The RapID Yeast Plus System (Innovative Diagnostic Systems, Norcross, Ga.) is a qualitative micromethod that uses conventional and chromogenic substrates for the identification of medically important yeasts. The ability of the RapID Yeast Plus system to accurately identify 304 clinical yeast isolates within 5 h was evaluated. The RapID Yeast Plus method correctly identified 286 (94.1%) of strai...

Over the last decades, reports on yeast infections in humans have increased especially with respect to immunocompromised individuals. Phospholipases are enzymes which may be associated with pathogenic processes caused by opportunistic yeasts. Phospholipase activity (ph.a.) was investigated in 163 isolates of 13 species of yeasts. A total of 133 isolates were obtained through the screening of a ...

In this study, we measured the composition and free radical scavenging activity of several species of nuts, namely, Torreya grandis, Carya cathayensis,and Myrica rubra. The nut kernels of the aforementioned species are rich in fatty acids, particularly in unsaturated fatty acids, and have 51% oil content. T. grandis and C. cathayensis are mostly produced in ZheJiang province. The trace elements...

One of the main opportunistic fungal infections amongst immunocompromised individuals is oral candidosis, which has been found in up to 90% of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. This study employed yeasts isolated from the saliva and oral cavities of 114 HIV-infected patients living in Campinas, São Paulo. Of the isolates, 57.8% were identified as Candida albicans and 42.1% a...

Rhodotorula species are emerging pathogens in immunocompromised patients. We report the in vitro activities of eight antifungals against 64 Rhodotorula isolates collected in surveillance programs between 1987 and 2003. Rhodotorula strains are resistant in vitro to fluconazole (MIC at which 50% of the isolates tested are inhibited [MIC(50)], >128 microg/ml) and caspofungin (MIC(50), >8 microg/ml...

Rhodotorula is emerging as an important cause of nosocomial and opportunistic infections. We present two cases of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa fungemia diagnosed over a period of 3 months at our hospital. The first case was of a pre-term neonate in the neonatal ICU who presented with respiratory failure and sepsis. The second involved an adult female who had been injured in a road traffic accident ...

Rhodotorula species have been reported as a causative agent of opportunistic mycoses in immunocompromised hosts. We report a case of sepsis and meningoencephalitis caused by Rhodotorula glutinis in a 20-year-old female patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which was diagnosed at autopsy. The patient presented with longstanding fever. She was diagnosed with SLE after admission to the ...

A survey was made to detect microorganisms useful for assaying butenolide [4-acetamido-4-hydroxy-2-butenoic acid gamma-lactone] and T-2 toxin [4beta, 15-diacetoxy-8alpha-(3-methylbutyryloxy)-12,13-epoxytricothec -9-en-3alpha-ol]. These mycotoxins produced by strains of Fusarium tricinctum have been implicated in mycotoxicosis of livestock. Although butenolide proved to be a very weak antibiotic...

Bacterial communities isolated from 17 of 20 samples of soils and waters with widely diverse geographical origins utilized T-2 toxin as a sole source of carbon and energy for growth. These isolates readily detoxified T-2 toxin as assessed by a Rhodotorula rubra bioassay. The major degradation pathway of T-2 toxin in the majority of isolates involved side chain cleavage of acetyl moieties to pro...

There is a clear need for the development of a rapid and reliable test for the identification of Candida dubliniensis and for the discrimination of this species from Candida albicans. In the present study we have investigated the potential use of C. dubliniensis-specific antigens as a basis for its identification. We produced an anti-C. dubliniensis serum which, after adsorption with C. albican...