Saprochaete clavata invasive infection: characterization, antifungal susceptibility, and biofilm evaluation of a rare yeast isolated in Brazil

ABSTRACT Rare emerging pathogens such as Saprochaete clavata are associated with invasive fungal diseases, high morbidity, mortality, rapidly fatal infections, and outbreaks. However, little is known about S. clavata infections, epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, biofilms, and disease outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe a new case of severe S. clavata infection in a patient diagnosed at a referral children's hospital in Brazil, including antifungal minimal inhibitory concentration, S. clavata biofilm characterization, and molecular characterization. The S. clavata isolated from an immunocompromised 11-year-old male patient was characterized using MALDI-TOF, Gram staining, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and next generation sequencing (NGS) of genomic DNA. Biofilm production was also evaluated in parallel with determining minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and biofilm sensitivity to antifungal treatment. We observed small to medium, whitish, farinose, dry, filamentous margin colonies, yeast-like cells with bacillary features, and biofilm formation. The MALDI-TOF system yielded a score of ≥ 2,000, while NGS confirmed S. clavata presence at the nucleotide level. The MIC values (in mg L-1) for tested drugs were as follows: fluconazole = 2, voriconazole ≤ 2, caspofungin ≥ 8, micafungin = 2, amphotericin B = 4, flucytosine ≤ 1, and anidulafungin = 1. Amphotericin B can be active against S. clavata biofilm and the fungus can be susceptible to new azoles. These findings were helpful for understanding the development of novel treatments for S. clavata-induced disease, including combined therapy for biofilm-associated infections.

Avaliação do perfil lipídico de adolescentes / Evaluation of lipid profile in adolescents

A aterosclerose é uma doença crônica, multifatorial e insidiosa, podendo iniciar-se na infância ou adolescência, com suas principais consequências aparecendo na fase adulta. As dosagens séricas de lipoproteínas como LDL-c, colesterol total (CT), HDL-c e NÃO HDL-c podem ser usadas como forma de triagem de um diagnóstico. No Brasil há ainda pouquíssimos estudos correlacionando níveis séricos dessas lipoproteínas com a idade das pessoas. Avaliar as concentrações séricas de LDL-c, CT, HDL-c, NÃO HDL-c, VLDL-c e triglicerídeos (TG) em adolescentes de 10 a 19 anos do município de Araucária/PR. Pesquisa transversal retrospectiva, que coletou os seguintes dados de 600 adolescentes: idade, sexo e dosagens de LDL-c, CT, HDL-c, NÃO HDL-c, VLDL-c e TG. Os dados foram avaliados com o programa de análise estatística SPSS 2.0, o teste U de Mann-Whitney e o coeficiente de correlação de Spearman para identificação de significado estatístico (p < 0,05). O sexo feminino exprimiu níveis séricos de CT, TG e LDL-c maiores que o sexo masculino. O HDL-c apresentou valores idênticos em ambos os sexos, com 48% de valores desejáveis e 52% de baixos. O estudo identificou forte correlação entre as frações lipídicas e associação com a idade de 10 a 14 anos. Os resultados apontam que, em comparação ao LDL-c, o NÃO HDL-c apresentou maior correlação com as demais frações lipídicas (TG, LDL-c e CT), sugerindo que o NÃO HDL-c pode ser utilizado como um método eficaz na complementação de diagnóstico para avaliar riscos ateroscleróticos em adolescentes

Atherosclerosis is a chronic, multifactorial and insidious disease that can begin in childhood and adolescence, and whose major consequences appear during adulthood. Serum levels of lipoproteins, such as LDL-c, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-c, and non-HDL-c can be used as a screening method for disease diagnosis. In Brazil, few studies have correlated the serum levels of those lipoproteins with age. To evaluate the serum concentrations of TC, LDL-c, HDL-c, VLDL-c, non-HDL-c and triglycerides (TG) of adolescents aged 10 to 19 years in the municipality of Araucária, Paraná state. Cross-sectional retrospective study, collecting the following data from 600 adolescents: age, sex and serum levels of TC, LDL-c, HDL-c and TG from June to December 2016. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software 2.0, with Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman coefficient of correlation to identify statistical significance (p < 0.05). The female sex showed higher serum levels of TC, TG and LDL-c than the male sex. The HDL-c levels were identical in both sexes, with 48% of desirable values and 52% of low values. This study identified a strong correlation between the lipids and association with the age group of 10 to 14 years. Non-HDL-c showed stronger correlation with the other lipids (TG, LDL-c and TC) as compared to LDL-c, suggesting that non-HDL-c can be used as an effective complementary diagnostic method to assess the risks for atherosclerosis in adolescents