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Studying Cryptosporidium Infection in 3D Tissue-derived Human Organoid Culture Systems by Microinjection
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Central Nervous System Cryptococcosis due to Cryptococcus gattii in the Tropics
Jairo Lizarazo1, Elizabeth Castañeda2
1Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitario Erasmo Meoz, Universidad de Pamplona, Cúcuta, Colombia.
Current Tropical Medicine Reports
|April 5, 2022
Summary
Cryptococcosis due to Cryptococcus gattii is a significant tropical mycosis. Advances include identifying risk factors and understanding the etiological agent, but diagnosis and treatment remain challenging.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Tropical Medicine
Background:
- Cryptococcosis caused by the Cryptococcus gattii species complex is a serious mycosis.
- It has a worldwide distribution, with particular importance in tropical regions.
- This review focuses on progress in understanding the disease and its etiological agent in these areas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advancements in the knowledge of Cryptococcus gattii and cryptococcosis in tropical regions.
- To highlight progress in understanding the etiological agent and its environmental relationship.
- To identify challenges in diagnosis and treatment.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on Cryptococcus gattii and cryptococcosis in tropical regions.
- Analysis of recent findings on clinical and molecular epidemiology.
- Synthesis of information on environmental niches and risk factors.
Main Results:
- Identification of autoantibodies against granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) as a risk factor in immunocompetent patients.
- Discovery of a new Cryptococcus gattii lineage (VGV) in African environmental samples.
- No increase in cryptococcosis cases associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusions:
- Progress has been made in identifying risk factors and understanding Cryptococcus gattii and its environmental interactions.
- Significant achievements in diagnosis and treatment of cryptococcosis are still lacking.
- Cryptococcus gattii is increasingly recognized as an opportunistic pathogen.
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