Abstract
Objective: To identify the pathogen causing fungemia in a Chinese patient and describe its morphological and molecular characterizes.Methods: Samples of central and peripheral venous blood were collected for blood culture. Morphology and drug sensitivities of the isolated yeast-like fungus were analyzed. rDNA sequencing and molecular phylogenetic analysis of the isolated strains were performed using DNAMAN and MEGA software.Results: A strain of yeast-like fungi was repeatedly isolated from blood samples of a Chinese patient. The isolates grew well on sabouraud medium broth plate. The colonies were smooth and round at 28°C, and were of rough surface and irregular shape at 35°C. Molecular phylogenetic trees constructed based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and D1/D2 domains of 28S rDNA gene demonstrated the isolated yeast-like fungus was Moesziomyces antarcticus. Drug susceptibility test showed that this isolated M. antarcticus was resistant or had relatively low susceptibility to flucytosine, fluconazole, voriconazole, and itraconazole, and only sensitive to amphotericin.Conclusion: This study provided more information for the molecular and morphology characteristics of M. antarcticus and reviewed the species information of Moesziomyces associated with human infections, which will contribute to the identification and diagnosis of Moesziomyces infections.
Highlights
The basidiomycetous yeast Moesziomyces antarcticus, is originally isolated from a sediment sample obtained from Lake Vanda in Antarctica (Sugiyama et al, 1967), and belongs to the order Ustilaginales (Ustilaginomycetes and Ustilaginomycotina)
Central and peripheral venous blood samples were collected for microbial examination and blood culture test, which showed a yeast-like fungus after cultured 12 to 24 h
Considering the nephrotoxicity of liposomal amphotericin B (LAMB), the patient was treated with caspofungin
Summary
The basidiomycetous yeast Moesziomyces antarcticus (previously cited as Pseudozyma antarctica), is originally isolated from a sediment sample obtained from Lake Vanda in Antarctica (Sugiyama et al, 1967), and belongs to the order Ustilaginales (Ustilaginomycetes and Ustilaginomycotina). More and more human cases infected by plant fungus have been reported. A total of 16 human cases caused by 10 kinds of Moesziomyces or Pseudozyma species had been reported in United States, China, Thailand, Brazil, India, France, Argentina, Korea and Nigeria from 2003 to 2015 (Table 1). One is a 78-year-old male patient diagnosed with astrocytoma in Korea, and a Pseudozyma species was isolated from the brain abscess (Hwang et al, 2010). Another dead case is a preterm low-birth-weight infant in Nigeria, and a strain of M. bullatus was isolated form her blood sample (Ojogba et al, 2015)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
