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Arunaloke Chakrabarti - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Apophysomyces variabilis : draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales
BMC genomics, 2017Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Shivaprakash Rudramurthy, Prasad Gandham, Chandan Badapanda, Anup K. Ghosh, Milner M. Kumar, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:Apophysomyces species are prevalent in tropical countries and A. variabilis is the second most frequent agent causing mucormycosis in India. Among Apophysomyces species, A. elegans, A. trapeziformis and A. variabilis are commonly incriminated in human infections. The genome sequences of A. elegans and A. trapeziformis are available in public database, but not A. variabilis. We, therefore, performed the whole genome sequence of A. variabilis to explore its genomic structure and possible genes determining the virulence of the organism. The whole genome of A. variabilis NCCPF 102052 was sequenced and the genomic structure of A. variabilis was compared with already available genome structures of A. elegans, A. trapeziformis and other medically important Mucorales. The total size of genome assembly of A. variabilis was 39.38 Mb with 12,764 protein-coding genes. The transposable elements (TEs) were low in Apophysomyces genome and the retrotransposon Ty3-gypsy was the common TE. Phylogenetically, Apophysomyces species were grouped closely with Phycomyces blakesleeanus. OrthoMCL analysis revealed 3025 orthologues proteins, which were common in those three pathogenic Apophysomyces species. Expansion of multiple gene families/duplication was observed in Apophysomyces genomes. Approximately 6% of Apophysomyces genes were predicted to be associated with virulence on PHIbase analysis. The virulence determinants included the protein families of CotH proteins (invasins), proteases, iron utilisation pathways, siderophores and signal transduction pathways. Serine proteases were the major group of proteases found in all Apophysomyces genomes. The carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) constitute the majority of the secretory proteins. The present study is the maiden attempt to sequence and analyze the genomic structure of A. variabilis. Together with available genome sequence of A. elegans and A. trapeziformis, the study helped to indicate the possible virulence determinants of pathogenic Apophysomyces species. The presence of unique CAZymes in cell wall might be exploited in future for antifungal drug development.
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Additional file 2: Table S1. of Apophysomyces variabilis: draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales
2017Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Shivaprakash Rudramurthy, Prasad Gandham, Anup Ghosh, Milner Kumar, Chandan Badapanda, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:Non coding RNAs in genomes of three Apophysomyces species. Table S2. Carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) of Apophysomyces species. Table S3. GenBank accession numbers of whole genome sequences used in phylogenetic analysis of Apophysomyces species and orthoMCL analysis. (DOC 163 kb
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Apophysomyces variabilis: draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales
BMC, 2017Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Shivaprakash Rudramurthy, Prasad Gandham, Chandan Badapanda, Anup K. Ghosh, Milner M. Kumar, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:Abstract Background Apophysomyces species are prevalent in tropical countries and A. variabilis is the second most frequent agent causing mucormycosis in India. Among Apophysomyces species, A. elegans, A. trapeziformis and A. variabilis are commonly incriminated in human infections. The genome sequences of A. elegans and A. trapeziformis are available in public database, but not A. variabilis. We, therefore, performed the whole genome sequence of A. variabilis to explore its genomic structure and possible genes determining the virulence of the organism. Results The whole genome of A. variabilis NCCPF 102052 was sequenced and the genomic structure of A. variabilis was compared with already available genome structures of A. elegans, A. trapeziformis and other medically important Mucorales. The total size of genome assembly of A. variabilis was 39.38 Mb with 12,764 protein-coding genes. The transposable elements (TEs) were low in Apophysomyces genome and the retrotransposon Ty3-gypsy was the common TE. Phylogenetically, Apophysomyces species were grouped closely with Phycomyces blakesleeanus. OrthoMCL analysis revealed 3025 orthologues proteins, which were common in those three pathogenic Apophysomyces species. Expansion of multiple gene families/duplication was observed in Apophysomyces genomes. Approximately 6% of Apophysomyces genes were predicted to be associated with virulence on PHIbase analysis. The virulence determinants included the protein families of CotH proteins (invasins), proteases, iron utilisation pathways, siderophores and signal transduction pathways. Serine proteases were the major group of proteases found in all Apophysomyces genomes. The carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) constitute the majority of the secretory proteins. Conclusion The present study is the maiden attempt to sequence and analyze the genomic structure of A. variabilis. Together with available genome sequence of A. elegans and A. trapeziformis, the study helped to indicate the possible virulence determinants of pathogenic Apophysomyces species. The presence of unique CAZymes in cell wall might be exploited in future for antifungal drug development
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Additional file 1: Figure S1. of Apophysomyces variabilis: draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales
2017Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Shivaprakash Rudramurthy, Prasad Gandham, Anup Ghosh, Milner Kumar, Chandan Badapanda, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:Gene ontology (GO) of Apophysomyces genomes. Figure S2. Phylogenetic analysis of Apophysomyces species with other Mucorales. (DOC 376 kb
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The environmental source of emerging Apophysomyces variabilis infection in India.
