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Health Care Women Int 2022 Jun 27:1-12. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Gynepro Medical, Bologna, Italy.

In this multicenter, observational, controlled open-label trial, researchers randomized 200 women with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) to: Group 1, 6-days clotrimazole 2% vaginal cream once-daily plus 15-days concomitant acid pH thymol and zinc-containing cleansing wash (SaugellaActi3) twice-daily; Group 2, 6-days clotrimazole treatment alone. In both groups, pruritus and burning VAS scores improved from baseline at Days 6, 10 and 15. On Day 10 and Day 15, the pruritus score was significantly lower in Group 1 versus Group 2 ( <0. Read More

IJID Reg 2021 Dec 27;1:34-40. Epub 2021 Sep 27.

Manchester Fungal Infection Group, The University of Manchester and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.

Objective: : To estimate the incidence and prevalence of serious fungal infections in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), with a population of 1 394 973 million.

Methods: : The medical literature was searched to obtain published data on the incidence and prevalence of fungal infections in the Caribbean. If data were unavailable, estimations were performed using the frequencies of fungal infection in populations at risk. Read More

Front Oral Health 2022 9;3:907778. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.

The number of cancer survivors are increasing and so are the oral toxicities from cancer therapy. Most patients receiving treatment for cancer develop some form of oral adverse events including, but not limited to, mucositis, opportunistic infections, dry mouth, and/or osteonecrosis of the jaw. One of the most common complications from head and neck cancer radiation therapy is salivary gland dysfunction (SGD). Read More

JAC Antimicrob Resist 2022 Jun 23;4(3):dlac055. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Clinical Infection Group, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Background: ICUs are settings of high antifungal consumption. There are few data on prescribing practices in ICUs to guide antifungal stewardship implementation in this setting.

Methods: An antifungal therapy (AFT) service evaluation (15 May-19 November 2019) across ICUs at three London hospitals, evaluating consumption, prescribing rationale, post-prescription review, de-escalation and final invasive fungal infection (IFI) diagnostic classification. Read More

IJID Reg 2022 Jun 4;3:261-264. Epub 2022 May 4.

Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda.

Background: As elsewhere worldwide, there is an increasing burden of fungal diseases in Uganda. However, expertise in medical mycology (the study of fungal diseases of medical importance) among clinicians and laboratory personnel remains low.

Objective: This study sought to determine the proportion of dissertations on medical mycology among postgraduate medical microbiology trainees at the College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda. Read More

Nat Commun 2022 Jun 25;13(1):3634. Epub 2022 Jun 25.

Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Fungal infections cause more than 1.5 million deaths annually. With an increase in immune-deficient susceptible populations and the emergence of antifungal drug resistance, there is an urgent need for novel strategies to combat these life-threatening infections. Read More

Altern Ther Health Med 2022 Jun 24. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Context: Kundur, Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr., is prescribed by Unani (Greco-Arab) scholars clinically under conditions similar to vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and has been supported by recent pharmacological studies, but scientific evidence is scarce. Read More

Future Microbiol 2022 Jun 24. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Department of Mycology, Postgraduate Program in Fungal Biology, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Av Professor Moraes Rêgo, s/n, 50670-901, Brazil.

caused refractory esophagitis in a 36-year-old Brazilian man coinfected with HIV and . A literature review on this rare fungal pathogen is also presented. The diagnosis was made, and pathogen identification was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and sequencing of the region. Read More

Curr Med Mycol 2021 Dec;7(4):6-11

Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran.

Background And Purpose: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is an opportunistic infection due to species, one of the most common genital tract diseases among reproductive-age women. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of VVC among non-pregnant women and identify the epidemiology of the involved species with the evaluation of antifungal susceptibilities.

Materials And Methods: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was performed to identify species isolated from the genital tract of 350 non-pregnant women. Read More

Pathogens 2022 May 25;11(6). Epub 2022 May 25.

Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43300, Selangor, Malaysia.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a prevalent gynaecological disease characterised by vaginal wall inflammation that is caused by species. VVC impacts almost three-quarters of all women throughout their reproductive years. As the vaginal mucosa is the first point of contact with microbes, vaginal epithelial cells are the first line of defence against opportunistic infection by providing a physical barrier and mounting immunological responses. Read More

Microorganisms 2022 Jun 13;10(6). Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.

