Last month
47th ICAAC took place in mid-September and we have a series of presentations in our slides section covering five of the major contributions concerning Aspergillus.
Of these, a major presentation by Thomas Patterson on new Treatment Guidelines for Invasive Aspergillosis is one of the most prominant.
Latest News and Articles
There have been 47 additions to the articles section, many of these seminal papers on diagnosis. We have picked out a few of the highlights here:
Aspergillus fumigatus: PRINCIPLES OF PATHOGENESIS AND HOST DEFENSE
Aspergillus fumigatus is a ubiquitous saprophytic mold that forms airborne spores (conidia). Humans inhale, on average, hundreds of these infectious propagules daily.
In immune competent hosts, these encounters are of no further significance – conidia are killed and cleared by cells of the pulmonary immune system. However, disease occurs when the host response is either too strong or too weak. Thus, understanding how the host interacts with the organism to define this balance is a critical goal, the successful pursuit of which requires recognition of the dynamic nature of both fungal and host molecular participants.
A systematic literature review on the
diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis using
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from
bronchoalveolar lavage clinical samples
The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of PCR
from BAL for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in high risk patients.
Negative impact of Aspergillus galactomannan and DNA detection in the diagnosis of fungal rhinosinusitis
Direct microscopy and culture together with
histology remain pivotal in defining fungal rhinosinusitis diagnosis. A. fumigatus PCR may have
additional value in allowing the diagnosis to be made sooner, whereas the GM ELISA is not
reliable in diagnosing Aspergillus infection of the paranasal sinuses
Control Strategies For Fungal Contamination In Cleanrooms
This article will provide an overview of the different types of fungi, killing mechanisms of several of the germicides commonly available, selection criteria for disinfectants, test methods, and recommendations for reducing the likelihood of environmental excursions due to molds.
Shoura Panel Holds Ministry Responsible for Camel Deaths
Aspergillus clavatus mycotoxin blamed for death of 3000 camels, goats & cows.
Veterinary
We are investigating the possibility that unused prescription antifungal drugs could be used to treat animals - they cannot be used to treat anyone but the person they were prescribed for in the UK. If you are a Veterinary surgeon please let us know if you would be interested in participating so we can gauge demand. aspergillus@man.ac.uk
Diagnosis
A large number of articles have been added this month, important papers dating back 7 years. The section is about to undergo reorganisation including this new material.
Case Histories
Three new case histories added entitled:
- 'Severe asthma with fungal sensitisation'
- 'Acute pulmonary aspergillosis in association with chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leuaemia (Paediatric)'
- 'Disseminated aspergillosis in patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma (Paediatric)'
Images
 New images added for A. lanosus and A. alliaceus in the species images section.
Species & Metabolites
Several new metabolites added - see section updates:
Genomics
A major piece of work has been added entitled 'Genome sequencing and analysis of the versatile cell
factory Aspergillus niger CBS 513.88'. This huge work offers a detailed analysis of the genome of A. niger - a fungus widely used in the enzyme and organic acid industries.
Searching the website
We now have a dedicated Google Search Appliance for this website. This means you can search the Aspergillus website using Google and it will include nearly all documents on the website (pdf, doc, ppt, html, php etc). and will include parts of the secure sections and eventually index images - a big improvement on earlier search facilites. Try it out here.
HonCode
 Health on the Net Foundation (HonCode) are the formost accrediation service for health-oriented websites. The Aspergillus website has been accredited since 1999 and this has once again been reaffirmed after the latest review in August 2007
RSS
Another record month for our automatic update service. Our RSS pages were accessed 20000 times in September, nearly doubling the total from August.
Thanks for reading!
Visit our website again soon.
The Aspergillus Team. |
