Zygomycosis
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Research from University of Texas in the area of zygomycosis published
2009 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com) -- "Breakthrough zygomycosis is increasingly observed among patients at high risk for fungal infection who are receiving voriconazole, reflecting either selective pressure or voriconazole-associated alterations in Zygomycetes virulence. We tested the latter hypothesis, using 2 phylogenetically disparate zygomycosis models," scientists in the United States report. "Three Zygomycetes strains were exposed to voriconazole by serial passages on voriconazole-containing medium. The virulence of voriconazole-exposed Zygomycetes strains was compared with that of voriconazole-nonexposed strains in Drosophila and murine models of zygomycosis by assessment of survival curves, pulmonary fungal burdens, and expression of inflammation-associated genes. Among Toll-deficient (Tl-/-) and wild-type fruit flies, infection with Zygomycetes isolates that had been exposed to voriconazole yielded significantly lower survival rates than infection with Zygomycetes strains grown in drug-free media. In contrast, exposure of Rhizopus oryzae to itraconazole, amphotericin B, or caspofungin and exposure of Aspergillus fumigatus to voriconazole did not alter the virulence of these isolates in fruit flies. In the murine model, infection with a R. oryzae strain preexposed to voriconazole was associated with decreased survival rates and increased pulmonary fungal burdens, compared with infection with a voriconazole-nonexposed R. oryzae strain. In addition, enhanced angioinvasion, inflammation, and expression of genes involved in stress response and tissue repair were found in mouse lungs infected with voriconazole-exposed R. oryzae. Exposure of Zygomycetes organisms to voriconazole selectively enhanced their virulence," wrote G.A. Lamaris and colleagues, University of Texas. The researchers concluded: "The mechanisms underlying these phenotypic changes should be studied further." Lamaris and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases (Increased Virulence of Zygomycetes Organisms Following Exposure to Voriconazole: A Study Involving Fly and Murine Models of Zygomycosis. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2009;199(9):1399-1406). For more information, contact D.P. Kontoyiannis, University of Texas Houston, Dept. of Infectious Disease Infection Control & Employee Health, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Unit 402, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, USA. Publisher contact information for the Journal of Infectious Diseases is: University Chicago Press, 1427 E 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637-2954, USA. Keywords: United States, Houston, Drugs, Genetics, Inflammation, Pharmaceuticals, Therapy, Treatment, Voriconazole, Zygomycosis, University of Texas. This article was prepared by Drug Law Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Drug Law Weekly via NewsRx.com.
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