We report a fatal case of Candida auris that was involved in mixed candidemia with Candida tropicalis, isolated from the blood of a neutropenic patient. Identification of both isolates was confirmed by amplification and sequencing of internal transcribed spacer and D1/D2 domain of large subunit in rRNA gene. Antifungal susceptibility test by E-test method revealed that C. auris was resistant to amphotericin B, anidulafungin, caspofungin, fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole. On the other hand, C. tropicalis was sensitive to all antifungal tested. The use of chromogenic agar as isolation media is vital in detecting mixed candidemia.

Abstract Sporothrix schenkii is a dimorphic fungus that causes infections in both humans and animals. We report on 25 S. schenkii isolates collected in 2017 from humans and cats clinically diagnosed with sporotrichosis, in Malaysia. These isolates were phenotypically identified as S. schenkii sensu lato and further defined as S. schenckii sensu stricto based on partial calmodulin gene sequence. Isolates from both humans and cats were genotypically identical but displayed phenotypic variation. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial calmodulin sequence showed that the Malaysian isolates clustered with global S. schenkii sensu stricto strains, in particular, of the AFLP type E. This analysis also revealed that partial calmodulin sequence alone was sufficient for classifying global S. schenckii sensu stricto strains into their respective AFLP types, from A to E. The genetically conserved S. schenkii sensu stricto species isolated from humans and cats is suggestive of a clonal strain present in Malaysia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on molecular identification of Sporothrix schenkii strains from human infections in Malaysia. Further studies are required in order to elucidate the clonal nature of Malaysian S. schenkii isolates. Our findings indicate the presence of a predominant S. schenkii genotype in the environment, causing infections in both cats and humans in Malaysia.

Candida pseudohaemulonii is phylogenetically close to the C. haemulonii complex and exhibits resistance to amphotericin B and azole agents. We report here the draft genome sequence of C. pseudohaemulonii UZ153_17 isolated from the blood culture of a neutropenic patient. The draft genome is 3,532,003,666 bp in length, with 579,838 reads, 130 contigs, and a G+C content of 47.15%.

The number of new fungal pathogens is increasing due to growing population of immunocompromised patients and advanced identification techniques. Fereydounia khargensis is a yeast and was first described in 2014 from environmental samples. As far as we know, this is the first report of human infections associated with F. khargensis. The yeasts were isolated from blood of a HIV-positive patient and pleural fluid of chronic renal failure patient. Amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer and the large subunit regions confirmed the identity of the isolates. Both isolates showed multi-drug resistance to antifungal agents tested.

Background: Voriconazole is a trizaole antifungal to treat fungal infection. In this study, the susceptibility pattern of voriconazole against filamentous fungi was studied using Sensititre® YeastOne and Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M38 broth microdilution method. Methods: The suspected cultures of Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. versicolor, A. sydowii, A. calidoutus, A. creber, A. ochraceopetaliformis, A. tamarii, Fusarium solani, F. longipes, F. falciferus, F. keratoplasticum, Rhizopus oryzae, R. delemar, R. arrhizus, Mucor sp., Poitrasia circinans, Syncephalastrum racemosum and Sporothrix schenckii were received from hospitals. Their identification had been confirmed in our lab and susceptibility tests were performed using Sensititre® YeastOne and CLSI M38 broth microdilution method. The significant differences between two methods were calculated using Wilcoxon Sign Rank test.Results: Mean of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for Aspergillus spp. and Fusarium were within 0.25 μg/mL-2.00 μg/mL by two methods except A. calidoutus, F. solani and F. keratoplasticum. Moreover, mean of MIC for S. schenkii were around 3.00 μg/mL by two methods. In contrast, mean of MIC for Rhizopus spp., Mucor sp., P. circinans and S. racemosum were ≥6.00 μg/mL by two methods. Generally, the MIC obtained by Sensititre YeastOne was one two-fold increase or decrease compared with the results obtained by CLSI method. The overall agreement between Sensititre YeastOne and CLSI methods to test susceptibility testing of voricaonazole was more than 70% except A. sydowii. The significant differences between two methods were significant when tested on A. niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. versicolor, A. sydowii, F. solani and S. schenkii. Conclusions: In conclusion, Sensititre YeastOne method appears to be an alternative procedure for antifungal susceptibility testing for some Malaysian moulds.