Invasive candidiasis (IC) is a systemic life-threatening infection of immunocompromised humans, but remains a relatively neglected disease among public health authorities. Ongoing assessments of disease epidemiology are needed to identify and map trends of importance that may necessitate improvements in disease management and patient care. Well-established incidence increases, largely due to expanding populations of patients with pre-disposing risk factors, has led to increased clinical use and pressures on antifungal drugs. Read More

Medicina (Kaunas) 2022 Jun 3;58(6). Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Center for Research and Development of the Morphological and Genetic Studies of Malignant Pathology, Ovidius University of Constanta, 145 Tomis Blvd., 900591 Constanta, Romania.

: Romania faces one of the highest cervical cancer burdens in Europe though it is a preventable cancer through population screening by cytology and human papillomavirus (HPV) detection. Also, it has one of the highest incidences of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. HPV and HIV coinfection are frequently encountered. Read More

Antibiotics (Basel) 2022 May 31;11(6). Epub 2022 May 31.

Department of Urology and General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 15-A "Vasil Aprilov" Blvd, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Among the local factors for oral candidiasis, the piercing of the tongue is recognized by some authors as a risk factor for the colonization of . There are few case reports in which spp. colonization and infection are associated with tongue piercing but only one microbiological study supports this hypothesis in general. Read More

Antibiotics (Basel) 2022 May 26;11(6). Epub 2022 May 26.

Almazov National Madical Research Centre, Research Department of Microbiology and Nosocomial Indfections, Akkuratova, 2, 197341 Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

species, belonging to commensal microbial communities in humans, cause opportunistic infections in individuals with impaired immunity. Pathogens encountered in more than 90% cases of invasive candidiasis include , , and . The most frequently diagnosed invasive infection is candidemia. Read More

J Fungi (Basel) 2022 May 25;8(6). Epub 2022 May 25.

Departamento de Biofísica e Radiobiologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, PE, Brazil.

is the main cause of superficial candidiasis. While the antifungals available are defied by biofilm formation and resistance emergence, antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) arises as an alternative antifungal therapy. The tetracationic metalloporphyrin Zn(II) -tetrakis(-n-hexylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin (ZnTnHex-2-PyP) has high photoefficiency and improved cellular interactions. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022 6;12:879237. Epub 2022 Jun 6.

Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.

Currently, non- species, including , , and , are becoming an increasing epidemiological threat, predominantly due to the distinct collection of virulence mechanisms, as well as emerging resistance to antifungal drugs typically used in the treatment of candidiasis. They can produce biofilms that release extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are nanometric spherical structures surrounded by a lipid bilayer, transporting diversified biologically active cargo, that may be involved in intercellular communication, biofilm matrix production, and interaction with the host. In this work, we characterize the size and protein composition of these structures for three species of non- fungi forming biofilm, indicating considerable heterogeneity of the investigated population of fungal EVs. Read More

Chin Med J (Engl) 2022 Apr 20;135(8):911-919. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.

Background: Concerns exist regarding the risk of infections in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) treated with biologics. We assessed the risk of infections of biological and targeted drugs in patients with SpA by performing a meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and China Biology Medicine Disc for RCTs evaluating the risk of infections of biological therapy in patients with SpA from inception through August 9, 2021. Read More

Nat Commun 2022 Jun 21;13(1):3553. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.

Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant human fungal pathogen responsible for nosocomial outbreaks worldwide. Although considerable progress has increased our understanding of the biological and clinical aspects of C. auris, its interaction with the host immune system is only now beginning to be investigated in-depth. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2022 Jun 20;22(1):501. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Fudan University, 400020, Shanghai, China.

Background: Reproductive tract infections can cause serious adverse outcomes for pregnant women such as spontaneous abortion and preterm birth. However, it is unclear whether maternal reproductive tract infection before pregnancy would also be related to any adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aims to investigate the association of maternal preconception reproductive tract infections with subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes. Read More

J Mater Chem B 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Analytical & Testing Centre, State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.

