014). There was a weak association between Aspergillus sensitisation and severity of asthma. Whether Aspergillus sensitisation

is causally selleck screening library linked to asthma severity remains to be seen. “
“Representatives of the genus Pseudallescheria (anamorph: Scedosporium) are saprobes and the aetiologic agent of invasive mycosis in humans. After dissemination, the central nervous system (CNS) is one of the most affected organs. Prerequisites for the survival of Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium in the host are the ability to acquire nutrients and to evade the immune attack. The cleavage of complement compounds via the secretion of fungal proteases might meet both challenges since proteolytic degradation of proteins can provide nutrients and destroy the complement factors, a fast and effective immune weapon in the CNS. Therefore, we studied the capacity of different Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium species to degrade key elements of the complement cascade in the cerebrospinal fluid and investigated

a correlation with the phylogenetic background. The majority of the Pseudallescheria apiosperma isolates tested were demonstrated to efficiently eliminate proteins like complement factors C3 and C1q, thus affecting two main components of a functional complement cascade, presumably by proteolytic degradation, and using them as nutrient source. In contrast, the tested strains of Pseudallescheria boydii have no or only weak capacity to eliminate these complement proteins. We hypothesise that the ability of Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium strains to acquire nutrients and to undermine the complement attack is Selleck Small molecule library at least partly phylogenetically determined. Members of the ascomycete genus Pseudallescheria and Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin the corresponding anamorph Scedosporium have been described as agents of mycoses

in humans since 1911.1 Meanwhile, a large diversity of clinical pictures is attributed to these fungi.2 Pseudallescheria boydii was formerly regarded as a heterogenic species complex3–5 causing diverse clinical symptoms and exhibiting variable susceptibilities to antifungal drugs. However, the taxonomy of the complex is currently under intense investigation, and numerous adaptations in systematics and nomenclature were performed in the last few years; in addition, several new species were defined.6–8 Recently, Pseudallescheria apiosperma, P. boydii s. s., Pseudallescheria desertorum, Pseudallescheria minutispora, Scedosporium aurantiacum and Scedosporium dehoogii are generally accepted,9 while Pseudallescheria angusta, Pseudallescheria ellipsoidea and Pseudallescheria fusoidea are still ambiguous taxa.4,5,10 It is yet uncertain whether or not the new arrangement of the phylogenetic tree reflects a more clear-cut correlation with clinical pictures and with virulence. In soil samples, S. dehoogii and Scedosporium deficiens are the most important representatives of the Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium genus, while P.