Medical mycology, 2016Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Anup K. Ghosh, Shivaprakash M. Rudramurthy, Raees A. Paul, Sunita Gupta, Vishwanand Negi, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:The rare mucoraceous fungus, Apophysomyces species complex ranks second after Rhizopus arrhizus causing mucormycosis in India. The source of this agent in the environment is not clearly known. We conducted an environmental study to find its presence in Indian soil. The soil samples from different geographical locations were analyzed for isolation of Mucorales. Rhizopus arrhizus (24.6%) was most commonly isolated from soil, followed by Lichtheimia spp. (23.2%), Cunninghamella spp. (21.7%), Rhizopus microsporus (14%) and Apophysomyces spp. (4.5%). The isolation of Apophysomyces species complex was significantly associated with low nitrogen content of the soil. Based on sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 28S (D1/D2) regions of ribosomal DNA, the Apophysomyces isolates were identified as Apophysomyces variabilis with 98 to 100% similarity to type strain A. variabilis (CBS658.93). The analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting data demonstrated genomic diversity of A. variabilis isolates with multiple clades (similarity 40-90%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), MIC50 and MIC90 for A. variabilis isolates were 1 and 4 μg/ml for amphotericin B, 0.25 and 0.5 μg/ml for itraconazole, 0.125 and 0.25 μg/ml for posaconazole, 0.06 and 0.12 μg/ml for terbinafine, respectively. The present study revealed abundant presence of A. variabilis in Indian soil with low nitrogen content, its genetic heterogeneity and relatively high MICs for amphotericin B.
Hariprasath Prakash - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mucormycosis due to Apophysomyces species complex- 25 years’ experience at a tertiary care hospital in southern India
Medical mycology, 2019Co-Authors: Umabala Pamidimukkala, Hariprasath Prakash, Anup K. Ghosh, Sukanya Sudhaharan, Anuradha Kancharla, Lakshmi Vemu, Sundaram Challa, Sandhya Devi Karanam, Padmasri Chavali, Sunita GuptaAbstract:Apophysomyces elegans species complex is an important cause of cutaneous mucormycosis in India. However, majority of those cases are reported as case reports only. We desired to analyze our patients with Apophysomyces infection reported over 25 years (1992-2017) to understand the epidemiology, management, and outcome of the disease. During the study period 24 cases were reported, and the majority (95.8%) of them presented with necrotizing fasciitis following accidental/surgical/iatrogenic trauma. One patient presented with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) related peritonitis. Healthcare related Apophysomyces infection was noted in 29.2% patients. In addition to trauma, comorbidities were noted in 37.5% patients (type 2diabetes mellitus-6, chronic alcoholism-2, and chronic kidney disease-1). Of the 24 isolates, 11 isolates starting from year 2014 were identified as Apophysomyces variabilis by molecular methods. Majority (95.8%) of the patients were managed surgically with or without amphotericin B deoxycholate therapy, while one patient was treated with amphotericin B deoxycholate alone. Among 24 patients, seven (29.1%) recovered, six (25%) patients could not afford antifungal management and left the hospital against medical advice, and 11 (45.9%) patients died.The present case series highlights that necrotizing fasciitis caused by A. variabilis is prevalent in India, and the disease may be healthcare related. Although diagnosis is not difficult, awareness among surgeons is still limited about the infection, leading to a delay in sending samples to the mycology laboratory. Apophysomyces infection must be considered in the differential diagnosis in apatient with progressive necrosis of a wound who is not responding to antibacterial therapy.
