In line with the availability of an increasing array of systemic antifungal agents, there is a need for accurate, reproducible and predictive susceptibility testing of fungal isolates in order to help inform clinical choice. Much early attention on antifungal susceptibility testing focused on defining test parameters that produced reproducible and reliable intra- and inter-laboratory results an...

A previously described microbroth kinetic system (J. Meletiadis, J. F. Meis, J. W. Mouton, and P. E. Verweij, J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:478-484, 2001) based on continuous monitoring of changes in the optical density of fungal growth was used to describe turbidimetric growth curves of different filamentous fungi in the presence of increasing concentrations of antifungal drugs. Therefore, 24 clinica...

Itraconazole is a recently developed triazole antifungal agent that inhibits cell membrane sterol biosynthesis. Itraconazole, in a dose-dependent manner, enhanced intracellular accumulation of daunorubicin and reversed the drug resistance in murine leukemia P388/ADR cells. In addition, itraconazole corrected the altered plasma membrane potentials of P388/ADR cells. The concentrations of itracon...

Daldinia eschscholzii is an invasive endophyte that is most commonly found in plant tissues rich in secondary metabolites. We report the draft genome sequence of D. eschscholzii isolated from blood culture. The draft genome is 35,494,957 bp in length, with 42,898,665 reads, 61,449 contigs, and a G+C content of 46.8%. The genome was found to contain a high abundance of genes associated with plan...

Cladosporium sphaerospermum is one of the most widely distributed allergens causing serious problems in patients with respiratory tract disease. We report the 26,644,473-bp draft genome sequence and gene annotation of C. sphaerospermum UM843. Analysis of the genome sequence led to the finding of genes associated with C. sphaerospermum's melanin biosynthesis, allergens, and antifungal drug resis...

The fungal pathogen Candida glabrata has emerged as a major health threat since it readily acquires resistance to multiple drug classes, including triazoles and/or echinocandins. Thus far, cellular mechanisms promoting the emergence of resistance to multiple drug classes have not been described in this organism. Here we demonstrate that a mutator phenotype caused by a mismatch repair defect is ...

conclusions methicillin resistance is a specialized concern in clinical studies, and it is mandatory to detect this mechanism by an accurate method that is updated periodically. increasing the resistance of s. aureus to multiple antibiotics underlines the need for intermittent resistance surveillance. results methicillin resistance was detected in 38% of s. aureus isolates, confirmed by the aga...

According to the World Health Organization, infectious diseases stand out as the major cause of death worldwide. Although bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections appear to constitute the major threat, the clinical relevance of fungal infections has not been adequately recognized. In fact, invasive fungal infections constitute a biomedical problem of epic proportions, because a handful of hum...

Artemisinin resistance represents a global concern, which requires a concerted and coordinated effort at a global level. Lessons learned from the experience of drug combination therapies in HIV, TB, and HCV infections showed that combination therapies reduce the risk of drug resistance development. In order to maximize the effectiveness of artemisinin and its derivates and to protect it from th...

Invasive fungal infections are associated with high mortality rates, despite appropriate antifungal therapy. Limited therapeutic options, resistance development and the high mortality of invasive fungal infections brought about more concern triggering the search for new compounds capable of interfering with fungal viability and virulence. In this context, peptides gained attention as promising ...