Invasive infections caused by non-Aspergillus moulds identified by sequencing analysis at a tertiary care hospital in Taiwan, 2000–2008

Abstract

The clinical and microbiological characteristics of 103 patients with cultures positive for non-Aspergillus moulds in the period 2000 to 2008 were described. Among these patients, 27 had proven or probable invasive infections caused by Fusarium (n = 12), Paecilomyces (n = 7), Zygomycetes (n = 5) and Scedopsorium species (n = 3). The incidence of invasive infections caused by these moulds has not increased during the study period. Lung was the most common infection site and disseminated disease was observed in three leukaemic patients. The overall mortality rate was 40.7%, and was highest in cases zygomycosis. Antifungal susceptibility varied considerably among species. Amphotericin B and posaconazole demonstrated greatest activity against these moulds.

Evaluation of the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry Bruker Biotyper for identification of Penicillium marneffei, Paecilomyces species, Fusarium solani, Rhizopus species, and Pseudallescheria boydii

“…The other 22 isolates of non- P. marneffei isolates of molds were recovered from various clinical specimens of 22 patients who were treated at the hospital from 2010 to 2012 ( Hsiue et al, 2010b ). Among these isolates, six were initially identified by phenotypic methods as F. solani , four were Paecilomyces lilacinus , five were Paecilomyces variotii , three were Rhizopus sp., two were Talaromyces spectabilis , and one each of Paecilomyces sinensis and Pseudallescheria boydii .…”

“…Although invasive aspergillosis represents the most common opportunistic mold infection, less commonly encountered molds, such as Fusarium Paecilomyces , and Zygomycetes have increasingly been reported to cause invasive mold infections ( Schalk et al, 2006 ; Malani and Kauffman, 2007 ; Hsiue et al, 2010b ; Bassiri-Jahromi, 2014 ). Infections caused by non- Aspergillus molds are associated with a substantially worse outcome than invasive aspergillosis ( Schalk et al, 2006 ; Malani and Kauffman, 2007 ; Hsiue et al, 2010b ; Bassiri-Jahromi, 2014 ), which is most likely attributed both to the significant immunodeficient state of these patients and the intrinsically less susceptibility of these organisms to antifungal agents ( Schalk et al, 2006 ; Malani and Kauffman, 2007 ; Hsiue et al, 2010b ; Bassiri-Jahromi, 2014 ). Penicillium marneffei has become a well-recognized pathogen in humans and is an important emerging public health threat ( Duong, 1996 ; Hsueh et al, 2000 ; Hung et al, 2012 ; Lee et al, 2012 ).…”

“…A history of recent travel in Southeast Asia, the southern part of China, Thailand, Vietnam, or Indonesia is common among patients with P. marneffei infection outside Asia ( Supparatpinyo et al, 1994 ; Larsson et al, 2012 ; Hu et al, 2013 ). Due to the life-threatening entity of infections caused by these non- Aspergillus molds, prompt diagnosis and appropriate antifungal treatments are crucial ( Duong, 1996 ; Schalk et al, 2006 ; Malani and Kauffman, 2007 ; Hsiue et al, 2010b ; Bassiri-Jahromi, 2014 ).…”

SIMIFF study: Italian fungal registry of mold infections in hematological and non-hematological patients

“…Indeed, although most FFIs are attributed to the Aspergillus genus, other less common molds, such as Mucorales , Fusarium and Scedosporium spp, are increasingly reported [16–18]. …”

Cloning of the lanosterol 14-α-demethylase (ERG11) gene in Trichosporon asahii: a possible association between G453R amino acid substitution and azole resistance in T. asahii

“…Most clinical isolates of T. asahii are susceptible to fluconazole (FLC) in vitro, whereas they have been resistant to new antifungal agents such as echinocandin and amphotericin B (AMB) (Hsiue et al, 2010;Li et al, 2010). Recently, the susceptibility of T. asahii to FLC has been decreasing (Pfaller et al, 2009).…”