In-vitro antifungal susceptibilities of Basidiobolus and Conidiobolus spp. strains.
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The in-vitro antifungal susceptibilities of nine isolates belonging to Basidiobolus spp. and seven to Conidiobolus spp. against six antifungals (amphotericin B, ketoconazole, miconazole, itraconazole, fluconazole and flucytosine) were tested. A broth microdilution method, generally following the NCCLS guidelines, was used. Inoculum concentrations of the order of 100 cfu/mL were obtained by culturing fungi in a broth medium (Czapeck broth supplemented with 2% Tween 80 and 0.07% agar). MICs and MFCs were highly variable and isolate-dependent, with the exception of those of flucytosine which were constantly very high. In general, however, Basidiobolus spp. displayed low MICs of fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole and miconazole, and Conidiobolus spp. were resistant to all antifungals tested. (+info)
Entomophthoramycosis by Conidiobolus coronatus. Report of a case successfully treated with the combination of itraconazole and fluconazole.
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Rhinoentomophthoramycosis caused by Conidiobolus coronatus in a 61-year old woman was unsuccessfully treated during 8 years with all the antifungals available in the Brazilian market, including potassium iodide for 1 month, sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim for 2 months, amphotericin B, total dose of 1130 mg, cetoconazole, 400 mg/day for 6 months, fluconazole, 200 mg/day, for at least 2 months and, itraconazole, 400 mg/day for 2 months, followed by 200 mg/day for 4 more months. Complete clinical and mycological cure was achieved using itraconazol 400 mg/day in association with fluconazol 200 mg/day during 24 months. After cure she was submitted to plastic surgery to repair her facial deformation. Today she remains clinically and mycologically cured after 59/60 months (5 years!) without any specific antifungal. We thus suggest the use of the combination of itraconazole and fluconazole as an additional option for the treatment of this mycosis. (+info)
Alpha-crystallin binds to the aggregation-prone molten-globule state of alkaline protease: implications for preventing irreversible thermal denaturation.
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Alpha-crystallin, the major eye-lens protein with sequence homology with heat-shock proteins (HSPs), acts like a molecular chaperone by suppressing the aggregation of damaged crystallins and proteins. To gain more insight into its chaperoning ability, we used a protease as the model system that is known to require a propeptide (intramolecular chaperone) for its proper folding. The protease ("N" state) from Conidiobolus macrosporus (NCIM 1298) unfolds at pH 2.0 ("U" state) through a partially unfolded "I" state at pH 3.5 that undergoes transition to a molten globule-(MG) like "I(A)" state in the presence of 0.5 M sodium sulfate. The thermally-stressed I(A) state showed complete loss of structure and was prone to aggregation. Alpha-crystallin was able to bind to this state and suppress its aggregation, thereby preventing irreversible denaturation of the enzyme. The alpha-crystallin-bound I(A) state exhibited native-like secondary and tertiary structure showing the interaction of alpha-crystallin with the MG state of the protease. 8-Anilinonaphthalene sulphonate (ANS) binding studies revealed the involvement of hydrophobic interactions in the formation of the complex of alpha-crystallin and protease. Refolding of acid-denatured protease by dilution to pH 7.5 resulted in aggregation of the protein. Unfolding of the protease in the presence of alpha-crystallin and its subsequent refolding resulted in the generation of a near-native intermediate with partial secondary and tertiary structure. Our studies represent the first report of involvement of a molecular chaperone-like alpha-crystallin in the unfolding and refolding of a protease. Alpha-crystallin blocks the unfavorable pathways that lead to irreversible denaturation of the alkaline protease and keeps it in a near-native, folding-competent intermediate state. (+info)
EST analysis of genes expressed by the zygomycete pathogen Conidiobolus coronatus during growth on insect cuticle.
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Conidiobolus coronatus (Zygomycota) is a facultative saprobe that is a pathogen of many insect species. Almost 2000 expressed sequence tag (EST) cDNA clones were sequenced to analyse gene expression during growth on insect cuticle. Sixty percent of the ESTs that could be clustered into functional groups (E+info)
Rhinoentomophthoromycosis.
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A sixty year old patient presented with a slowly progressive swelling of the nose, of one year duration, suggesting a clinical diagnosis of subcutaneous zygomycosis. On investigation, the tissue fungal culture grew Conidiobolus coronatus, confirming the diagnosis as rhinoentomophthoromycosis. He was treated with a combination of oral fluconazole and oral potassium iodide for a total period of 5 months. His symptoms subsided completely. Serial CT scanning of paranasal sinuses showed the gradual resolution of the swelling, in response to the treatment. Early detection of the disease and combination therapy gave rapid and good results. This is the first case of its kind to be reported from Kerala, the southern state of India. (+info)
Conidiobolomycosis in sheep in Brazil.
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Conidiobolomycosis is reported in the state of Piaui, in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. Affected sheep had depression, weight loss, serous or mucohemorrhagic nasal discharge, and cranium-facial asymmetry from exophthalmos of 1 eye, generally with increased volume of the eyeball, keratitis, and corneal ulceration. At necropsy of 60 sheep, friable masses were observed in the posterior region of the nasal cavity, often destroying the ethmoturbinate bones. Frequently, the lesions invaded the nasal sinuses, cribiform plate, orbit, and brain. The masses were irregular, granular with moist surfaces, and soft and friable with white, yellow, or tan coloration. Dissemination of the lesion to lungs was observed in 27 sheep, to the brain in 26, to lymph nodes in 3, to the kidney in 2, and to the gallbladder and heart in 1. The microscopic examination showed granulomatous inflammation composed of central necrosis surrounded by lymphocytes, epithelioid and giant cells, and fibrous tissue. In all lesions, negatively stained structures representing hyphae were surrounded by Splendore-Hoeppli material. Coagulative necrosis, thrombosis, and vasculitis were also observed. Grocott methenamine silver stain showed 8-30-microm-thick hyphae, rarely septate or ramified, irregular in shape, and with black contoured wall, sometimes with bulbous dilatation in the extremities. On electron microscopy, the hyphae had a thick double wall surrounded by cellular remnants and an inflammatory exudate. Conidiobolus coronatus was isolated from the lesions of 6 sheep. Conidiobolomycosis is an important disease of sheep in the state of Piaui, and other regions of northeastern Brazil. (+info)
Systemic Conidiobolus incongruus infection and hypertrophic osteopathy in a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).
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Postmortem examination of a free-range white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) revealed severe emaciation, bilateral firm proliferation of the metatarsal diaphyses, and a large intrathoracic mass associated with the accessory lung lobe. Smaller masses were evident in the abomasum, duodenum, omentum, and the capsular surface of the liver. Microscopically, the masses were similar and were diagnosed as eosinophilic granulomas with intralesional fungal hyphae characteristic of Zygomycetes spp. Fungal hyphae were identified as Conidiobolus incongruus by 18S ribosomal RNA sequencing on fresh lung tissue. Furthermore, the proliferative lesions of the metatarsal bones along with the intrathoracic mass were compatible with hypertrophic osteopathy. (+info)
Unusual presentation of entomophthoromycosis.
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