We report a case in which an undernourished female patient underwent drainage for gingivitis, and subsequently suffered S. intermedius-induced subdural abscess, meningitis and transverse sinus thrombosis. A few days after drainage, she had a fever of 39°C and became lethargic with non-fluent aphasia. Cerebrospinal fluid revealed pleocytosis of 1269/μl, protein 222 mg/dl (normal 15-45mg/dl), glucose 33 mg/dl (ratio to blood glucose: 0.37). The diffusion-weighted MRI brain showed an area of abnormally high signal along the left brain surface. In the magnetic resonance venography, the left transverse sinus was not well delineated. After treatment with antibiotics (meropenem, vancomycin) and heparin, craniotomy was performed to remove the abscess. Culture of the abscess tissue detected S. intermedius. After surgery she gradually improved. To our knowledge, this is the first report of subdural abscess and transverse sinus thrombosis caused by S. intermedius occurring as a result of drainage treatment for gingivitis.

Previously, we reported that epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (EGCg) has growth-inhibitory effect on clinical isolates of Candida species. In this study, we investigated the antifungal activity of EGCg and antifungal agents against thirty-five of dermatophytes clinically isolated by the international guidelines (M38-A2). All isolates exhibited good susceptibility to EGCg (MIC50, 2-4 microg/mL, MIC90, 4-8 microg/mL, and geometric mean (GM) MICs, 3.36-4 microg/mL) than those of fluconazole (MIC50, 2-16 microg/mL, MIC90, 4-32 microg/mL, and GM MICs, 3.45-25.8 microg/mL) and flucytosin (MIC50, MIC90, and GM MICs, >64 microg/mL), although they were less susceptible to other antifungal agents, such as amphotericin B, itraconazole, and miconazole. These activities of EGCg were approximately 4-fold higher than those of fluconazole, and were 4 to 16-fold higher than flucytosin. This result indicates that EGCg can inhibit pathogenic dermatophyte species. Therefore, we suggest that EGCg may be effectively used solely as a possible agent or combined with other antifungal agents for antifungal therapy in dermatophytosis.
Antifungal Agents/*pharmacology ; Arthrodermataceae/*drug effects/isolation & purification ; Catechin/*analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

No abstract available.
Japan* ; Sporothrix* ; Sporotrichosis*

No abstract available.
Japan* ; Sporothrix* ; Sporotrichosis*

Allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) develops mainly in patients with asthma or cystic fibrosis via types I and III hypersensitivity reactions to filamentous fungi. Aspergillus spp., especially Aspergillus fumigatus, is the major causative fungus because of its small conidia, thermophilic hyphae, and ability to secrete serine proteases. The cardinal histological feature of ABPM is allergic (eosinophilic) mucin-harboring hyphae in the bronchi, for which the formation of extracellular DNA trap cell death (ETosis) of eosinophils induced by viable fungi is essential. Clinically, ABPM is characterized by peripheral blood eosinophilia, increased IgE levels in the serum, IgE and IgG antibodies specific for fungi, and characteristic radiographic findings; however, there are substantial differences in the clinical features of this disease between East and South Asian populations. Systemic corticosteroids and/or antifungal drugs effectively control acute diseases, but recurrences are quite common, and development of novel treatments are warranted to avoid adverse effects and emergence of drug-resistance due to prolonged treatment with corticosteroids and/or antifungal drugs.
Acute Disease ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Antibodies ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Aspergillus ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; Asthma ; Bronchi ; Cell Death ; Cystic Fibrosis ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Extracellular Traps ; Fungi ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hyphae ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis ; Recurrence ; Serine Proteases ; Spores, Fungal