polyprotein with reverse transcriptase and DDE integrase domains. They are flanked by 5 bp direct repeats (ACCAT, CTTTC). In Boty-II-141, two LTRs at both ends, and a partial internal pol gene encoding a protein with a DDE integrase domain were identified. In Boty-II-95, a right LTR and a partial internal pol gene encoding a protein with no conserved domains were identified. Boty-II uses a self-priming mechanism to initiate synthesis of reverse transcripts. The sequence of the presumed primer binding site for first-strand reverse transcription is 5’-TTGTACCAT-3’. The polypurine-rich sequence for plus-strand DNA synthesis is 5’-GCCTTGAGCGGGGGGTAC-3’. Fourteen Boty-II LTRs that contain 125-158 bp nucleotides and share 69.1 ~ 100 percent identities with the short inverted terminal repeats of 5 bp (TGTCA…TGACA) were discovered. Analysis of structural features and phylogeny revealed that Boty-II is a novel LTR retrotransposon. It could potentially be used as a novel molecular marker for the investigation of genetic variation in B. cinerea.

Isolation of chitinase gene induced during infection of vicia faba by botrytis fabae

The moderately resistant [Giza 716] and the susceptible [Giza 429] faba bean cultivars were used to identify some pathogenesis related proteins [PRs] associated with infection by chocolate spot disease. One isolate of Botrytis fabae purified from a plant sample taken from Nubaria location [Behera governorate, Egypt] was used in the artificial infection experiment. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out on all protein banding patterns of the healthy and the infected faba bean leaves harvested at 8, 24 and 48 hr after inoculation. Data revealed that a 26 kDa protein band was more intensive 8, 24 and 48 hr after inoculation in cultivar Giza 716,. In addition, a 29 kDa protein band appeared after 24 and 48 hr. Furthermore, in cultivar Giza 429, 54 kDa protein bands appeared after 8, 24 and 48 hr post inoculation and 28 and 20 kDa appeared after 24 hr post inoculation.Reverse-Transcription [RT-PCR] showed that chitinase gene is expressed at very early stages in infected faba bean leaves. DNA fragment at molecular weight 900 bp appeared at 8, 24 and 48 hr after inoculation and disappeared in the healthy plants. The amplified products were cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector. Four clones named [PNAM1, PNAM2, PNAM3 and PNAM4] were selected for validation. The recombinant plasmids PNAM1, PNAM2 were verified for the presence of the Chitinase gene coding sequences by using both specific and universal primers in PCR. BNAM1-Chit-EG gene sequence showed 58.15% similarity when aligned with other Chitinase genes published in the gene bank

Aspectos epidemiológicos de botrytis cinerea pers. en chirimoyos (annona cherimolia mill) / Epidemiological aspects of botrytis cinerea in custard apple-tree (annona cherimolia mill)

Debido a que botrytis cinerea causa importantes pérdidas en pre y postcosecha en chirimoyas, se realizó un seguimiento de un huerto en producción en la localidad de la Palma, Quillota, para determinar su incidencia, correlacionándola con la temperatura, humedad relativa y precipitación. Para determinar la presencia de este hongo, se realizó un muestreo de hojas, frutos y flores tardías entre abril y octubre de 1997. Estas muestras se colocaron en cámaras húmedas por 10 días, bajo condiciones de luz y temperatura favorables a la esporulación. En octubre y noviembre de 1997, se determinó su presencia en semillas y en 66 frutos (embalados y mantenidos a temperatura ambiente por 12 días) y en febrero de 1988 su presencia en flores. Todas las cepas obtenidas se sembraron en APD a 22ºC por 10 días. La incidencia de cepas de botrytis comenzó en el período de precipitaciones y fue un aumento después de los meses más lluviosos. La primera determinación en hojas, con o sin síntomas, se inicio en mayo y logró un máximo en octubre. En junio comenzó su detección en frutos lográndo su máximo en septiembre, no evidenciándose síntomas de pudrición en éstos. No se detectó botrytis en flores, flores tardías ni en semillas. La incidencia de botrytis en frutos en postcosecha alcanzó un 10,6 porciento. De 9 aislamientos de botrytis efectuados se determinó sólo la presencia de b. cinerea