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Apophysomyces variabilis : draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales
BMC genomics, 2017Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Shivaprakash Rudramurthy, Prasad Gandham, Chandan Badapanda, Anup K. Ghosh, Milner M. Kumar, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:Apophysomyces species are prevalent in tropical countries and A. variabilis is the second most frequent agent causing mucormycosis in India. Among Apophysomyces species, A. elegans, A. trapeziformis and A. variabilis are commonly incriminated in human infections. The genome sequences of A. elegans and A. trapeziformis are available in public database, but not A. variabilis. We, therefore, performed the whole genome sequence of A. variabilis to explore its genomic structure and possible genes determining the virulence of the organism. The whole genome of A. variabilis NCCPF 102052 was sequenced and the genomic structure of A. variabilis was compared with already available genome structures of A. elegans, A. trapeziformis and other medically important Mucorales. The total size of genome assembly of A. variabilis was 39.38 Mb with 12,764 protein-coding genes. The transposable elements (TEs) were low in Apophysomyces genome and the retrotransposon Ty3-gypsy was the common TE. Phylogenetically, Apophysomyces species were grouped closely with Phycomyces blakesleeanus. OrthoMCL analysis revealed 3025 orthologues proteins, which were common in those three pathogenic Apophysomyces species. Expansion of multiple gene families/duplication was observed in Apophysomyces genomes. Approximately 6% of Apophysomyces genes were predicted to be associated with virulence on PHIbase analysis. The virulence determinants included the protein families of CotH proteins (invasins), proteases, iron utilisation pathways, siderophores and signal transduction pathways. Serine proteases were the major group of proteases found in all Apophysomyces genomes. The carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) constitute the majority of the secretory proteins. The present study is the maiden attempt to sequence and analyze the genomic structure of A. variabilis. Together with available genome sequence of A. elegans and A. trapeziformis, the study helped to indicate the possible virulence determinants of pathogenic Apophysomyces species. The presence of unique CAZymes in cell wall might be exploited in future for antifungal drug development.
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Additional file 2: Table S1. of Apophysomyces variabilis: draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales
2017Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Shivaprakash Rudramurthy, Prasad Gandham, Anup Ghosh, Milner Kumar, Chandan Badapanda, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:Non coding RNAs in genomes of three Apophysomyces species. Table S2. Carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) of Apophysomyces species. Table S3. GenBank accession numbers of whole genome sequences used in phylogenetic analysis of Apophysomyces species and orthoMCL analysis. (DOC 163 kb
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Apophysomyces variabilis: draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales
BMC, 2017Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Shivaprakash Rudramurthy, Prasad Gandham, Chandan Badapanda, Anup K. Ghosh, Milner M. Kumar, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:Abstract Background Apophysomyces species are prevalent in tropical countries and A. variabilis is the second most frequent agent causing mucormycosis in India. Among Apophysomyces species, A. elegans, A. trapeziformis and A. variabilis are commonly incriminated in human infections. The genome sequences of A. elegans and A. trapeziformis are available in public database, but not A. variabilis. We, therefore, performed the whole genome sequence of A. variabilis to explore its genomic structure and possible genes determining the virulence of the organism. Results The whole genome of A. variabilis NCCPF 102052 was sequenced and the genomic structure of A. variabilis was compared with already available genome structures of A. elegans, A. trapeziformis and other medically