China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
The Fungi
Published in Julius P. Kreier, Infection, Resistance, and Immunity, 2022
The demonstration of the agent can be very effective in the rapid identification of a fungus since fungal morphology is distinctive. Moreover, since a number of fungal agents have a unique morphology, direct examination of a clinical specimen can often give a definitive diagnosis. For example, the observation of broad-based budding yeast cells in the sputum of a patient with pneumonia, who had lived in an area endemic for blastomycosis, is considered diagnostic for B. dermatiditis. The presence of encapsulated yeast cells in an India Ink preparation of the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with meningitis confirms the presence of C. neoformans.
Candida and parasitic infection: Helminths, trichomoniasis, lice, scabies, and malaria
Published in Hung N. Winn, Frank A. Chervenak, Roberto Romero, Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine Online, 2021
Candida are dimorphic organisms with blastospore and mycelial forms. The blastospore form (budding yeast) is associated with transmission and colonization, and is the form found in the bloodstream in systemic infection. Germinated yeast with mycelia and pseudohyphae is the tissue-invasive form that causes symptomatic disease. The Candida life cycle is one of rapid budding, maturation, and degeneration. Budding occurs as a new cell outgrowth from the mother blastospore. Following mitosis, a septum partitions the two cells and budding resumes in each cell. Mycelium formation begins as a cylindrical outgrowth from the cell wall. Septa are laid down behind the apical tip as the hyphae shoot lengthens. Blastospores are then produced just behind the newly created septa. Pseudohyphae are a morphologic derivative between budding and hyphal growth that is found in all Candida species (8).
Neuroinfectious Diseases
Published in Philip B. Gorelick, Fernando D. Testai, Graeme J. Hankey, Joanna M. Wardlaw, Hankey's Clinical Neurology, 2020
Jeremy D. Young, Jesica A. Herrick, Scott Borgetti
Narrow-based budding yeast with a polysaccharide capsule, approximately 5–10 μm in size, can be seen on most histopathologic specimens with standard tissue and fungal stains. Inflammation can be highly variable, including relatively little infiltration to frank granulomas. In the laboratory, C. neoformans grows well at 37°C, forming white-to-cream colored, mucoid-appearing colonies.
Evaluation of cytokine profile in cervicovaginal lavage specimens of women having asymptomatic reproductive tract infections
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2022
Clara Aranha, Mayuri Goriwale, Shahina Begum, Sheetal Gawade, Vikrant Bhor, Anushree D. Patil, Kiran Munne, Vandana Bansal, Deepti Tandon
Vaginal pH less than 4.5 was considered normal and above 4.5 was considered abnormal. Nugent scoring of Gram stained slides was used to diagnose bacterial vaginosis (BV). A score of 0–10 was generated after viewing for Lactobacillus morphotypes, Gardnerella/Bacteroides morphotypes and curved Gram variable rods from at least 10–20 high power fields (hpf) (×1000 oil immersion) and an average was determined. The scores of 0–3 were considered negative for BV, 4–6 considered intermediate and 7+ indicative of BV. The presence of Gram-positive budding yeast cells indicated presence of vaginal Candida. The presence of ≥30 leukocytes per hpf suggested cervical inflammation. The cytokine concentrations were expressed in median 25–75 percentile in pg/ml. The lower limit of detection of IFN-γ, IL1-β, IL-10, IL-12/IL23p40, IL17A, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha was 12.5, 3.45, 1.79, 1.32, 2.79, 12.66, 2.19 and 9.46 pg/ml, respectively. Xponent 4.2 software was used to measure the standard curve of each cytokine concentration.
Cutaneous Granulomatosis and Class Switching Defect as a Presenting Sign in Ataxia-Telangiectasia: First Case from the National Iranian Registry and Review of the Literature
Published in Immunological Investigations, 2020
Parisa Amirifar, Reza Yazdani, Tannaz Moeini Shad, Alireza Ghanadan, Hassan Abolhassani, Martin Lavin, Soheila Sotoudeh, Asghar Aghamohammadi
Due to a lack of amelioration in the case, a skin biopsy was performed again and microscopic diagnosis demonstrated a benign spindle cell tumor of fibro-histiocytic origin most compatible with dermatofibroma at the age of 7. Following this finding, vitamin A and folic acid were prescribed for the patient. At the age of 8 years, skin lesions were infected and the patient received lengthy and multiple antibiotic therapies. This therapy led to some improvement. Using prophylactic antibiotic therapy and monthly IVIg replacement ameliorated partially the granulomatous lesion (Figure 3). At the age of 12 years, she suffered from otitis media, eye infection, hearing loss and paronychia. Budding yeast and pseudohyphae were seen in direct examination and Candida Albicans was documented by culture examination of finger nail clippings.
Rash decisions can be life-saving: a case of disseminated histoplasmosis in an immunocompromised patient
Published in Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives, 2019
Huda Naz Khan, Stephen L. Hines, Leigh Hunter
In the environment, Histoplasma capsulatum exists as a mold with hyphae, which produce spores that are aerosolized and dispersed. Once inhaled by the susceptible host, the spores transform into budding yeast in warmer climates. The yeast forms are then phagocytized by macrophages, which assist in spreading the organism to various parts of the body. Once host cellular immunity to Histoplasma develops, the macrophages become activated to kill the organism. In immunocompetent patients, these defense mechanisms are usually sufficient to control the infection. Patients who develop the progressive, disseminated form of histoplasmosis generally have an underlying condition impairing their ability to defend against these intracellular pathogens. Risk factors for the disseminated disease include extremes of age, diagnosis of AIDS, hematologic malignancy, history of transplantation, treatment with immunosuppressive agents, and congenital T-cell deficiencies [1]. In our case, the patient was immunocompromised by both diabetes mellitus and decompensated cirrhosis due to hemochromatosis.