Steroid-binding receptors in fungi: implication for systemic mycoses.

It has been shown that some of the mycotic infections especially systemic mycoses show increased male susceptibility and some steroids have been known to influence the immune response. Researchers found that some fungi including yeasts use "message molecules" including hormones to elicit certain responses, especially in the sexual cycle, but until recently no evidence was available to link specific hormonal evidence to this pronounced sex ratio. More evidence needed to demonstrate that a steroid (s) might in some manner influence the pathogenicity of the fungus in vivo. Therefore, the aim of this review paper is to shed some light on this subject along with effort to make mycologists more aware of this research as a stimulus for the explore of new ideas and design further research in this area of medical mycology.

Isolation of keratinophilic fungi from elementary schools and public parks in Isfahan, Iran.

A total of 330 dust and soil samples collected from different sites at 13 elementary schools and seven public parks in the province of Isfahan, Iran were examined for the frequency of keratinophilic fungi by the hair-baiting technique. Two hundred and fourteen isolates of keratinophilic fungi belonging to seven species were identified. The most frequent isolate was Chrysosporium keratinophilum (54.2%). The frequency and distribution of these keratinophilic fungi are discussed in relation to the presence of children in these environments.

Antifungal activities of pelargonic and capric acid on Microsporum gypseum.

The inhibitory effects of pelargonic and capric acid on Microsporum gypseum were examined. Solid and liquid Sabouraud glucose media containing different concentrations of pelargonic and capric acid were separately prepared and inoculated with the suspension of mycelium and spores of M. gypseum and incubated at 25 degrees C for 1 month. The culture media were examined periodically for fungal growth and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each fatty acid was determined. The MIC for capric acid was 0.02 mg ml-1 and for pelargonic acid 0.04 mg ml-1 on solid media and 0.075 mg ml-1 for capric acid and 0.05 mg ml-1 for pelargonic acid in the liquid media.

The incidence of opportunistic fungi in patients suspected of tuberculosis.

The incidence of opportunistic fungi in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens from patients suspected of tuberculosis in Isfahan, Iran, was determined. From 200 patients 36 yeasts (18%) and seven filamentous fungi (3.5%) were isolated. Out of 44 patients who had fungal infections, 12 cases were affected with definite tuberculosis.

Prevalence and aetiology of dermatophytoses in Isfahan, Iran.

In this study the prevalence and causative agents of dermatophytoses in Isfahan, a large province of Iran, were determined. Of 16,578 clinically suspected cases 13.3% were affected with dermatophytoses. Lesions of tinea capitis were the most prevalent clinical type of dermatophytoses (54.1%), followed by tinea corporis (23.8%) and tinea pedis (8.9%). Trichophyton verrucosum was the most frequent causative agent (32.8%), followed by Epidermophyton floccosum (17.6%), T. mentagrophytes (16.2%) and Microsporum canis (12.3%). We found a relationship between the spread of dermatophytoses and live-stock infected with dermatophytoses in Isfahan.

Isolation of opportunistic fungi from bronchoalveolar lavage of compromised hosts in Isfahan, Iran.

In this study, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens from 247 immunocompromised patients were investigated for the incidence of opportunistic fungi. In the direct examination and culture of the specimens, 5 (2.02%) of filamentous fungi and 55 (22.26%) yeasts were isolated and identified as follows: Aspergillus fumigatus (2), A. terreus (1), A. nidulans (1), Mucor sp. (1), Candida albicans (29), C. glabrata (3), C. Parapsilosis (1), Trichosporon beigelii (1), Candida sp. (13) and unknown yeasts (8). In addition, one strain of Nocardia asteroides and two strains of Streptomyces sp. were isolated.

Incidence of airborne fungi in Isfahan, Iran.

During the one-year period of this study, 288 samples were taken and 954 fungal colonies were isolated from the air of Isfahan, Iran. Among the fungi isolated, Cladosporium, yeasts, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Alternaria were the most frequent isolates respectively. This study showed that environmental factors affect the number and types of airborne fungi, opportunistic fungi, in Isfahan. Sampling location was an important factor: there were more fungal colony counts in the centre and populated locations of the city than in the less populated and rural areas. Regarding collection time, the most colony counts were obtained from samples collected at mid-day and the least in the morning. This study indicated that the incidence of airborne fungi with clinical significance had a direct relationship with the variation of environmental conditions. The results of the present study contribute towards a better understanding of the pattern of occurrence of airborne fungi, and may be useful for allergists, clinicians and epidemiologists.