important Mucorales. The total size of genome assembly of A. variabilis was 39.38 Mb with 12,764 protein-coding genes. The transposable elements (TEs) were low in Apophysomyces genome and the retrotransposon Ty3-gypsy was the common TE. Phylogenetically, Apophysomyces species were grouped closely with Phycomyces blakesleeanus. OrthoMCL analysis revealed 3025 orthologues proteins, which were common in those three pathogenic Apophysomyces species. Expansion of multiple gene families/duplication was observed in Apophysomyces genomes. Approximately 6% of Apophysomyces genes were predicted to be associated with virulence on PHIbase analysis. The virulence determinants included the protein families of CotH proteins (invasins), proteases, iron utilisation pathways, siderophores and signal transduction pathways. Serine proteases were the major group of proteases found in all Apophysomyces genomes. The carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) constitute the majority of the secretory proteins. Conclusion The present study is the maiden attempt to sequence and analyze the genomic structure of A. variabilis. Together with available genome sequence of A. elegans and A. trapeziformis, the study helped to indicate the possible virulence determinants of pathogenic Apophysomyces species. The presence of unique CAZymes in cell wall might be exploited in future for antifungal drug development
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Additional file 1: Figure S1. of Apophysomyces variabilis: draft genome sequence and comparison of predictive virulence determinants with other medically important Mucorales
2017Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Shivaprakash Rudramurthy, Prasad Gandham, Anup Ghosh, Milner Kumar, Chandan Badapanda, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:Gene ontology (GO) of Apophysomyces genomes. Figure S2. Phylogenetic analysis of Apophysomyces species with other Mucorales. (DOC 376 kb
Sunita Gupta - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mucormycosis due to Apophysomyces species complex- 25 years’ experience at a tertiary care hospital in southern India
Medical mycology, 2019Co-Authors: Umabala Pamidimukkala, Hariprasath Prakash, Anup K. Ghosh, Sukanya Sudhaharan, Anuradha Kancharla, Lakshmi Vemu, Sundaram Challa, Sandhya Devi Karanam, Padmasri Chavali, Sunita GuptaAbstract:Apophysomyces elegans species complex is an important cause of cutaneous mucormycosis in India. However, majority of those cases are reported as case reports only. We desired to analyze our patients with Apophysomyces infection reported over 25 years (1992-2017) to understand the epidemiology, management, and outcome of the disease. During the study period 24 cases were reported, and the majority (95.8%) of them presented with necrotizing fasciitis following accidental/surgical/iatrogenic trauma. One patient presented with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) related peritonitis. Healthcare related Apophysomyces infection was noted in 29.2% patients. In addition to trauma, comorbidities were noted in 37.5% patients (type 2diabetes mellitus-6, chronic alcoholism-2, and chronic kidney disease-1). Of the 24 isolates, 11 isolates starting from year 2014 were identified as Apophysomyces variabilis by molecular methods. Majority (95.8%) of the patients were managed surgically with or without amphotericin B deoxycholate therapy, while one patient was treated with amphotericin B deoxycholate alone. Among 24 patients, seven (29.1%) recovered, six (25%) patients could not afford antifungal management and left the hospital against medical advice, and 11 (45.9%) patients died.The present case series highlights that necrotizing fasciitis caused by A. variabilis is prevalent in India, and the disease may be healthcare related. Although diagnosis is not difficult, awareness among surgeons is still limited about the infection, leading to a delay in sending samples to the mycology laboratory. Apophysomyces infection must be considered in the differential diagnosis in apatient with progressive necrosis of a wound who is not responding to antibacterial therapy.
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The environmental source of emerging Apophysomyces variabilis infection in India.
