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Support the Aspergillus NewsletterWill you donate just £1 (or $1 or €1) per newsletter to help us deliver the Aspergillus website and sustain research into Aspergillus related illnesses. That is just £12 for a year of newsletters. We need your help to continue providing up to date information and resources for patients and Doctors through the Aspergillus website. In our monthly newsletter and weekly blogs we deliver the latest news about allergic aspergillosis, fungal sensitised asthma, chronic aspergillus illness, aspergillus and genetic disorders including cystic fibrosis and chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). If you can donate this small sum per newsletter you will ensure that we can deliver this invaluable resource and help to support Aspergillus research. Donate here with Virgin Money Giving. Detection and investigation of invasive mould disease
The long standing time honoured practices of culturing specimens and of histological staining and microscopic examination are still of some practical use for superficial infections but are far too slow and very insensitive for the early diagnosis of systemic mycoses. New techniques include the detection of antibodies produced by the infected patient, but that is of little use when the patient is immunocompromised (as most acute patients are) and doesn't produce antibodies well. This shifted the focus to detecting signs of the fungus itself - if it is present we should be able to detect it in this way. PCR (DNA detection) and Galactomannan detection (Platelia) stand out as the most developed methods in this respect and are both highly sensitive and rapid technologies that contribute to early diagnosis. Galactomannan detection has gained acceptance in combination with high resolution CT scans for patients with haematological disease. b-D-glucan detection (Fungitell) is not specific to Aspergillus and is gaining acceptance for use in critically ill patients, particularly as a test to rule out Aspergillus infections. PCR is a technique with very high potential for detecting tiny quantities of specific DNA sequences so should be useful for the direct detection of fungal DNA and thus provide strong evidence for the detection of specific fungi. The authors state that there has been a lack of standardisation of protocol & reagents which has made experimental comparison and development difficult. On this point they make a cursory reference to commercial kits (i.e. Roche's Septifast) and mention that they are being used in several ongoing studies. NB Users of these kits (also see Myconostica's Aspergillus MycAssay. Affigene's Aspergillus tracer)) benefit from standardised reagents and protocols (each in their own proprietary world) and their makers do claim high sensitivity for the detection of Aspergillus in serum and respiratory samples, so perhaps these kits will provide a commercial solution for the use of PCR. The review goes on to discuss antifungal susceptibility testing and therapeutic drug monitoring. In the same month we have two further highly relevant reviews: Optimizing management of invasive mould diseases Treatment and timing in invasive mould disease Latest News and ArticlesOur blog warned of the imminent dangers of mould that need to be taken in for account after the recent catastrophic floods in Brisbane, Australia. Moulds are often thought to be minor irritants in the aftermath of a flood but the reality is that for many people they can be the source of chronic allergic illness, while for some this can be combined with a real risk of an infection which has a very poor prognosis in terms of quality of life. The British Medical Journal covered a tragic story of a patients' death by overdose with an antifungal drug being caused by a series of errors.
Articles: There have been 68 additions to the Articles section (63 full papers), of which 12 are reviews and 19 historical. We have picked out a few of the highlights here: Extremely low frequency magnetic field effects on metabolite of Aspergillus niger 60-80% increase in citric acid production and a transient 25% increse in cellulase activity claimed after treatment with a low frequency magnetic field. An eco-friendly and low cost protocol for synthesis of silver nanoparticles (17nm) using the cell-free filtrate of Aspergillus flavus NJP08 when supplied with aqueous silver (Ag(+)) ions. The mechanism of particle formation is discussed. Analysing the expression profiles and temporal progression of a series of serum proteins and proteins in broncheolar lavage in an animal model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) was effective in distinguishing IPA from Pseudomonas pneumonia. Human Tissue Distribution of Voriconazole Voriconazole levels determined in 8 patients at autopsy after treatment for an average of 7 days. Good penetration of the antifungal was found in all organs, though levels in brain where half of that in other organs. The authors argue that high-attenuation mucus (HAM), a marker of inflammatory activity, should be used as part of the classification of ABPA. In this study, they evaluated the severity and clinical outcomes of ABPA with different radiological classifications. ReviewsAspergillus as a multi-purpose cell factory: current status and perspectives Aspergillus has a long history as an expression host for the production of food ingredients, pharmaceuticals and enzymes. The achievements made during the last years, however, have the potential to revolutionize Aspergillus biotechnology and to assure Aspergillus a dominant place among microbial cell factories. This mini-review highlights the most recent breakthroughs in fundamental and applied Aspergillus research with a focus on new molecular tools, techniques and products. Fungal infections of the ear in immunocompromised host: a review In immunocompromised patients, it is important that the treatment of otomycosis be vigorous, to minimize complications such as hearing loss, tympanic membrane perforations and invasive temporal bone infection. Fungal cultures are essential to confirm the diagnosis. Conference AbstractsThe following have been added to our Conference Abstracts: 24th Fungal Genetics Conference (2007 - 144 abstracts) 52nd American Society of Haematologists (2010 - 47 abstracts) ConferencesHighlights of ASH New York, NY Feb 4-5th 2011 Highlights of ASH San Diego, CA Feb 4-5th 2011 The sixth official Highlights of American Society of Haematologists, will feature leading hematology experts who will present unbiased analysis of the annual meeting abstracts and sessions, evolving therapies, and the latest treatment options and their clinical applications. 26th Fungal Genetics Conference at Asilomar March 15th-20th 2011 Patients Help the National Aspergillosis Centre carry out research. We are trying to contact patients willing to try to get their GP practice involved in some research with us on prevelence of ABPA and SAFS. The GP practice must be within 2 hours drive of Manchester. All you will have to do is hand over our documentation to the practice which will explain everything. If you want to help out please contact us at admin@aspergillus.org.uk. Don't forget to order your shopping through our buy.at store - there are dozens of High Street stores to choose from and you will be donating to the Fungal Research Trust at no cost to yourselves!
