A new study by Namie and colleagues showed that IL-2/IL-18-expanded NK cells exert significant antifungal activity against a broad spectrum of filamentous fungi, including Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus oryzae, Mucor species and azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus. Namie et al examined the antifungal activity of vitro-expanded human NK cells against filamentous fungi and explored the mechanisms underlying NK […]
MucorGenius® PCR assay detects more cases than culture in pulmonary mucormycosis.
A new commercially available multiplex real-time PCR assay―MucorGenius® shows good sensitivity for detecting pulmonary mucormycosis in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples. An Austrian study evaluating its diagnostic performance, conducted by Prattes et al., found that all four cases diagnosed with mucormycosis had a positive BALF MucorGenius® PCR and 24% of 25 possible IMI cases were […]
Increasing incidence of CNS invasive mould infections in India: a call for heightened index of suspicion and prompt diagnosis.
An Indian cohort study conducted by Kaur and colleagues documented a rising incidence of invasive mould infections amongst patients with brain abscess. Compared with the index study, which reported an incidence of 9.6%, previous studies by Lakshmi et al and Kruthika et al had documented an incidence of 1.0% and 1.7%, respectively, over 24–38 years. […]
Is chronic pulmonary aspergillosis a rare or an underreported disease in children?
A global review study by Denning and colleagues has identified 47 cases of CPA in the paediatric population published from 1963 to 2022: twenty-two were simple aspergillomas, and 11 were chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis. The authors speculate the reported number of cases underestimates the true CPA prevalence in children, likely due to misclassifications as invasive […]
Is the use of azole antifungal prophylaxis in AML patients treated with venetoclax necessary?
A retrospective analysis of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia patients receiving venetoclax and a hypomethylating (Ven/HMA) agent finds that azole antifungal prophylaxis (AFP) did not improve the overall survival of participants. Patients who received azole antifungal prophylaxis had an inferior overall survival, with 34% of patients receiving AFP having died by day 120 compared to […]
Rapid CRISPR-based assay in smear- and culture-negative fungal keratitis
A new rapid molecular tool for diagnosing fungal keratitis has been developed by Aravind Eye Hospital in India – RID-MyC. Negative fungal cultures and microscopy are a frequent problem in fungal keratitis worldwide, leading to an underestimate of its true burden. A PCR assay has been further improved using CRISPR methodology (ST-RID-MyC) and takes <10 […]
Sirius One system outperformed Microflex 3.1 in the identification of filamentous fungi
Although advances in Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) Mass Spectrometry technology have enabled higher accuracy and faster identification of moulds, the model of instruments and databases used, and the extraction method, are crucial for optimal diagnostic outcomes. In this Swedish study, the Sirius One system showed higher sensitivity than the Microflex 3.1, achieving a […]
Empirical antifungals demonstrate superiority to pre-emptive therapy in patients with liver failure
A randomised controlled trial conducted in India evidently showed that early empirical antifungal therapy, compared with pre-emptive therapy, improves survival in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure and invasive fungal infections (IFIs). The significant findings were a higher treatment success and resolution of IFIs, and a lower in-hospital and IFI-attributable mortality in the empirical group (55.6% […]
DermatoPlex qPCR assay demonstrates superiority over conventional methods in the detection of dermatophyte fungi and Candida species.
A Spanish study conducted at the Navarra University Hospital showed that the use of DermatoPlex qPCR for detecting dermatomycoses had sensitivities 2.3x and 1.7x greater than direct microscopic examination and culture, respectively. The overall agreement for the molecular detection of dermatophyte fungi and Candida spp. in skin and nail material, compared with culture, was 75.4%. […]
Averting missed diagnosis of blastomycosis in an endemic region; understanding the rudiments
The average diagnostic delay of blastomycosis was 27 days, with 17% of patients experiencing delays of over a month. Most cases seen had ‘community-acquired pneumonia’. A retrospective analysis from a US study by Desmond Barber and colleagues reported pre-existing pulmonary conditions, diabetes mellitus and respiratory therapies as risk factors for delayed diagnosis of blastomycosis. 41% […]