Related Experiment Videos
Paracoccidioidomycosis in women
L C Severo1, E W Roesch, E A Oliveira
1Laboratório de Microbiologia Clínica, Santa Casa, Porto Alegre, Brazil. severo@santacasa.tche.br.
Revista Iberoamericana De Micologia
|July 28, 2007
Summary
Female hormones appear to offer protection against paracoccidioidomycosis, a fungal infection. This retrospective study found a significantly lower incidence in women compared to men, suggesting a hormonal influence.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal infection endemic to Latin America.
- The disease predominantly affects adult males, with a male-to-female ratio often cited around 10:1 or higher.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of paracoccidioidomycosis in a specific patient cohort.
- To explore potential factors influencing the observed sex disparity in paracoccidioidomycosis incidence.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of paracoccidioidomycosis cases diagnosed between January 1966 and January 1997.
- Analysis of patient demographics, focusing on sex distribution and incidence rates.
- Correlation of clinical data with potential protective factors, such as hormonal status.
Main Results:
- Out of 627 reviewed cases, only 27 (4.3%) occurred in women, yielding a male-to-female ratio of 27.3:1.
- Analysis of 23 cases in women suggested a protective effect attributed to female hormones.
Conclusions:
- The significantly lower incidence of paracoccidioidomycosis in women supports the hypothesis of a protective role for female hormones.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying this hormonal protection.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Cryptococcal Meningitis
Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening opportunistic infection predominantly associated with HIV/AIDS, accounting for over 100,000 deaths annually worldwide. However, it also affects individuals with other forms of immunosuppression, including those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, organ transplant recipients, patients with innate immunodeficiencies, and individuals with hematological disorders. The infection is caused mainly by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii,...
01:20Candidiasis
Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by opportunistic species of Candida. It can affect various anatomical sites, including the skin, oral cavity, nails, and genitourinary tract. Among its forms, vaginal candidiasis is the most common type of mucosal infection. It typically results from the overgrowth of Candida albicans in the vaginal mucosa. Under normal conditions, C. albicans exists as a commensal organism within the vaginal microbiota, regulated by the dominance of lactobacilli, which...
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
01:24Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
The female reproductive system can be affected by several disorders, including Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), endometriosis, and various forms of cancer. PMS and PMDD are cyclical conditions that cause physical and emotional distress, with symptoms that include edema, mood swings, and food cravings. PMDD is a more severe form of PMS characterized by increased symptom severity that peaks during the luteal phase and tends to improve or resolve shortly after...
01:15Antifungal Agents
Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to cholesterol contributes to...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...