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Sugar 'Coat' Lets This Fungus Invade Weak Lungs

There are believed to be around 1.5 million different species of fungus on Earth, but one mold, known as Aspergillus fumigatus, causes the majority of cases of invasive aspergillosis—a devastating illness that kills 90 percent of patients with weakened immune systems or lung diseases.

Until now researchers could not explain the virulence of this particular fungus, but a recent discovery explains why this organism is more dangerous than its relatives. The results of the study, which appears in PLOS Pathogens, may change the way patients are treated for invasive aspergillosis.

A. fumigatus lives both indoors and outdoors and most people breathe in its spores every day without…

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Featured

 Here Is The Mold Found In Seattle Children's Hospital

There's an "ass" and an "ill" in the pronunciation of Aspergillus. This is fitting because this mold can be a jerk and make you sick, especially if your immune system is weakened. That's why Aspergillus and health care settings can be a bad combination like eating Buffalo wings and wearing a white tuxedo. That combination, the Aspergillus one, has occurred in Seattle Children's Hospital.

 Killer Tulips Hiding in Plain Sight

Thanks to the compounds used to protect precious flowers, antifungal resistance is here—and it could be just as dangerous to humans as antibiotic resistance.

 Parasitic and fungal infections play a significant role in porpoise strandings

The team also found a significant role of Aspergillus sp infection (aspergillosis) in porpoise stranding, which had not been described in previous surveys. It is likely that aspergillosis resulted from impaired immunity, which Cornelis and his colleagues attribute to anthropogenic pollutants (e.g. heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls), viral infections or malnutrition.

Articles of Interest

A Newly-Discovered Fungus Could Eat Plastics In Weeks Instead Of Years

A fungus discovered on a rubbish heap in Pakistan could break down plastics in a matter of weeks instead of years. Aspergillus tubingensis was found to break down a type of plastic known as polyester polyurethane (PU) in just eight weeks.

Aspergillosis: A Respiratory Fungal Disease in Companion Parrots

Often called ‘asper’, Aspergillosis is a non-contagious but infectious fungal disease caused by a variety of Aspergillus species found in our homes and outdoors. Like the mushrooms often found on our pizzas, Aspergillus produce spores. Animals such as our companion parrots inhale these spores on a daily basis.

Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillosis

Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprophytic fungus that plays an essential role in recycling environmental carbon and nitrogen. Its natural ecological niche is the soil, wherein it survives and grows on organic debris. Although this species is not the most prevalent fungus in the world, it is one of the most ubiquitous of those with airborne conidia.

Aspergillus species in indoor environments and their possible occupational and public health hazards

Aspergillus species are filamentous fungi that are commonly found in soil, decaying vegetation, and seeds and grains, where they thrive as saprophytes. Aspergillus species can be occasionally harmful to humans.

Brace yourself, internet: cats and dogs at risk from new fungus

The disease caused by some Aspergillus moulds is called aspergillosis. In humans, it may take the form of an allergic response, or the mould may invade and destroy the tissues of the lungs. Spores may also settle into air filled pockets inside lungs and grow into fungal balls, often seen in wild birds. In domestic cats and dogs, this mould invades the nasal cavity and sinuses, causing a condition called fungal rhinosinusitis. Often, it spreads its thread-like projections, known as hyphae, behind the eye and into the brain.

Early diagnosis, effective therapy vital for treatment of deadly invasive aspergillosis

New therapies are improving care, but early diagnosis remains critical in the effective treatment of invasive, a potentially deadly fungal infection, according to new guidelines.

New Findings From First CDC Report on Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

Since the first case was noted to be the Aspergillus fungus, many clinicians assume that it is Aspergillus causing most of the cases of fungal meningitis. However the report notes that half of the initial cases had the fungus Exserohilum species growing in the spinal fluid.

Resources

10 Tools For Fighting Aflatoxin, Which Causes Liver Cancer And Childhood Stunting

Aflatoxin is a type of toxin caused by a fungus (certain kinds of Aspergillus) that occurs naturally in hot and humid climates. It’s a silent killer as it doesn’t change the taste of food, according to Ayalew, a plant pathologist and the program manager for the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA). This tenacious carcinogen also resists cooking, making it hard to eradicate once it enters the food system. Well over half the world’s population is chronically exposed to aflatoxin, which is one of the most powerful naturally occurring carcinogens known to science. Aflatoxin contributes to up to 28% of all cases of liver cancer.

Aspergillus & Aspergillosis Website

The Aspergillus Website serves many different audiences; researcher, doctor, patients & carers and those who just want to find out more about the fungus Aspergillus and the illnesses it causes - of which there are many...

Aspergillosis Patients and Carers

The Aspergillus Website is a worldwide comprehensive resource providing detailed information about the fungus Aspergillus and the diseases it can cause, these are usually called aspergillosis.This site is free to use and provides an encyclopaedia of Aspergillus for doctors, scientists, patients and their relatives.

Aspergillus Genome Projests

Perhaps no other fungal genus contains species that are so harmful and species that are so beneficial to humans as the genus Aspergillus, and a large number of Aspergillus species are of biomedical and industrial significance.

CDC

Aspergillosis is an infection caused by Aspergillus, a common mold (a type of fungus) that lives indoors and outdoors. Most people breathe in Aspergillus spores every day without getting sick. However, people with weakened immune systems or lung diseases are at a higher risk of developing health problems due to Aspergillus.

Doctor Fungus

Colonies on potato dextrose agar at 25°C are smoky gray-green with a slight yellow reverse. Some isolates may display a lavender diffusible pigment.

Institut Pasteur

Aspergillosis is an umbrella term for a series of infections caused by the Aspergillus fungus. The spores of this fungus are in the air around us and we are constantly breathing them in. While they are totally harmless for most people, they can cause various forms of mycosis. The species Aspergillus fumigatus is responsible for more than 80% of human aspergillosis cases.

MedlinePlus

Antifungal medicines alone do not help people with allergic aspergillosis. Allergic aspergillosis is treated with medicines that suppress the immune system (immunosuppressive drugs), such as prednisone.

Moldpedia

Aspergillus is a group of molds, of which about 200 species have been identified. Aspergillus molds are found throughout the world and are the most common type of fungi in the environment. About 16 species of Aspergillus molds are known to be dangerous to humans, causing disease and infection.

Patient

Aspergillus spp. are widely distributed fungal moulds found in soil and other organic matter. They have also been isolated in air-conditioning systems. There are more than a hundred different species but most human disease is caused by Aspergillus fumigatus or Aspergillus niger. Occasionally, Aspergillus clavatus and Aspergillus flavus cause human illness. Typically, inhalation of the fungal spores allows entry of the pathogen into the body and the organism has a predilection for the respiratory tract. However, primary cutaneous infection with Aspergillus spp. can also occur, as well as onychomycosis (fungal nail infection).