Medical mycology, 2016Co-Authors: Hariprasath Prakash, Anup K. Ghosh, Shivaprakash M. Rudramurthy, Raees A. Paul, Sunita Gupta, Vishwanand Negi, Arunaloke ChakrabartiAbstract:The rare mucoraceous fungus, Apophysomyces species complex ranks second after Rhizopus arrhizus causing mucormycosis in India. The source of this agent in the environment is not clearly known. We conducted an environmental study to find its presence in Indian soil. The soil samples from different geographical locations were analyzed for isolation of Mucorales. Rhizopus arrhizus (24.6%) was most commonly isolated from soil, followed by Lichtheimia spp. (23.2%), Cunninghamella spp. (21.7%), Rhizopus microsporus (14%) and Apophysomyces spp. (4.5%). The isolation of Apophysomyces species complex was significantly associated with low nitrogen content of the soil. Based on sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 28S (D1/D2) regions of ribosomal DNA, the Apophysomyces isolates were identified as Apophysomyces variabilis with 98 to 100% similarity to type strain A. variabilis (CBS658.93). The analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting data demonstrated genomic diversity of A. variabilis isolates with multiple clades (similarity 40-90%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), MIC50 and MIC90 for A. variabilis isolates were 1 and 4 μg/ml for amphotericin B, 0.25 and 0.5 μg/ml for itraconazole, 0.125 and 0.25 μg/ml for posaconazole, 0.06 and 0.12 μg/ml for terbinafine, respectively. The present study revealed abundant presence of A. variabilis in Indian soil with low nitrogen content, its genetic heterogeneity and relatively high MICs for amphotericin B.
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Apophysomyces elegans: an Emerging Zygomycete in India
Journal of clinical microbiology, 2003Co-Authors: Arunaloke Chakrabarti, Sunita Gupta, Naresh K. Panda, Ashim Das, Shrawan Kumar Singh, Amit Ghosh, G.b.k.s. Prasad, Joseph K David, Vinay Sakhuja, Swati DasAbstract:Apophysomyces elegans was considered a rare but medically important zygomycete. We analyzed the clinical records of eight patients from a single center in whom zygomycosis due to A. elegans was diagnosed over a span of 25 months. We also attempted a DNA-based method for rapid identification of the fungi and looked for interstrain polymorphism using microsattelite primers. Three patients had cutaneous and subcutaneous infections, three had isolated renal involvement, one had rhino-orbital tissue infection, and the final patient had a disseminated infection involving the spleen and kidney. Underlying illnesses were found in two patients, one with diabetes mellitus and the other with chronic alcoholism. A history of traumatic implantation was available for three patients. All except two of the patients responded to surgical and/or medical therapy; the diagnosis for the two exceptions was made at the terminal stage of infection. Restriction enzyme (MboI, MspI, HinfI) digestion of the PCR-amplified internal transcribed spacer region helped with the rapid and specific identification of A. elegans. The strains could be divided into two groups according to their patterns, with clustering into one pattern obtained by using microsatellite [(GTG)5 and (GAC)5] PCR fingerprinting. The study highlights the epidemiology, clinical spectrum, and diagnosis of emerging A. elegans infections.
Josep Guarro - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Primary Cutaneous Mucormycosis Produced by the New Species Apophysomyces mexicanus
Journal of clinical microbiology, 2014Co-Authors: Alexandro Bonifaz, Alberto M. Stchigel, Josep Guarro, Esther Guevara, Liliana Pintos, Marta Sanchis, José F. Cano-liraAbstract:A case of fungal necrotizing fasciitis that appeared in an immunocompetent Mexican woman after a car accident is described. The patient did not respond to antifungal treatment and died 4 days later. The fungus was molecularly identified as a new species of Apophysomyces, namely, Apophysomyces mexicanus.
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Invasive Apophysomyces variabilis Infection in a Burn Patient
Journal of clinical microbiology, 2012Co-Authors: Wilfred P. Dela Cruz, Deanna A. Sutton, Elizabeth H. Thompson, Tatjana P. Calvano, Matthew E. Griffith, Christopher E. White, Seung H. Kim, Brian L. Wickes, Josep GuarroAbstract:Apophysomyces variabilis is an emerging fungal pathogen that can cause significant infections in immunocompetent patients. We report a case of A. variabilis invasive wound infection in a 21-year-old male after a self-inflicted burn injury.
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Apophysomyces variabilis infections in humans.
