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Clever cloak prevents immune recognition of airborne fungal sporesThe air we breathe is filled with thousands of fungal spores (or conidia) This MonthThe American Society for Microbiology
2009 ICAAC Young Investigator Whilst a Research Fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Hohl studied chemokine induction and signaling pathways in macrophages exposed to A. fumigatus. He is currently Assistant Professor at The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Latest News and Articles New Guidelines: IL-6 is required for airway mucus production induced by inhaled fungal allergens Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway that occurs in response to inhaled allergens such as ragweed pollen, cat dander, house dust mites, and fungi. A major feature of allergic airways disease is mucus metaplasia and mucus hypersecretion by airway epithelium which can physically obstruct the airways. Despite the association of increased IL-6 levels with human atopic asthma, the contribution of IL-6 to the development of allergic airway inflammation triggered by inhaled allergens remains unclear. Although IL-6 has been shown to be involved in in the effector function of CD4+ T cell subsets. In this study, using a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation induced by direct airway exposure to extracts of Aspergillus fumigatus they showed that inhaled A. fumigatus extracts rapidly trigger the production of IL-6 in the airways. They also demonstrated that IL-6 is essential for mucus production by lung epithelial cells during allergic airway inflammation and therefore may represent a potential target for therapy in allergic pulmonary diseases. A new secondary metabolite JBIR-15 has been isolated from Aspergillus sclerotium The new metabolite is an Aspochracin derivative and was isolated from a culture of A.sclerotium derived from a sea sponge - Mycale sp. The aims of this single-center study were to establish prognostic factors for survival (both aspergillosis-related and OS) after an IPA in all consecutive patients with IPA over a 13-year period, and, secondly to analyze (or validate) the potential usefulness of these three recent prognostic outcome studies in their patient cohort. IA was previously thought to be lethal in most with haematological malignancies. In this study many patients had a good outcome and prognostic groups were identifiable with simple variables assessed at the time of diagnosis. They indicate that the status of the underlying disease, patient comorbidities and laboratory markers of a poor immune status may be the variables which have the strongest impact on survival. ReviewsNew generation azole antifungals in clinical investigation A comprehensive review of azole antifungals including detailed pharmokinetics, in vitro and in vivo studies, toxicity and drug interactions for all the second generation triazoles including the lesser known Isavuconazole, Ravuconazole and Albaconazole. Recently published by Corrado Girmenia, in Expert Opin. Investig. Drugs (2009), 18(9). Aspergillosis in patients undergoing treatment with monoclonal antibodies In light of the increasing use of new therapeutic agents that act by blocking specific immune pathways such as TNF-alpha blockers, IL-2 inhibitors and CD52 and CD20 blockers - this manuscript reviews the pathophysiology associated with an increased risk for aspergillosis in these patients, in addition to diagnostic and therapeutic considerations. (Rev Iberoam Micol.2009; 26(3): 175–183). Images Some excellent histology images showing aspergillus conidial heads in Jobs5 jobs currently being advertised:
Advertise your vacancy free of charge on the Aspergillus Website here Air QualityThe latest EPA guidelines reviewing the impact of climate variability and change on aeroallergens and their associated effects can be viewed in the air quality section. Case Histories A new case history of a patient with emphysema who had a cough, chest pain and shortness of breath had a PET scan showed a suspicious lung nodule. When resected an aspergilloma in a lung bulla was diagnosed from histology. Many images including histology and CT scans are included. Case 076. Education and Teaching Many slide presentations from the recent meeting "Infocus -VIII forum de Infeccoes Fungicas na Pratica Clinica" held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on August 20-22nd 2009, can be viewed in the educational materials section under slide presentations. VeterinaryAn interesting article published in J. South African Vet Assoc. earlier this year has highlighted the dangers of feeding mouldy grain to sheep. A maize based brewers grain was fed along with a palatable hay to ewes and lambs in pens - the grain was visibly mouldy. After 14 days weakness and ataxia and tremors were noted. Six ewes then died within 7 days. At post mortem nephrosis and oxalate crystals were found in the renal tubules - this along with kidney failure was thought to be the cause. Amongst other fungi, Aspergillus niger was isolated from the contaminated feed - a species known to synthesise oxalates. Link . BlogExperimental evidence that antibiotics can trigger allergy and asthma PatientsWe are asking for patients to send us any mould-free recipes they may have and recommend so we can make them available to all patients. If you have any send them here and we will upload them to the Aspergillus Support Group. This month we continue our request for anyone interested in attending a meeting on aspergillosis specifically intended for patients and their friends, but also open to any other interested parties, to register their interest here. The idea is to inform patients about many aspects of their illness, all based on the latest findings with talks from several experts in these fields. Interest has been good and we may have achieved sufficient numbers to consider going ahead with this idea. If anyone is still thinking about registering their interest it is not too late to register with no obligation. The more that register the easier it will be to ensure this goes ahead. Express an interest in the patients' meeting 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 and Q & A board Donate
Please donate here. Technical TipsOur discussion group (email and/or website) designed to promote discussion on technical issues for laboratory workers. Searching the websiteThere is now a third facility to search for information on Aspergillus. Covering all the information in the Aspergillus Website and including a series of websites we feel contain useful information NOT currently available on the Aspergillus Website, the Aspergillus World search engine contains large amounts of focussed information from all over the world. If you can suggest more (particularly keen to access information on industrial applications) then let us know at admin@aspergillus.org.uk. 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. Thanks for reading!Visit our website again soon. The Aspergillus Team. |
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