Z.U. Khan

Aspergillosis in imported penguins

An outbreak of aspergillosis in imported penguins caused by Aspergillus fumigatus is described. The birds probably acquired the infection from the country of origin or during their transportation. Predisposing circumstances are discussed.

Blastomyces dermatitidis in India: First report of its isolation from clinical material

The isolation of Blastomyces dermatitidis in India is reported from the bronchial aspirate of a female asthmatic patient who had never travelled abroad. The patient was a resident of Rodhain, a small town in the District of Badaun (Uttar Pradesh), situated about 250 km south-east of Delhi. Apart from its demonstration by culture and direct microscopy of a bronchial aspirate, B. dermatitidis was seen microscopically on two occasions in KOH wet mounts and smears of sputum stained with periodic acid-Schiffs reagent. Anti-B. dermatitidis serum precipitins were shown by immunodiffusion in 3 of 4 serum samples from the patient. The identity of the fungus was based on its characteristic morphology in clinical specimens and in culture, conversion of the mold form to the yeast from in vitro and vice versa, and by verification of its pathogenicity in white mice. A detailed clinical and laboratory evaluation of the patient indicated that she had suffered from an episode of self-limited acute pulmonary blastomycosis that required no antifungal therapy. This is believed to be the first authentic report of the isolation of B. dermatitidis from clinical material in India.

Pathogenicity of some ordinarily harmless yeasts for cortisone-treated mice

The pathogenicity for normal and cortisone-treated mice of Candida requinyii, Pichia etchellsii, Candida famata (Torulopsis candida) Trichosporon cutaneum and Sterigmatomyces aphidis, isolated from foodstuffs or clinical material, is reported. The test species proved nonpathogenic to normal mice inoculated intravenously with up to 10(7) cells. There was neither any mortality nor gross or microscopic lesions, and cultures were negative from the visceral organs and brain when these animals were necropsied after 3 weeks of observation. In cortisone-treated mice, on the other hand, the yeasts caused mortalities, the extent of which varied according to the infecting species and the challenge dose. Candida requinyii was the most pathogenic species, causing 100% mortality in 8 days, followed by S. aphidis, C. famata, T. cutaneum and P. etchellsii which killed 75%, 50%, 38% and 25% of the infected animals. Apart from the higher mortalities, C. requinyii and S. aphidis caused more frequent visceral lesions than did either T. cutaneum or C. famata. Involvement of the brain occurred more commonly with C. requinyii and T. cutaneum than with C. famata or S. aphidis. P. etchellsii was the only yeast that failed to incite any gross or microscopic lesions. The study re-emphasizes the pathogenic potential of ordinarily harmless fungi for immunosuppressed hosts.

Natural occurrence of Aspergillus fumigatus in cane sugar mills.

The environmental distribution of Aspergillus fumigatus in 2 cane-sugar mills and one paper factory in northern India is compared with 2 localities in Delhi. The preponderance of the species at the U.D. Sugar Mills, Shamli, was contrary to its low prevalence in the University of Delhi campus and at Subzimandi, the vegetable and fruit market of Delhi. Aspergillus fumigatus accounted for 42.5% of the total aerial fungal colony counts recorded in the Shamli Mills as against 2% in Delhi. The predominant aerial fungus at Subzimandi was A. niger whereas aspergilli were overshelmingly outnumbered by other fungi in the University of Delhi campus. Within the Shamli Mills, the bagasse-containing sites had a significantly higher aerial prevalence (50.3%) of A. fumigatus than the bagasse-free sites (13.5%). Furthermore, A. fumigatus was more prevalent in the operational (57.2%) than in the non-operational period (23.8%) of the mills. The high frequency of isolations of A. fumigatus from and its dense population in sugar-cane bagasse seemed to suggest a special association of the fungus with this substrate.

Precipitating antibodies againstMicropolyspora faeni in equines in north-western India

Prevalence of serum precipitins againstMicropolyspora faeni, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris andAspergillus fumigatus, employing the counterimmunoelectrophoresis (COTE) and Ouchterlonys double diffusion (DD) techniques, is reported in 162 of the equines stationed at two military installations in northwestern India.M. faeni specific precipitins were demonstrable in 58 of 112 mules from site I in the mountainous region whereas the results were negative for all of the 50 horses examined from site IT located in the plains. Of the 58M. faeni positive mules, 45 (78%) had signs and symptoms suggestive of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) while the remaining 13 (22%) were apparently free from any respiratory disorder. The more frequent occurrence ofM. faeni precipitins in the symptomatic than in the asymptomatic group of mules was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.01). Precipitins againstA. fumigatus were concomitantly demonstrated in 5 of the mules afflicted with COPD and found to be positive forM. faeni.

