Background: Survival of the conceptus is dependent on continuous progesterone signaling in the maternal decidua but how this is achieved under conditions of oxidative stress that characterize early pregnancy is unknown. Materials and Methods: Laboratory-based analysis of endometrial biopsies and primary endometrial cultures. Results: Using primary cultures, we show that modest levels of reactiv...

We report the case of a 60-year-old man who was receiving immunosuppressive therapy for a bilateral lung transplant and presented with a crusted, violaceous plaque on the left hand. Based on histopathology and microbiological culture the patient was diagnosed with infection by Alternaria species. Treatment with itraconazole led to complete resolution of the skin lesion. Forty months later he de...

BACKGROUND Fungal infections of self-sealing corneal incisions in cataract surgery are scarce. We report a case of Alternaria keratitis, several weeks after uneventful clear-cornea phacoemulsification. FINDINGS A 42-year-old woman, with a history of retinitis pigmentosa, complained of painful red right eye, 45 days after uneventful self-sealing clear-cornea phacoemulsification. Slit-lamp exam...

A mold survey in and out of the homes of 145 allergy patients was conducted over the course of a year and frequency of mold recovery was correlated with skin test reactivity in 131 of these patients. The highest percentage correlation with positive skin test and finding mold in the home was with Cladosporium. Penicillium and Alternaria, while Helminthosporium, Fusarium, Aureobasidium (Pullulari...

Overview Each year the commercial carrot crop in Wisconsin suffers losses from alternaria leaf blight, cercospora leaf spot, and aster yellows. The first two are diseases caused by fungi (Alternaria dauci and Cercospora carotae). The third is a disease caused by the aster yellows phytoplasma, a parasitic bacterium of carrot phloem tissue and also of the aster leafhopper (Macrosteles quadrilinea...

Alternaria (Hyphomycetes) A common saprobe found on decaying wood, decaying plants, food, soil, and outdoor air. Some species are plant pathogens. Indoors, it can be found in house dust, carpet, damp areas around showers and window frames, and anywhere condensation occurs. Because of its abundance and ubiquity, Alternaria is one of the most important fungal allergens and is recognized as the ch...