Sybren de Hoog

Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen The Netherlands

The emerging pathogen Candida auris has been associated with nosocomial outbreaks on six continents. Genetic analysis indicates simultaneous and independent emergence of separate clades of the species in different geographical locations. Both invasive infection and colonization have been observed, warranting attention due to variable antifungal res...

Background Trichophyton indotineae, a new species of dermatophytes, has become a significant concern in treating dermatophytosis due to the high level of terbinafine resistance reported in India and even worldwide. Objectives We aimed to report the first case of the terbinafine- and itraconazole-resistant T. indotineae in China, by identifying the...

Fungal infections of the skin, nails, and hair caused by dermatophyte species continue to be a worldwide concern. The increase in terbinafine-resistant superficial dermatophytosis has become a major concern over the last decade. In this report, we presented two cases of infection with terbinafine-resistant Trichophyton indotineae, the first diagnos...

Lichens have been reappraised as self-sustaining and long-living ecosystems in which a multiplicity of microorganisms are housed, in addition to the main symbiotic partners. Lichen-associated microfungi can frequently occur cryptically, and their species diversity has recently been more fully elucidated by DNA metabarcoding studies and culture isol...

Some members of Chaetothyriales, an order containing potential agents of opportunistic infections in humans, have a natural habitat in nests of tropical arboreal ants. In these black fungi, two types of ant symbiosis are known, i.e. occurrence in domatia inside living plants, or as components of carton constructions made of ant-chewed plant tissue....

Background: Tinea capitis, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis are the most common disorders endured by prepubescent children. Dermatophyte infections have been linked to allergic disorders, such as increased sensitivity to dermatophytes in patients with atopic dermatitis. Objectives: To explore the correlation between tinea capitis and all...

Actinomortierella wolfii (Mortierellales), formerly Mortierella wolfii, is a causative agent of bovine systemic infection and abortion. Human infections caused by this species are extremely rare. Here, we present a case of a patient with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) who was diagnosed with a rhinocerebral infection caused by this fung...

Actinomortierella wolfii (Mortierellales), formerly Mortierella wolfii, is a causative agent of bovine systemic infec�tion and abortion. Human infections caused by this species are extremely rare. Here, we present a case of a patient with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) who was diagnosed with a rhinocerebral infection caused by this f...

The increase in terbinafine-resistant superficial dermatophytosis has become a major problem over the last decade. In this report, we present two cases of infection with terbinafine-resistant Trichophyton indotineae , a species diagnosed for the first time in Turkey. One of the patients harbored a CD36 mutation. Both strains harbored the same amino...

Poster session 3, September 23, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objectives To evaluate the general taxonomy and phylogeny of the order Onygenales using ecological, morphological, and molecular data, stimulate awareness of correct identification of neglected groups in the order, and contribute to the stabilization of the nomenclature. Methods In total 97...

Poster session 3, September 23, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objectives Fungal sinusitis is a common problem worldwide with an increasing burden in arid climate regions. Clinical presentations of the disease range from allergic to acute invasive or chronic forms. In the present study, we aim to identify the etiology of fungal sinusitis in an arid clim...

Poster session 2, September 22, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Objective: We present ten tinea incognito (TI) patients caused by Trichophyton rubrum combined with a review of the characteristics of tinea incognito infections reported worldwide over the past 20 years, leading to clinical requirements for diagnosis and treatment. Patients and Methods: Pati...

Fungi are an understudied resource possessing huge potential for developing products that can greatly improve human well-being. In the current paper, we highlight some important discoveries and developments in applied mycology and interdisciplinary Life Science research. These examples concern recently introduced drugs for the treatment of infectio...

Mycetoma is a chronic infectious disease endemic in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), India and parts of South and North America. The epidemiologic profile of the disease in Egypt, which neighbours SSA, has not been explored previously. Therefore we conducted a scoping review of the literature on mycetoma in Egypt. We searched the literature comprehensivel...

A resistant and hypervirulent dermatophyte from India has been described as a taxonomic novelty, Trichophyton indotineae, a species of the Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex. Rapid detection and correct identification of closely similar dermatophytes with different predilections are essential for efficient clinical management. We evaluated the eff...

CARD9 -related inherited immune disorders are a major risk factor for chronic disseminated fungal infection. In addition to pathogens of Candida and dermatophytes, the environmental opportunists of the black yeast-like fungi are relatively frequent in this patient cohort. Particularly the genus Phialophora is overrepresented. We investigated two is...