Thermophilic actinomycetes in cane sugar mills: an aeromicrobiologic and seroepidemiologic study

Aerial prevalence of clinically important thermophilic actinomycetes and occurrence of precipitating antibodies against them in sera of 153 exposed workers have been reported. The study was carried out in two cane sugar mills namely, the Upper Doab Sugar Mills and the Ramala Sugar Mills, located in north-west India. In both the sugar mills,T. sacchari was the predominant species, it accounted for 55.1% and 50.3% of the total population of thermophilic actinomycetes, followed byT. vulgaris (19.7% and 23.7%),T. thalpophilus (21.1% and 17.1%),Saccharomonospora viridis (3.4% and 5.0%) andSaccharopolyspora rectivirgula (Faenia rectivirgula) (0.7% and 3.9%), respectively. Precipitating antibodies against thermophilic actinomycetes were demonstrable in 34 (22.2%) workers;T. sacchari alone accounted for 20 of the positive precipitin reactions, followed byS. rectivirgula in 10. The mean absorbance values for IgG antibody activity againstT. sacchari as well asS. rectivirgula were found to be elevated significantly in the symptomatic workers than in the asymptomatic workers (p<0.05) or unexposed controls (p<0.001). However, the difference in IgG antibody activity was insignificant between precipitin-positive symptomatic workers and precipitin-positive asymptomatic workers. The results indicate that clinically important thermophilic actinomycetes are widely prevalent in cane sugar mills, andT. sacchari andS. rectivirgula are the major species involved in the sensitization of the bagasse workers in India.

Occurrence and significance of precipitating antibodies against thermophilic actinomycetes in the sera of dairy herd workers, Nangali, Delhi

The study was prompted by the lack of information on the role of thermophilic actinomycetes in hypersensitivity pneumonitis in India. It reports the occurrence of precipitating antibodies against clinically important thermophilic actinomycetes in the sera of a population sample of dairy herd workers, Nangali, Delhi. Of 112 workers investigated, 28 (25%) showed precipitins againstFaenia rectivirgula, 4 (3.2%) againstSaccharomonospora viridis, 2 againstThermoactinomyces thalpophilus and one each againstT. vulgaris andT. sacchari. The results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) indicated that IgG antibody activity againstF. rectivirgula was significantly higher in the symptomatic group than in the asymptomatic group (p<0.05) of workers and the controls (p<0.01). Significant difference inF. rectivirgula IgG activity was also obtained between the precipitin-positive symptomatic group and the precipitin-positive asymptomatic group (p< 0.05). In strong contrast, the IgG antibody activity againstT. thalpophilus was found to be uniformly low. A limited aeromicrobiological sampling of the dairy farm revealedS. viridis (55.8%) to be the commonest species followed byT. vulgaris (19.2%),T. thalpophilus (18.5%),F. rectivirgula (5%) andT. sacchari (15%). On the basis of suggestive clinical and laboratory findings, farmers lung disease was suspected in four dairy herd workers. A comprehensive clinical evaluation including pulmonary function studies on the dairy herd workers and their long-term follow-up is indicated to determine the extent of respiratory morbidity caused byF. rectivirgula, S. viridis, T. thalpophilus, T. sacchari andT. vulgaris in India.

Survival of Blastomyces dermatitidis in the gastrointestinal tract of an orally infected insectivorous bat, Rhinopoma hardwickei hardwickei gray

The survival of Blastomyces dermatitidis with markedly reduced population, in the gastrointestinal tract and faeces of Rhinopoma hardwickei orally infected with 2.5 X 10(5) colony forming units of the fungus, is reported. B. dermatitidis was cultured from the stomach, intestine and faeces up to 16-24 h and from rectum up to 48 h post infection. The results demonstrate that orally infected R. hardwickei hardwickei bats transiently shed B. dermatitidis through their faeces but the significance of this route of environmental dissemination requires further evaluation.

Distribution of clinically important thermophilic actinomycetes in vegetable substrates and soil in north-western India

Medically important thermophilic actinomycetes were isolated from 218 (64%) of 341 samples of vegetable substrates and soil examined from sites in north-western India. Thermoactinomyces vulgaris (T. candidus) was the commonest species, occurring in 56% of samples, followed by Saccharomonospora viridis in 29%, Thermoactinomyces thalpophilus in 27%, Faenia rectivirgula (Micropolyspora faeni) in 21% and Thermoactinomyces sacchari in 14%. T. vulgaris and T. thalpophilus were isolated from all types of substrate examined, with T. vulgaris always more common than T. thalpophilus. Of the other thermophilic actinomycetes, F. rectivirgula was isolated predominantly from hay (44%) and S. viridis (56%) and T. sacchari (44%) from sugarcane bagasse. The largest populations of T. vulgaris and T. thalpophilus were found in paddy straw, followed by T. sacchari, S. viridis and F. rectivirgula in sugar-cane bagasse.The widespread occurrence of these clinically important thermophilic actinomycetes suggests that exposure of humans and animals to them may be frequent in north-western India. Studies are required to determine the prevalence of extrinsic allergic alveolitis (hypersensitivity pneumonitis) caused by thermophilic actinomycetes in the local population.