Pythium insidiosum: mycological, molecular characterization and sensitivity to antifungal compounds and natural products

• Grant number: 11/21834-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Sandra de Moraes Gimenes Bosco
• Grantee: Sandra de Moraes Gimenes Bosco
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Pythium insidiosum is a fungus-like organism from Kingdom Stramenopila, Phylum Oomycota. It is the etiological agent of pythiosis, a granulomatous disease of cutaneous/subcutaneous tissues of animals, including man. Pythium spp. comprises fitopathogenic "fungus", being only P. insidiosum able to cause also disease in animals. It is few studied in our contry, being considered an emergent pathogen, whose first human case of the disease was reported recently in São Paulo state, which has been demostrated to be an important area of the occurrence of the disease in equines and canines.Despite of presenting macro and microscopic features similar to true fungi, P. insidiosum is not a fungus, and due to this reason, the diagnosis is difficult and time-consuming, leading to erroneous diagnosis of zygomycosis. Treatment is also difficult, since the pathogen does not respond satisfactory to conventional antifungal drugs available. The treatment of choice is extensive surgical precedures and, depending on the anatomic region, such procedure is unfeasible.More studies concerning mycological, molecular and sensitivity profiles to antifungal drugs are necessary and it is the main goal of this project. It is important to emphasize that studies about sensitivity to medicinal plant extracts are new with this pathogen. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

TROLEZI, RODRIGO; AZANHA, JULIANA MAZIERO; PASCHOAL, NATLIA RODRIGUES; CHECHI, JESSICA LUANA; DIAS SILVA, MARCELO JOSE; FABRIS, VICIANY ERIC; VILEGAS, WAGNER; KANENO, RAMON; FERNANDES JUNIOR, ARY; GIMENES BOSCO, SANDRA DE MORAES. Stryphnodendron adstringens and purified tannin on Pythium insidiosum: in vitro and in vivo studies. ANNALS OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND ANTIMICROBIALS, v. 16, FEB 23 2017. (09/18466-0, 11/14710-4, 11/21834-1)