• Title/Summary/Keyword: Fungal infections

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Positive and negative regulation of the Drosophila immune response

  • Aggarwal, Kamna;Silverman, Neal
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.41 no.4
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    • pp.267-277
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    • 2008
  • Insects mount a robust innate immune response against a wide array of microbial pathogens. The hallmark of the Drosophila humoral immune response is the rapid production of anti-microbial peptides in the fat body and their release into the circulation. Two recognition and signaling cascades regulate expression of these antimicrobial peptide genes. The Toll pathway is activated by fungal and many Gram-positive bacterial infections, whereas the immune deficiency (IMD) pathway responds to Gram-negative bacteria. Recent work has shown that the intensity and duration of the Drosophila immune response is tightly regulated. As in mammals, hyperactivated immune responses are detrimental, and the proper down-modulation of immunity is critical for protective immunity and health. In order to keep the immune response properly modulated, the Toll and IMD pathways are controlled at multiple levels by a series of negative regulators. In this review, we focus on recent advances identifying and characterizing the negative regulators of these pathways.

Systemic Aspergillosis associated with bovine viral diarrhea virus infection in Korean native calves (한우송아지의 BVD바이러스 감염과 Aspergillus fumigatus의 복합감염)

  • Jean, Young Hwa;Kim, Jae Hoon;Kim, Dae Yong;Jeong, Soon Wuk;Moon, Oun Kyong;Cho, Doo Youn
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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    • v.45 no.1
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    • pp.93-97
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    • 2005
  • Systemic aspergillosis were outbroken of 17 Korean native calves at livestock farm in Kyunggi province. Two 3 months old calves were died after having diarrhea, coughing, dyspnea, nasal discharge, and abdominal breathing. These calves were diagnosed of aspergillosis as multifocal to coalescing pyogranulomatous inflammation with intralesional aspergillus infiltration at liver, kidney, spleen, heart, lymph nodes, lungs, intestine and cerebrum. Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured from the affected tissues. And the small intestine was positive against bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus on FA test. We considered that the secondary fungal infections killed the calves after BVD virus infection primarily.

Radiological Findings of Lung Cancer: Focus on Atypical Pattern (폐암의 방사선 소견(비전형적 소견을 중심으로))

  • Sung, Dong-Wook
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.58 no.6
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    • pp.554-561
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    • 2005
  • The clinical and radiographic findings of lung cancer have been well established many journals. Even if the radiographic findings of lung cancer show a typical pattern, the specific cell type of lung cancer sometimes needs to be determined prior to a pathological diagnosis. For example, the usual finding of a squamous cell carcinoma is similar to other cancer types such as an adenocarcinoma or a small cell carcinoma but with a lower incidence. Therefore, it should not be used to make a diagnosis of the cell type prior to a pathological diagnosis. Many unusual findings of lung cancer, so called atypical pattern have been reported, but atypical findings are widely accepted. The more important thing is not to diagnose a specific cell type of cancer but to differentiate it from other benign conditions such as tuberculosis, fungal infections or organizing pneumonia. This paper presents typical information of the cell type of lung cancer along with the atypical radiographic findings.

Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency Associated with Neonatal Septic Hip in a Late Preterm Infant

  • Kim, Hye-Eun;Kim, Do Hee;Chung, Sung-Hoon;Bae, Chong-Woo;Choi, Yong-Sung
    • Neonatal Medicine
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    • v.25 no.4
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    • pp.191-195
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    • 2018
  • Leukocyte adhesion deficiency is a rare primary immunodeficiency and autosomal recessive disorder caused by a mutation in the gene encoding CD18, which is a constituent of leukocyte integrins. Clinical features usually begin with a delay in the separation of the umbilical cord in the neonatal period, and are characterized by marked leukocytosis with infection, delayed wound healing, and repeated bacterial and fungal infections. We experienced a case of leukocyte adhesion deficiency diagnosed in the neonatal period, in which a late preterm infant admitted to neonatal intensive care unit presented with a septic hip. Flow cytometry analysis of whole blood showed a decrease in the expression of CD11b/CD18. This is the first case of leukocyte adhesion deficiency with neonatal septic hip diagnosed in Korea.

Huge Primary Pleural Cyst Mimicking an Exophytic Echinococcal Cyst: A Case Report

  • Jaeshin Yoon;Hyun Ah Lim;Hee Kyung Kim;Kyung Soo Kim
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
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    • v.56 no.4
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    • pp.286-289
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    • 2023
  • A 58-year-old woman presented with an incidental asymptomatic mass occupying the entire right lower thorax. A radiologic study demonstrated a huge cystic mass, initially suggestive of an exophytic echinococcal cyst. After unsuccessful catheter drainage, the patient was referred for surgery, and curative resection of the lung-, heart-, and diaphragm-compressing mass was performed under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Culture studies revealed no growth of parasitic, bacterial, or fungal infections, and the final pathological result confirmed a primary pleural cyst. Thoracic cystic masses mostly manifest as bronchogenic or pericardial cysts, while primary pleural cysts have rarely been reported. We present a rare case of a huge pleural cyst that initially mimicked an echinococcal cyst.

