Marcela Astolphi de Souza

Fusarium napiforme systemic infection: case report with molecular characterization and antifungal susceptibility tests.

IntroductionDuring the last decades, Fusarium spp. has been reported as a significant cause of disease in humans, especially in immunocompromised patients, who have high risk of invasive life-threatening disease. Fusarium species usually reported as cause of human disease are F. solani, F. oxysporum and F. verticillioides.Case descriptionWe describe the second case in the literature of disseminated fusariosis caused by Fusarium napiforme, that occurred in a 60-year-old woman with multiple myeloma after subsequent cycles of chemotherapy.Discussion and EvaluationWe identified the F. napiforme not only by standard morphologic criteria by macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, but also confirmed by molecular biology methods, including sequencing. The antifungal susceptibility of the F. napiforme isolates were tested to seven antifungal drugs; the azoles were the most active drug against all the isolates tested.ConclusionsFusarium spp. are of relevance in medical mycology, and their profiles of low susceptibility to antifungal drugs highlight the importance for faster and more accurate diagnostic tests, what can contribute to an earlier and precise diagnosis and treatment.

Comparison of DNA Microarray, Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) and Real-Time PCR with DNA Sequencing for Identification of Fusarium spp. Obtained from Patients with Hematologic Malignancies.

The performance of three molecular biology techniques, i.e., DNA microarray, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and real-time PCR were compared with DNA sequencing for properly identification of 20 isolates of Fusarium spp. obtained from blood stream as etiologic agent of invasive infections in patients with hematologic malignancies. DNA microarray, LAMP and real-time PCR identified 16 (80%) out of 20 samples as Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC) and four (20%) as Fusarium spp. The agreement among the techniques was 100%. LAMP exhibited 100% specificity, while DNA microarray, LAMP and real-time PCR showed 100% sensitivity. The three techniques had 100% agreement with DNA sequencing. Sixteen isolates were identified as FSSC by sequencing, being five Fusarium keratoplasticum, nine Fusarium petroliphilum and two Fusarium solani. On the other hand, sequencing identified four isolates as Fusarium non-solani species complex (FNSSC), being three isolates as Fusarium napiforme and one isolate as Fusarium oxysporum. Finally, LAMP proved to be faster and more accessible than DNA microarray and real-time PCR, since it does not require a thermocycler. Therefore, LAMP signalizes as emerging and promising methodology to be used in routine identification of Fusarium spp. among cases of invasive fungal infections.

Sendo-mãe de criança hospitalizada com doença crônica

This work is a phenomenological study whose objective was to understand mothers of children hospitalized with chronic illnesses. Access to subjects was performed at the Pediatric Nursing Unit in a university hospital in the countryside of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fourteen mothers in this situation were interviewed by answering the open question: “how is it to be the mother of a child with a chronic illness?” The mothers’ answers were recorded and transcribed. The understanding of these discourses was performed by evaluating the mothers’ descriptions of the given experiences according to the analysis of the specific phenomenon’s structure. Being a mother of a child with a chronic illness involves multiple perspectives and understandings. From the mother’s own introspection showing the changes resulting from the child’s chronic illness to changes in family dynamics, the mothers traverse winding roads, at times more optimistically, at times powerless when facing the true reality of the disease.