Emerging infectious diseases, 2011Co-Authors: Josep Guarro, Eduardo Alvarez, Alberto M. Stchigel, Jagdish Chander, Hena Rani, Rajpal Singh Punia, Usha Dalal, Kaushik Robin, J. CanoAbstract:To the Editor: The fungus Apophysomyces elegans (order Mucorales) is a thermotolerant species that causes severe infections among humans. In contrast to other fungi that cause zygomycosis, which have a worldwide distribution and are rarely found in immunocompetent hosts, A. elegans has been reported mainly in areas with warm climates as an emerging pathogen that causes mostly cutaneous infections after injury to the skin (1). This fungus was discovered in 1979 (2) and until recently was considered the only species in the genus. A polyphasic study of clinical and environmental strains of A. elegans, including analysis of several genes, showed that the genus contained 4 well-characterized species (3). Of 16 isolates tested in this study, only 2 from soil in India were A. elegans. Most of the isolates were A. variabilis. The incidence of A. variabilis in humans is unknown and difficult to ascertain because most cases had isolates that were not properly preserved. These fungi usually cause necrotizing fasciitis, but rhino-orbito-cerebral or renal infections have also been reported (1). Whether these infections are produced by different Apophysomyces spp., have different responses to antifungal drugs, or have differences in virulence is unknown. To assess incidence of Apophysomyces spp. in a tertiary hospital (Government Medical College Hospital, Chandigarh, India), which usually receives patients with zygomycosis, a retrospective study was conducted during November 2001–April 2009. Nine patients were identified as having primary cutaneous zygomycosis. For 4 patients, fungal isolates were morphologically identified as A. elegans. A description of clinical findings, their management, and outcomes for these 9 patients has been reported (4). The 4 isolates were sent to the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Reus, Spain) for molecular analysis. The internal transcribed spacer region of these isolates was sequenced and compared with those of type strains of Apophysomyces spp. Fungi were identified by morphologic (Figure, panel A) and molecular analysis as A. variabilis (99.6%–99.7% sequence identity with sequence of type strain CBS 658.93 [{"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FN556436","term_id":"306480963"}}FN556436]). GenBank accession nos. of the 4 isolates are {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FN813491","term_id":"307133352"}}FN813491, {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FN813490","term_id":"307133351"}}FN813490, {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FN556442","term_id":"306480968"}}FN556442, and {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FN813492","term_id":"307133353"}}FN813492. Another patient was also infected with A. variabilis fungi. The patient was a 45-year-old woman with diabetes from Derabassi (Punjab), India, who was hospitalized because of swelling in her right breast and blackening of overlying skin. A diagnosis of right breast gangrene was made. Therefore, local debridement of the swelling was conducted, and tissue samples were tested by microbiologic culture and histopathologic analysis. A KOH wet mount showed broad aseptate hyphae with right-angled branching. The fungal isolate was tentatively identified as A. elegans. Histopathologic analysis confirmed a diagnosis of zygomycosis. The patient was treated under local anesthesia by debridement of infected tissue and some of the healthy surrounding tissue (Figure, panel B). However, an antifungal regimen could not be given because she had disturbed renal function. Her condition deteriorated, septicemia was observed, and she died from sudden cardiac arrest on the sixth day after admission. The fungal isolate was also identified as A. variabilis (98.9% identity, GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FN556443","term_id":"306480969"}}FN556443). Although most cases of infection with A. variabilis fungi have been reported in India (5), infections with this fungus may have a wider distribution. A recent study demonstrated that this species represented 0.5% of fungi of the order Mucorales isolated from clinical samples in the United States (6). Furthermore, a high mortality rate and the fact that most of these infections involve otherwise healthy patients make this a serious infection. The number of infections with Apophysomyces spp. is underestimated because these fungi do not usually sporulate on standard fungal culture media used in clinical laboratories. These fungi require special nutrient-deficient growth medium (Czapek agar), a high temperature in comparison to other human pathogens (37°C–42°C), and prolonged incubation (7–10 days) (7). A difference in mortality rate was observed when we compared patients in our study (80%) with those reported by Chakrabarti et al. (5) (28.5%) in India, even though treatment was generally similar, i.e., local debridement and amphotericin B. Other differences in our study were that the infection in 4 patients was preceded by intramuscular injection, and these 2 patients had diabetes mellitus. In conclusion, A. variabilis is an emerging pathogenic fungus that can cause rapid and fatal infections in humans. As more isolates of Apophysomyces fungi become available, molecular typing studies must be conducted to better understand the epidemiology and distribution of different Apophysomyces spp. Figure A) Sporangiophore (center) and sporangiospores of Apophysomyces variabilis fungi. Scale bar = 10 μm. B) Clinical manifestations in a woman infected with A. variabilis fungi in the upper part of the chest and the breast. A color version of this ...