New research shows that 6 out of 10 Severe Asthmatics have Aspergillus in their Lungs. This strongly suggests that Aspergillus has a powerful influence on hte severity of asthma and earlier research carried out at the NAC has shown that treating severe asthmatics with an antifungal drug brings them relief from symptoms. In many cases this could allow the patient to reduce their intake of steroids, reducing side effects. There are plans developing to hold a second meeting for patients outside of Manchester in London in mid 2011. If you are interested in attending as a patient or carer suffering from aspergillosis please let us know Email A patient volunteer is making & selling handmade cards for birthdays in aid of the Fungal Research Trust. 6 cards for £6 and 75% of that goes to the FRT. Order here. There is a newly designed Patients website now entitled 'Aspergillosis Patient Support'. Much more comprehensive than before and easier to navigate but with the same successful support group (850 members) and Q & A board JobsFifteen jobs are currently being advertised:
Advertise your vacancy free of charge on the Aspergillus Website here. *Optional donation to the Fungal Research Trust to cover costs incurred in providing this newsletter. Courses and WorkshopsWe keep a listing of courses and workshops including 'one off' events and courses that repeat regularly. Course subjects are wide ranging and include medical mycology, lab ID, young scientists symposia and much more. Those coming up next are:
And certainly don't miss ESCMID Postgraduate Technical Workshop. Aspergillosis: from Allergy to Invasive Disease. Manchester, UK. 25 – 26 May 2011 Link If you know of a course that should be added to this list please add it by contacting us here VeterinaryItraconazole is used to treat and prevent aspergillosis in captive penguin colonies. Although commercial formulations of itraconazole are available, compounding is sometimes performed to decrease cost or to provide a different concentration of the drug. The objectives of this study were to
determine the pharmacokinetic properties of a NB Vets in the UK in need of assistance with acquiring antifungals please contact us here Blog
Recent BooksGenetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (Elsevier Insights) by Michel Tibayrenc (Hardcover - 17 Dec 2010). The power of evolutionary biology in the development of treatments for infectious diseases Systematics and Evolution: Part A (The Mycota) by David J. McLaughlin, Meredith Blackwell, and Joseph W. Spatafora (Paperback - 15 Dec 2010). An overview of the systematics and evolution of fungi. Agricultural Applications (The Mycota) by F. Kempken (Paperback - 8 Dec 2010). This volume of the series Mycota … covers many of the aspects where fungi are of relevance to agriculture. Human Fungal Pathogens (The Mycota) by Judith E. Domer and George S. Kobayashi(Paperback - 5 Dec 2010). Reviews and recent results of studies with medically important fungi. Throughout the volume, outstanding mycologists treat the ecological role of pathogenic fungi, how they cause disease, their interactions with the immune system, and their responses to antifungal agents. Recent Theses
by Zuluaga Montero, Ana Bella, Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras (Puerto Rico), 2009, 120 pages View Disease in the Caribbean sea fan coral Gorgonia ventalina by Toledo-Hernandez, Carlos, Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras (Puerto Rico), 2009, 137 pages . View. Surrogate Markers of Infection Suitable for Monitoring Infectious Burden in Animal Models of Aspergillosis. by Shrief, Raghdaa, University of Manchester, UK 2010. View DonationsBuy.at. Give to the Fungal Research Trust while you shop - at no cost to yourselves. If everyone put their weekly supermarket bill through this service then the Fungal Research Trust would benefit by hundreds of pounds a week. See our donations page. If you have donated please check our list of donators for your name. Laboratory ProtocolsWe are always looking for more for our collection - please send your suggestions here Technical TipsOur discussion group (email and/or website) designed to promote discussion on technical issues for laboratory workers. Searching for Aspergillus Information
RSSDownload our updates and articles automatically every time we add to those pages- no need to wait for the next newsletter. 40 000 pages accesses per month. Use RSS. You can now receive notification of updates to the Aspergillus Website on your mobile phone via SMS texting free of charge. Go to http://twitter.com/AspergillusWeb and open a Twitter account. Follow AspergillusWeb. 99 already follow AspergillusWeb. If your network does not support Twitter SMS and you have a smartphone you can still monitor our messages over 3G or Wifi via free software and apps installed on your phone Facebook CausesThe Fungal Research Trust have a Facebook Causes page. Give your support to the cause here. Join the Aspergillus & Aspergillosis group to get in touch and keep in touch with your professional colleagues working in this field. All free of charge. Thanks for reading!Visit our website again soon. The Aspergillus Team. |
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