“
“A simple medium for

identification and melanin production of Cryptococcus neoformans was developed using cowitch (Mucuna pruriens) seeds. “
“Dysphonia in patients with bronchial asthma is generally ascribed to vocal-cord abnormalities or steroid www.selleckchem.com/products/gsk126.html myopathy secondary to inhaled corticosteroids. Herein, we report the case of a 55-year-old male patient – a diagnosed case of bronchial asthma being on inhaled corticosteroids – who presented with dysphonia and was diagnosed to be suffering from Aspergillus laryngotracheobronchitis. “
“Lichtheimia brasiliensis was recently described as a novel species within the genus Lichtheimia, which comprises a total of six species. L. brasiliensis was first reported selleck chemicals from soil in Brazil. The aim of the study was to determine the relative

virulence potential of L. brasiliensis using an avian infection model based on chicken embryos. Mucormycosis is a rare disease caused by fungi of the Mucorales order affecting immunocompromised hosts. The Mucorales genera most commonly isolated from patients are Mucor, Rhizomucor and Rhizopus.[1-5] However, approximately 5% of mucormycoses worldwide are caused by Lichtheimia species.[1] Within Europe, Lichtheimia species even range as the third to second most-common agent of mucormycosis.[2, 6] The genus Lichtheimia Vuill. (syn. Absidia pro parte, Mycocladus) consists of saprotrophic and predominantly thermotolerant species, which inhabit soil and decaying plant material. By 2010 five species of the genus were described: L. corymbifera (Cohn) Vuill. (syn. Nintedanib order Absidia corymbifera, M. corymbifer), L. ramosa (Zopf) Vuill. (syn. A. ramosa, M. ramosus), L. hyalospora (syn. A. hyalospora, M. hyalosporus), L. ornata (A.K. Sarbhoy) Alastr.-Izq. & Walther (syn. A. ornata) and L. sphaerocystis Alastr.-Izq. & Walther.[7] Microscopically, these species are characterised by erect or slightly bent sporangiophores, apophysate collumellae, which frequently forms

one to several projections. Giant cells are abundant. Suspensor cells of zygospores lack appendages. Equatorial rings surround occasionally the zygospores.[8-10] Themotolerance is an important factor for differentiating Lichtheimia from Absidia. While Absidia is mesophilic and grows below 37 °C, Lichtheimia is thermotolerant having its optimum growth temperature at 37 °C.[8] L. corymbifera and L. ramosa grow up to 49 °C, whereas the maximum growth temperature for L. ornata is 46 °C. Lichtheimia sphaerocystis and L. hyalospora grow at 37 and 40 °C, respectively, but fail to grow at temperatures above 40 °C.[7] Recently, two specimens of a novel Lichtheimia species (L. brasiliensis A.L. Santiago Lima & Oliveira) were isolated from soil in semiarid and littoral dune areas in the northeast of Brazil.[11] The strains were characterised based on the morphological, physiological and molecular data (5.8S and LSU rDNA sequences).