Stomatitis in a Veiled Chameleon (Chameleo calyptratus) with Fusarium solani and Pseudomonas spp.

  • Sunghyun S. Hong;Sungryong Kim;Dongwoo Chang;Ki-Jeong Na
    • Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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    • v.41 no.4
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    • pp.258-261
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    • 2024
  • A 4-year-old intact female veiled chameleon was presented with anorexia and respiratory symptoms. Physical examination revealed mild lethargy, open-mouthed breathing and stomatitis, with sticky fluid coating the oral mucus membrane. Pathogens such as Pseudomonas spp., Aeromonas spp., Ranavirus spp. or Herpes spp. has previously been implicated to cause stomatitis. Cytology confirmed fungal hyphae and bacterial growth. Molecular analysis revealed Fusarium (F.) solani and Pseudomonas spp. The fungus F. solani is known to cause keratitis in humans, and has been reported to cause skin lesions or systemic infections in reptiles. Pseudomonas spp. is a common bacterium in associated with stomatitis. This is the first clinical case report of F. solani infection causing stomatitis in reptiles. Several pathogens should be considered for accurate diagnosis and treatment of stomatitis.

Effects of Chinae Rhizoma Extracts on the Growth of the Dermatophytes (토복령알코홀추출물의 항진균작용)

  • Lee, Jong-Hwa;Song, Byung-Sook;Lee, Sun-Hee;Kim, Chung-Il
    • The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.39-45
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    • 1973
  • The majority of drugs used in the treatment of superficial fungal infections has limited values due to its low efficacy or development of resistance. For the purpose of searching efficacious agent on the superficial fungal infections induced by dermatophytes which is regarded as the most malicious one, authors examined whether Chinae Rhizoma Extracts have significant on it. Extracts from Smilax china Linne used for the study are water extract (CRWE), ethanol extract (CREE) and methanol extract (CRME). In in vitro studies, the spores of the dermatophytes were inoculated on Sabouraud's glucose agar media which contained three extracts of Chinae Rhizoma in each concentration of $500\;{\mu}g/ml$, $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ and $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ respectively, and also $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ of salicylic acid and undecylenic acid $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ as comparable drugs. The growth of the dermatophytes were observed for 3 weeks. The species of the dermatophytes used in this experiment were Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, Microsporum cookei, Microsporum gypseum, Microsporum nanum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton tonsurans and Trichophyton verrucosum distributed from The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium. The results of the studies were as follows: 1. The growth of M. canis, M. nanum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans were slightly inhibited in CRWE $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ and CRWE $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$, and only slight inhibition on the growth of E. floccosum, M. canis and M. gypseum were observed in CRWE $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$. 2. Complete inhibition of T. rubrum, moderate inhibition of M. nanum & T. tonsurans, and slight inhibition of E. floccosunl, M. canis, M. cookei & T. mentagrophytes in growth were observed in concentration of CREE $500\;{\mu}g/ml$. The growth of M. gypseum was slightly inhibited, moderate inhibition on the growth of M. canis, M. cookei & T. mentagrophytes, and complete inhibition of E. floccosum, M. nanum, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans in growth were observeed by CREE $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$. With $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ of CREE, the growth of E. floccosum, M. canis, M. cookei, M. gypseum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans were completely inhibited except T. verrucosum being showed slight inhibition. 3. In CRME $500\;{\mu}g/ml$, slight inhibition of T. verrucosum, moderate inhibition of M. gypseum and complete inhibition of E. floccosum, M. canis, M. cookei, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans in growth were observed. The growth of E. floccosum, M. canis, M. cookei, M. gypseum, M. nanum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans were completely inhibited except T. verrucosum being showed moderate inhibition in both CRME $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ and CRME $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$. 4. In $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ of undecylenic acid, slight inhibition of T. verrucosum and complete inhibition of E, floccosum, M. canis, M. cookei, M. gypseum, M. nanum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans in growth were observed. From the above results, it was found that Chinas Rhizoma Alcoholic Extracts(CREE & CRME) exerted significant antifungal activity, and their effects were probably derived from the pharmacological actions of triterpenoidal saponin and steroidal saponin.

