Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Science Communicator Platform

Stay connected! Follow us on X network (Twitter):
Share this content! On (X network) By
Fungal Isolates of the Respiratory Tract in Symptomatic Patients Hospitalized in Pulmonary Units: A Mycological and Molecular Epidemiologic Study Publisher



Rafat Z1 ; Hashemi SJ1, 2 ; Ashrafi K3 ; Nikokar I4 ; Jafari A5 ; Foroushani AR6 ; Roohi B7 ; Boroujeini ZB1 ; Rashidi N1 ; Najarshahri N4
Authors
Show Affiliations
Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Food Microbiology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
  4. 4. Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Paramedicine Faculty, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Langeroud, Iran
  5. 5. Urology Research Center, Razi Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
  6. 6. Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  7. 7. Department of Medical Mycology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

Source: Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare Published:2020


Abstract

Introduction: Fungal respiratory infections are being recognized with increasing frequency in parallel with an expanding population of immunocompromised patients. In most cases, colonization is the first step in the progression to pulmonary fungal infection. This study was designed to evaluate the distribution of fungal elements in the respiratory tract of symptomatic patients hospitalized in pulmonary units. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out over a period of two years, from October 2017 to October 2019 in Guilan province, located in Iran’s northern region. In the current study, bronchoalveolar lavage or sputum specimens were collected. All samples were analyzed by direct microscopy using KOH 10% and culture. Fungal identification was accomplished by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and beta-tubulin sequencing. Also, in patients suspected of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, BAL specimens were tested for galactomannan (GM) antigen. Results: A total of 384 lung specimens (192 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and 192 sputum samples) were obtained from symptomatic patients hospitalized in pulmonary units. Of these, 137 (35.67%) were positive in direct examination and culture. Among the 137 positive cases, most isolates were from male patients 86 (62.77%) and most of them were between 46 and 72 years. Candida albicans (37.22%) and Candida tropicalis (21.89%) represent the two most commonly isolated species in the current study. Cough (94.16%), dyspnea (81.02%), purulent sputum (62.04%) and weight loss (56.2%) were the predominant symptoms and tuberculosis (24.81%), chemotherapy (21.89%) and diabetes mellitus (19.70%) were the predominant underlying condi-tions. Also, 5 cases of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and 1 case of mucormycosis were diagnosed. Conclusion: Candida albicans was the most common fungal species isolated from symptomatic patients hospitalized in pulmonary units. Tuberculosis, chemotherapy and diabetes mellitus were important underlying conditions for pulmonary fungal colonization and/or infection. © 2020 Rafat et al.
Related Docs
1. Epidemiology, Laboratory Diagnosis and Clinical Aspects of Fungal Pulmonary Infections in 384 Patients Hospitalized in Pulmonary Units in Guilan Province, Iran, Iranian Journal of Microbiology (2020)
2. Effect of Involved Aspergillus Species on Galactomannan in Bronchoalveolar Lavage of Patients With Invasive Aspergillosis, Journal of Medical Microbiology (2017)
3. Comparison of High-Resolution Melting Curve Analysis With Specific Target Gene Sequencing to Identify the Most Common Species of Aspergillus and Fusarium, Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology (2020)
4. Detection of Aspergillus Flavus and A. Fumigatus in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Specimens of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants and Hematological Malignancies Patients by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Nested Pcr and Mycological Assays, Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology (2015)
5. Proven Aspergillus Flavus Pulmonary Aspergillosis in a Covid-19 Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature, Mycoses (2021)
6. Pulmonary Fungal Co-Infection Prevalence Among Iranian Patients With Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Sains Malaysiana (2019)
Experts (# of related papers)
View all Related Experts
Seyed Jamal Hashemi Hezaveh (2)
Arash Seifi (1)