Background The genus Sporothrix belongs to the order Ophiostomatales and contains mainly saprobic soil and plant fungi, although pathogenic species capable of causing human infections are also present. The whole-genomes of disease-causing species have already been sequenced and annotated but no comprehensive genomic resources for environmental Spor...

Background: Scedosporium species have drawn significant interest as inhabitants of polluted soil and water and as cause of high mortality in near-drowning patients. So far, most cases have been reported from Europe and Australia, while knowledge on their prevalence and genotypic diversity from Asia is scant. Objectives: To increase knowledge of...

The Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections (GAFFI) estimates that fungal diseases kill around 150 people each hour, and yet they are globally overlooked and neglected. Histoplasma and Talaromyces, which are associated with wildlife, cause systemic infections that are often lethal in patients with impaired cellular immunity. Dermatophytes that cau...

The order Onygenales is classifed in the class Eurotiomycetes of the subphylum Pezizomycotina. Families in this order have classically been isolated from soil and dung, and two lineages contain causative agents of superfcial, cutaneous and systemic infections in mammals. The ecology and habitat choices of the species are driven mainly by the kerati...

The order Onygenales is classified in the class Eurotiomycetes of the subphylum Pezizomycotina. Families in this order have classically been isolated from soil and dung, and two lineages contain causative agents of superficial, cutaneous and systemic infections in mammals. The ecology and habitat choices of the species are driven mainly by the kera...

The term "molecular epidemiology" was first proposed in the 1970s and has since been used to describe any study that uses molecular markers to analyze disease patterns at the population level, including infectious and non-infectious diseases such as SARS-COVID-19 and cancer. With the rapid development in molecular technology and computer science si...

Cerrado is the second largest biome in Brazil and majorly contributes to the country's grain production. Previous studies on soil metagenomics from the Cerrado revealed an outstanding microbial diversity. In this study, the abundance of pathogenic fungi was analyzed using metagenomic sequences of the Cerrado soils under native vegetation, and under...

The Entomophthoromycotina, a subphylum close to the root of terrestrial fungi with a bias toward insects as their primary hosts, has been notoriously difficult to categorize taxonomically for decades. Here, we reassess the phylogeny of this group based on conserved genes encoding ribosomal RNA and RNA polymerase II subunits, confirming their genera...

Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis is an implantation disease caused by melanized fungi and affect both immunocompetent as well as immunocompromised individuals. Diagnosis and treatment require proper isolation and accurate identification of the causative pathogen. We isolated a novel fungus from a case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis in an immunocom...

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a common, chronic, and relapsing skin disease. The roles of Malassezia spp. in the pathogenesis of SD are still not clear due to the lack of direct evidence for the existence of hyphae within affected skin tissues. We set out to elucidate if Malassezia mycelium contributes to the onset and development of SD and if Mala...

Magnusiomyces capitatus is an emerging opportunistic yeast, thus far mainly reported from the Western world where fungemia is the most frequent presentation in immunocompromised patients with high mortality. We described a rare case of Magnusiomyces capitatus infection from our hospital in China and reviewed six further cases published to date in C...

The incidence of infections caused by uncommon Chaetomiaceae (Chaetomium and related species) in humans has increased in recent years. The in vitro activity of eight antifungal drugs (amphotericin B, five azoles, two echinocandins) against 42 morphologically identified Chaetomium strains was determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory Stand...

The incidence of infections caused by uncommon Chaetomiaceae (Chaetomium and related species) in humans has increased in the recent years. The in vitro activity of eight antifungal drugs (amphotericin B, five azoles, two echinocandins) against 42 morphologically identified Chaetomium strains was determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory S...

The order Onygenales is classified in the class Eurotiomycetes of the subphylum Pezizomycotina. Families in this order have classically been isolated from soil and dung, and two lineages contain causative agents of superficial, cutaneous, and systemic infections in mammals. The ecology and habitat choices of the species are driven mainly by abiliti...

Effective management and treatment of fungal diseases is hampered by poor diagnosis, limited options for antifungal therapy, and the emergence of antifungal drug resistance. An understanding of molecular mechanisms contributing to resistance is essential to optimize the efficacy of currently available antifungals. In this perspective, one of the ol...