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Molecular phylogenetic diversity of the emerging mucoralean fungus Apophysomyces: Proposal of three new species
Revista iberoamericana de micologia, 2010Co-Authors: Eduardo Alvarez, Josep Cano, Alberto M. Stchigel, Deanna A. Sutton, Annette W. Fothergill, Valentina Salas, Michael G. Rinaldi, Jagdish Chander, Josep GuarroAbstract:Abstract Background Apophysomyces is a monotypic genus belonging to the order Mucorales. The species Apophysomyces elegans has been reported to cause severe infections in immunocompromised and immunocompetent people. In a previous study of Alvarez et al. 3 [J Clin Microbiol 2009;47:1650–6], we demonstrated a high variability among the 5.8S rRNA gene sequences of clinical strains of A. elegans. Material and methods We performed a polyphasic study based on the analysis of the sequences of the histone 3 gene, the internal transcribed spacer region of the rDNA gene, and domains D1 and D2 of the 28S rRNA gene, as well as by evaluation of some relevant morphological and physiological characteristics of a set of clinical and environmental strains of A. elegans. Results and conclusions We have demonstrated that A. elegans is a complex of species. We propose as new species Apophysomyces ossiformis, characterised by bone-shaped sporangiospores, Apophysomyces trapeziformis, with trapezoid-shaped sporangiospores, and Apophysomyces variabilis, with variable-shaped sporangiospores. These species failed to assimilate esculin, whereas A. elegans was able to assimilate that glycoside. Amphotericin B and posaconazole are the most active in vitro drugs against Apophysomyces.
G. Satyanarayana - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Zygomycotic necrotizing fasciitis caused by Apophysomyces elegans.
Journal of clinical microbiology, 1993Co-Authors: V. Lakshmi, V. S. Mohan, C. Sundaram, R. R. Rao, T S Rani, S Sharma, G. SatyanarayanaAbstract:A case of necrotizing fasciitis of the anterior abdominal wall caused by the zygomycete Apophysomyces elegans in a healthy male following inguinal herniorrhaphy is reported. The portal of entry of the fungus into the incised skin and subcutaneous tissues was probably through either contaminated surgical sutures or postoperative surgical dressings. Broad, aseptate fungal hyphae were seen in the necrosed tissues with an associated necrotizing vasculitis. Extensive tissue debridements and a low dose of amphotericin B were not successful in controlling the rapid invasion of the tissues by the fungus.
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Copyright © 1993, American Society for Microbiology Zygomycotic Necrotizing Fasciitis Caused by
1992Co-Authors: Apophysomyces Elegans, Savitri Sharma, V. Lakshmi, Sudha T. Rani, V. S. Mohan, C. Sundaram, R. R. Rao, G. SatyanarayanaAbstract:A case of necrotizing fasciitis of the anterior abdominal wall caused by the zygomycete Apophysomyces elegans in a healthy male following inguinal herniorrhaphy is reported. The portal of entry of the fungus into the incised skin and subcutaneous tissues was probably through either contaminated surgical sutures or postoperative surgical dressings. Broad, aseptate fungal hyphae were seen in the necrosed tissues with an associated ' necrotizing vasculitis. Extensive tissue debridements and a low dose of amphotericin B were not successful in controlling the rapid invasion of the tissues by the fungus. Apophysomyces elegans, a member of the order Muco-rales of the class Zygomycetes, is an infrequent causative agent of zygomycosis (8). The other genera of this class are well known in the etiology of zygomycosis in a compromised host (1). We present here a case of zygomycotic necrotizing fasciitis that developed postoperatively in a healthy young male. Case report. A 27-year-old man presented on 13 June 1992 with a history of left inguinal hemiorrhaphy performed at