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Development of Functional Halogenated Phenylpyrrole Derivatives (기능성 할로겐화 페닐피롤 )

  • Min-Hee Jung;Hee Jeong Kong;Young-Ok Kim;Jin-Ho Lee
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.33 no.10
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    • pp.842-850
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    • 2023
  • Pyrrolnitrin, pyrrolomycin, and pyoluteorin are functional halogenated phenylpyrrole derivatives (HPDs) derived from microorganisms with diverse antimicrobial activities. Pyrrolnitrin is a secondary metabolite produced from L-tryptophan through four-step reactions in Pseudomonas fluorescens, Burkholderia cepacia, Serratia plymuthica, etc. It is currently used for the treatment of superficial dermatophytic fungal infections, has high antagonistic activities against soil-borne and foliar fungal infections, and has many industrial applications. Since pyrrolnitrin is easily decomposed by light, it is difficult to widely use it outdoors. As an alternative, fludioxonil, a synthetically produced non-systemic surface fungicide that is structurally similar and has excellent light stability, has been commercialized for seed and foliar treatment of plants. However, due to its high toxicity to aquatic organisms and adverse effects in human cell lines, many countries have established maximum residue levels and strictly control its levels. Pyrrolomycin and pyoluteorin, which have antibiotic/antibiofilm activity against Gram-positive bacteria and high anti-oomycete activity against the plant pathogen Pythium ultimum, respectively, were isolated and identified from microorganisms. This review summarizes the biosynthesis and production of natural pyrrolnitrin derived from bacteria and the characteristics of synthetic fludioxonil and other natural phenylpyrrole derivatives among the HPDs. We expect that a plethora of highly effective, novel HPDs that are safe for humans and environments will be developed through the generation of an HPD library by microbial biosynthesis and chemical synthesis.

Outbreaks of Yuzu Dieback in Goheung Area: Possible Causes Deduced from Weather Extremes

  • Kim, Kwang-Hyung;Kim, Gyoung Hee;Son, Kyeong In;Koh, Young Jin
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.31 no.3
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    • pp.290-298
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    • 2015
  • Starting in 2012, severe diebacks usually accompanied by abundant gum exudation have occurred on yuzu trees in Goheung-gun, Jeonnam Province, where severely affected trees were occasionally killed. On-farm surveys were conducted at 30 randomly-selected orchards located at Pungyang-myeon, Goheung-gun, and the resulting disease incidences were 18.5% and 39.6% for dieback and gumming symptoms, respectively. Black spots on branches and leaves also appeared on infected trees showing a typical dieback symptom. Morphological and molecular identifications of the isolated fungal organisms from lesions on the symptomatic leaves and branches revealed that they are identical to Phomopsis citri, known to cause gummosis. In order to find the reason for this sudden epidemic, we investigated the weather conditions that are exclusively distinct from previous years, hypothesizing that certain weather extremes might have caused the severe induction of pre-existing disease for yuzu. There were two extreme temperature drops beyond the yuzu's cold hardiness limit right after an abnormally-warm-temperature-rise during the winter of 2011-12, which could cause severe frost damage resulting in mechanical injuries and physiological weakness to the affected trees. Furthermore, there was an increased frequency of strong wind events, seven times in 2012 compared to only a few times in the previous years, that could also lead to extensive injuries on branches. In conclusion, we estimated that the possible damages by severe frost and frequent strong wind events during 2012 could cause the yuzu trees to be vulnerable to subsequent fungal infection by providing physical entries and increasing plant susceptibility to infections.

Squamous cell carcinoma occurring with aspergillosis in the maxillary sinus: a case report and histological study (상악동내 국균증과 편평상피세포암의 동시발생 증례: 조직학적 연구 및 문헌고찰)

  • Byun, June-Ho;Lee, Jeong-Hee;Rho, Gyu-Jin;Park, Bong-Wook
    • Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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    • v.36 no.2
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    • pp.125-127
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    • 2010
  • The coexistence of aspergillosis and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the maxillary sinus was very rare. To our knowledge, this is the second report of coexistent SCC and aspergillosis in the maxillary sinus. A 58-year-old man underwent surgery for unilateral maxillary sinus infection with oroantral fistula. In the surgical specimen, SCC and aspergillosis were co-detected with routine and immunohistochemical stainings. Moreover, human papillomavirus 18 (HPV-18) was detected by polymerase chain reaction in the sinus specimen. The patient was re-operated with subtotal maxillectomy and has been followed up for two years without any evidence of recurrence or metastasis. Although it is not understood how aspergillosis could induce carcinoma formation, the chronic inflammation caused by prolonged fungal infection might be carcinogenic. Moreover, HPV-16 and -18 were another causative pathogens of SCC in the head and neck region. We recommend careful examination, including preoperative cytology, in patients with maxillary sinus fungal infections because of the potential for cancer development.