The high mortality and morbidity associated with fungal infections necessitate the use of accurate and fast diagnostic assays to facilitate appropriate antifungal treatment. The incidence and the spectrum of these infections have dramatically increased during the past decades, mainly due to growing populations at risk. Despite tremendous developmen...

classification. Molecular characteristics show that T. mentagrophytes s. str. and T. interdigitale s. str. can be distinguished with difficulty from each other, but are unambiguously different from the Indian genotype, T. indotineae by sequences of the HMG gene. The entities were confirmed by multilocus analysis using tanglegrams. Phenotypic charac...

Black fungi of the order Chaetothyriales are grown by many tropical plant-mutualistic ants as small so-called “patches” in their nests, which are located inside hollow structures provided by the host plant (“domatia”). These fungi are introduced and fostered by the ants, indicating that they are important for the colony. As several species of Chaet...

Background: Exophiala is the main genus of black fungi comprising numerous opportunistic species. Data on antifungal susceptibility of Exophiala isolates are limited while infections are potentially fatal. Materials and methods: In vitro activities of eight antifungal drugs (AMB, five azoles, two echinocandins) against 126 clinical (n=76) and envir...

Background Chromoblastomycosis (CBM), represents one of the primary implantation mycoses caused by melanized fungi widely found in nature. It is characterized as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) and mainly affects populations living in poverty with significant morbidity, including stigma and discrimination. Methods and findings In order to estim...

Human infectious fungal diseases are increasing, despite improved hygienic conditions. We present a case of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis (GIB) in a 20-year-old male with a history of progressively worsening abdominal pain. The causative agent was identified as a novel Basidiobolus species. Validation of its novelty was established by analysi...

Background Fusarium species are emerging causative agents of superficial and disseminated human infections. Early diagnosis and treatment contribute to better prognosis of severe infection. Objectives To detect the effectiveness of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF MS) for Fusarium identificati...

Lichen thalli provide a long-lived and stable habitat for colonization by a wide range of microorganisms. Increased interest in these lichen-associated microbial communities has revealed an impressive diversity of fungi, including several novel lineages which still await formal taxonomic recognition. Among these, members of the Eurotiomycetes and D...

Background Trichophyton rubrum, an important etiologic agent of superficial dermatophytosis, occasionally penetrates into deeper tissues, causing inflammation and a granulomatous response. Only few case reports of T. rubrum granuloma with molecular evidence for autoinoculation have been published. Objectives To find the genetic basis of adaptation...

Dermatophytes (family Arthrodermataceae) are a group of fungi in the order Onygenales which have evolved relatively recently, almost exclusively with mammal hosts. The ecological subdivision in geophilic, zoophilic, and anthropophilic species broadly reflects their course of evolution. Homo sapiens is phylogenetically the most recent host. Evolutio...

Disseminated cryptococcosis primarily affects immunosuppressed patients and has a poor outcome if diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Skin lesions are rarely manifest causing misdiagnosis. We present a case of cryptococcal cellulitis with severe pain in a kidney transplant recipient on long-term immunosuppressive therapy. Multiple organs were invo...

Abstract A severe outbreak of highly virulent and multi-resistant dermatophytosis by species in the Trichophyton mentagrophytes/T. interdigi- tale complex is ongoing in India. The correct iden- tity of the etiologic agent is a much-debated issue. In order to define species limits, a taxonomic study was undertaken combining molecular, morphologi- ca...

Objective: Both rhino-orbital-cerebral mycosis and lethal midline granuloma (LMG) may result in midline destruction. LMG has now been generally considered as a natural killer/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL-NT) with an association of EBV. Fungi have been detected from the diseased tissues now and then but are often considered as lymphoma-associa...

Fungal infections have increased in recent years due to host factors such oncohematological and transplant-related disorders, immunosuppressive therapy, and AIDS. Additionally, molecular facilities have become available to identify previously unrecognizable opportunists. For these reasons, reports on less known mycoses such as those caused by black...

Background: During the past decade, a prolonged and serious outbreak of dermatophytosis due to a terbinafine-resistant novel species in the Trichophyton mentagrophytes / T. interdigitale complex is ongoing in India, and it spreads to several European countries. Objective: To investigate the molecular background of the squalene epoxidase ( SQLE ) ge...

In vitro susceptibility testing for Trichophyton rubrum has shown resistance to terbinafine, azoles and amorolfine, locally, but epidemiological cutoffs are not available. In order to assess the appropriateness of current first-line antifungal treatment for T. rubrum in China, we characterized antifungal susceptibility patterns of Chinese T. rubrum...