Microbial infections are currently one of the world's major public health concerns, the evolution of which has resulted in the development of multiple tolerances (not just drug or antibiotic resistance), including pH (from extremely acidic to alkaline). Currently various types of antimicrobials have been developed. Although effective, they seldom work in the full pH range due to the existence of acid-/base-reaction sites. Read More

Emerg Microbes Infect 2022 Dec;11(1):1705-1706

Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Adv Biomed Res 2022 29;11(1):29. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Oral candidiasis (OC) has been noticed as a common mucous membrane infection in immunocompromised patients such as that diabetes. This study, focused on the genotyping of and enzymatic activities of species recovered from oral mucosa among diabetes patients and healthy individuals.

Materials And Methods: Specimens were obtained from oral mucosa of One-hundred and sixty patients with type 2 diabetic and 108 healthy individuals. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 26;13:894069. Epub 2022 May 26.

Department of Medical Mycology, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Nanjing, China.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is characterized by symptomatic inflammatory responses in the vagina caused by and non-albicans (NAC) species. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway has been linked to immune responses of oral mucosa after exposure, but whether this pathway plays a similar response in vaginal epithelial cells is not known. Here, we observed that phosphorylation of EGFR and p38 was continuously activated in vaginal epithelial cells by strain SC5314. Read More

Indian J Crit Care Med 2022 May;26(5):560-563

Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Introduction: Invasive candidiasis is a serious infection seen in hospitalized or immunocompromised patients. Mortality rates for candidemia can be as high as 30-60%. is an emerging species of and is increasingly becoming a global public health problem. Read More

J Mycol Med 2022 Jun 9;32(4):101302. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University, Plovdiv; Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital "St. George", Plovdiv; Research Institute at Medical University of Plovdiv.

Introduction: Vaginal infections are one of the most common reason for gynecological consultations. Many of them are the result of overgrowth of resident microorganisms. The clinical symptoms of vulvovaginal candidiasis are nonspecific and an accurate diagnosis is a problem that often leads to inadequate treatment or delays in treatment. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2022 Jun 19. Epub 2022 Jun 19.

Mycotic Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Background: COVID-19-associated fungal infections cause severe illness, but comprehensive data on disease burden are lacking. We analyzed US National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) data to characterize disease burden, temporal trends, and demographic characteristics of persons dying from fungal infections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Using NVSS's January 2018-December 2021 Multiple Cause of Death Database, we examined numbers and age-adjusted rates (per 100,000 population) of fungal deaths by fungal pathogen, COVID-19 association, demographic characteristics, and year. Read More

J Mol Model 2022 Jun 18;28(7):193. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, GLA University, Mathura, 281406, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Fungal infections in humans are responsible for mild to severe infections resulting in systemic effects that cause a large amount of mortality. Invasive fungal infections are having similar symptomatic effects to those of COVID-19. The COVID-19 patients are immunocompromised in nature and have a high probability of developing severe fungal infections, resulting in the development of further complications. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 Jun 17;12(1):10188. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Department of Oral Health, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8588, Japan.

Elevated numbers of candida in the oral cavity often lead to oral candidiasis development in patients undergoing radiotherapy for oral or oropharyngeal cancer. This study aimed to verify the effect of miconazole mucoadhesive tablets on suppression of oral candida infection during radiotherapy. For this preliminary interventional study, miconazole mucoadhesive tablets were attached to the oral mucosa for 14 days from when grade 2 oral mucositis appeared in patients with oral or oropharyngeal cancer receiving radiotherapy, and the incidence of oral candidiasis was investigated. Read More

Drugs 2022 Jun 17. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Springer Nature, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, Auckland, 0754, New Zealand.

Oteseconazole (VIVJOA™) is an orally administered azole antifungal agent developed by Mycovia Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of fungal infections. It inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP) 51, thereby affecting the formation and integrity of the fungal cell membrane, but has a low affinity for human CYP enzymes due to its tetrazole metal-binding group. Oteseconazole is the first agent to be approved (in April 2022) for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) in the USA, where it is indicated to reduce the incidence of RVVC in females with a history of RVVC who are NOT of reproductive potential. Read More

Mycoses 2022 Jun 17. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.

Background: Candida tropicalis is a human pathogenic yeast frequently isolated in Latin America and Asian-Pacific regions, although recent studies showed that it is also becoming increasingly widespread throughout several African and south-European countries. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about its global patterns of genetic variation as most of existing multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data come from Asia and there are no genotyped African isolates.

Objectives: We report detailed genotyping data from a large set of C. Read More