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PLoS Pathog:揭示威胁艾滋病患者生命的致死性真菌

  1. 患者
  2. 格特隐球菌
  3. 致死性真菌
  4. 艾滋病

来源:生物谷 2014-08-26 08:57

近日,来自美国杜克大学的研究人员通过研究指出了长期以来使得AIDS患者病情加重的真菌感染的环境来源,相关研究成果刊登于国际杂志PLoS Pathogens上。

2014年8月25日 讯 /生物谷BIOON/ --近日,来自美国杜克大学的研究人员通过研究指出了长期以来使得AIDS患者病情加重的真菌感染的环境来源,相关研究成果刊登于国际杂志PLoS Pathogens上。

这种感染性真菌名为格特隐球菌(Cryptococcus gattii),其是隐球菌属中的一种,易引发肺部和大脑感染,往往使得患者致死,其也是引发AIDS患者的其中一个主要原因。

文章中,研究者发现三种树种:卡内里松、桃金娘科常绿树和美国枫香,或许是格特隐球菌的自然宿主。Deborah J. Springer博士表示,就好象旅行到南非的游客被告知要注意饮水安全一样,在加州、太平洋西北部及俄勒冈旅行的游客也会注意这些树,因为这很有可能会让其感染真菌,引发致命性危害。

文章中,研究者对30多棵树及58份土壤中的109份采集的样本进行分析,从其中分离格特隐球菌,随后对样本的DNA进行测序,并且对比从AIDS患者机体中分离出的隐球菌的DNA序列,研究人员很惊奇地发现,从三种树及土壤中分离出的格特隐球菌的遗传序列和从AIDS患者机体中分离出的格特隐球菌的遗传序列几乎无任何差别。

同时研究人员还发现从环境中分离出的格特隐球菌是可以繁殖的,其可以通过有性或无性生殖进行繁衍,最后研究者Springer表示,由于格特隐球菌是一种感染性的真菌,这项研究对于研究隐球菌在环境中的流行情况以及开发新型疗法来治疗格特隐球菌引发的感染非常关键。(生物谷Bioon.com)

Cryptococcus gattii VGIII Isolates Causing Infections in HIV/AIDS Patients in Southern California: Identification of the Local Environmental Source as Arboreal

Springer DJ, Billmyre RB, Filler EE, Voelz K, Pursall R, et al.

Ongoing Cryptococcus gattii outbreaks in the Western United States and Canada illustrate the impact of environmental reservoirs and both clonal and recombining propagation in driving emergence and expansion of microbial pathogens. C. gattii comprises four distinct molecular types: VGI, VGII, VGIII, and VGIV, with no evidence of nuclear genetic exchange, indicating these represent distinct species. C. gattii VGII isolates are causing the Pacific Northwest outbreak, whereas VGIII isolates frequently infect HIV/AIDS patients in Southern California. VGI, VGII, and VGIII have been isolated from patients and animals in the Western US, suggesting these molecular types occur in the environment. However, only two environmental isolates of C. gattii have ever been reported from California: CBS7750 (VGII) and WM161 (VGIII). The incongruence of frequent clinical presence and uncommon environmental isolation suggests an unknown C. gattii reservoir in California. Here we report frequent isolation of C. gattii VGIII MATα and MATa isolates and infrequent isolation of VGI MATα from environmental sources in Southern California. VGIII isolates were obtained from soil debris associated with tree species not previously reported as hosts from sites near residences of infected patients. These isolates are fertile under laboratory conditions, produce abundant spores, and are part of both locally and more distantly recombining populations. MLST and whole genome sequence analysis provide compelling evidence that these environmental isolates are the source of human infections. Isolates displayed wide-ranging virulence in macrophage and animal models. When clinical and environmental isolates with indistinguishable MLST profiles were compared, environmental isolates were less virulent. Taken together, our studies reveal an environmental source and risk of C. gattii to HIV/AIDS patients with implications for the >1,000,000 cryptococcal infections occurring annually for which the causative isolate is rarely assigned species status. Thus, the C. gattii global health burden could be more substantial than currently appreciated.

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