The arthroconidial yeasts Magnusiomyces capitatus and M. clavatus are emerging opportunistic pulmonary pathogens. They are closely related and difficult to distinguish based on morphological and physiological traits. We applied an SYBR® green-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to identify the species. We analyzed 30 reference strains originating f...

With increasing numbers of patients needing intensive care or who are immunosuppressed, infections caused by moulds other than Aspergillus spp or Mucorales are increasing. Although antifungal prophylaxis has shown effectiveness in preventing many invasive fungal infections, selective pressure has caused an increase of breakthrough infections caused...

Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic severely mutilating disease caused by fungi of the order Chaetothyriales. Classically, Phialophora verrucosa has been listed among these etiologic agents. This species is known to occur in the environment and has been found to cause other infections like phaeohyphomycosis, while reported cases of chromoblastomycosis...

Background Eumycetoma is a fungal infection characterised by the formation of black grains by causative agents. The melanin biosynthetic pathways used by the most common causative agents of black-grain mycetoma are unknown and unravelling them could identify potential new therapeutic targets. Method Melanin biosynthetic pathways in the causative f...

Background black opportunists Phialophora verrucosa complex species can cause different disease types in competent and in immunocompromised individuals, but are remarkably overrepresented in CARD9‐related infections. Objectives To better understand the ecology and potential pathogenicity of opportunistic Phialophora species and reveal eventual gen...

Background A 73-year-old female suffering from acute myeloid leukemia presented with progressive rhinofacial mycosis. Suspecting it to be mucormycosis, the antifungal amphotericin B (AMB) was administered empirically, but the patient did not respond as planned. The fungus was then isolated from the biopsied tissue and morphologically identified as...

The polyphyletic group of black fungi within the Ascomycota (Arthoniomycetes, Dothideomycetes, and Eurotiomycetes) is ubiquitous in natural and anthropogenic habitats. Partly because of their dark, melanin-based pigmentation, black fungi are resistant to stresses including UV-and ionizing-radiation, heat and desiccation, toxic metals, and organic p...

Among ancestral fungi in Chaetothyriales, several groups have a life style in association with tropical ants, either in domatia or in carton-nests. In the present study, two strains collected from ant carton in Thailand and Malaysia were found to represent hitherto undescribed species. Morphological, physiological , phylogenetic data and basic geno...

Introduction: Madurella mycetomatis is the major causative agent of eumycetoma, a neglected tropical infection characterized by painless subcutaneous lesions, inflammation and grains draining from multiple sinuses. To study the epidemiology of mycetoma, a robust discriminatory typing technique is needed. We describe the use of a Short Tandem Repeat...

Filamentous basidiomycetes are uncommon agents of human diseases, despite their ubiquitous presence in the environment. We present a case of symptomatic pulmonary infection in a 38-year-old male with cough and fever; a thin-walled cyst in the posterior left upper pulmonary lobe was revealed by radiography. A non-sporulating fungus was isolated from...

The fungal genus Fonsecaea contains etiological agents of human chromoblastomycosis, a (sub)tropical, (sub)cutaneous implantation disease caused by plant contact. The invasive potential differs significantly between species. Infections by Fonsecaea monophora are believed to originate from the environment and the species has been reported as one of...

Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user's needs and established successful practice. Previously (Geiser et al. 2013; Phytopathology 103:400-408. 2013), the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agr...

Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic, cutaneous or subcutaneous mycosis characterized by the presence of muriform cells in host tissue. Implantation disease is caused by melanized fungi related to black yeasts, which, in humid tropical climates, are mainly members of the genus Fonsecaea. In endemic areas of Brazil, F. pedrosoi and F. monophora are the...

Fungal infections are responsible for high mortality rates in immunocompromised and high‐risk surgical patients. Therapy failures during the last decades due to increasing multidrug resistance demand innovative strategies for novel and effective antifungal drugs. Synergistic combinations of antifungals with non‐antifungal agents highlight a pragmat...

Sporothrix schenckii is a dimorphic fungus existing as mould in the environment and as yeast in the host. The morphological shift between mycelial/yeast phases is crucial for its virulence, but the transcriptional networks implicated in dimorphic transition are still not fully understood. Here, we report the global transcriptomic differences occurr...

In eukaryotes, phosphorylation of the α-subunit of eIF2 is a mechanism to adjust cellular gene expression profiles in response to specific signals. The eIF2α kinases are a group of serine-threonine kinases that perform important functions in response to infection, proteotoxicity, and nutrient scavenging. The conserved nature of eIF2α kinases among...