Dita Paloušová

Rapid Detection and Identification of Mucormycetes from Culture and Tissue Samples by Use of High-Resolution Melt Analysis

ABSTRACT We present a method for rapid and simple detection of clinically relevant mucormycetes of the Mucorales order in cultures and clinical samples. This seminested real-time PCR uses mucormycete-specific primers and is followed by species identification using high-resolution melt (HRM) analysis. The method is highly suitable for routine clinical diagnostics.

Invasive mould disease involving the gastrointestinal tract caused by Neosartorya pseudofischeri in a haematological patient

Invasive mould diseases (IMD) are serious, life-threatening complications in immunocompromised hosts. Patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) as well as those after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation represent the highest risk group, with an IMD incidence of approximately 10%. Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the most frequent type and represents 96% of all IMD cases. The incidence of IA in this high-risk group of patients is 10% and the mortality is 30–40%.1 In more than 90% of IA cases, the lungs are affected or the disease is disseminated. Importantly, isolated gastrointestinal involvement is very uncommon.2 Molecular techniques have been used in the diagnosis and identification of mould diseases and new fungal species morphologically similar to Aspergillus fumigatus have been described. The Aspergillus section Fumigati now includes anamorphic Aspergillus species and teleomorphic Neosartorya species. Neosartorya spp. is a filamentous fungus that is commonly found in soil throughout the world. Invasive mould infections caused by Neosartorya spp. have very rarely been described in literature.