Research Keyword: outbreak investigation

Neurotoxicity associated with the medicinal mushroom product-Diamond Shruumz: A case report

A 17-year-old girl became severely ill after eating a chocolate bar containing a medicinal mushroom product that was contaminated with muscimol, a toxic compound from poisonous mushrooms. She experienced confusion, uncontrollable muscle jerks, dilated pupils, and excessive drooling, requiring hospitalization and temporary breathing assistance. Though her symptoms resolved within 8 hours and she recovered fully, this case highlights the serious danger of unregulated mushroom supplements that can be contaminated with deadly toxins.

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Candida vulturna, the Next Fungal Menace? A Narrative Review

Candida vulturna is a newly discovered yeast that causes serious blood infections, particularly in vulnerable patients like premature infants and those with cancer. Though still rare, cases are increasingly appearing in tropical regions with documented hospital outbreaks. While the infection has a better survival rate than related species, it resists several common antifungal drugs, making treatment challenging and requiring careful use of remaining effective medications.

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Detection of Multiple Nosocomial Trichosporon asahii Transmission Events via Microsatellite Typing Assay, South America

Researchers developed a new genetic fingerprinting test to track and identify outbreaks of a dangerous fungal infection called Trichosporon asahii in hospitals across South America. The test uses microsatellite markers to create a detailed genetic profile of different fungal isolates, making it much better at detecting when infections spread from patient to patient compared to older methods. This discovery revealed multiple hidden disease clusters in hospitals, including one that occurred over 13 years, highlighting the importance of this new surveillance tool for hospital infection control.

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Detection of Multiple Nosocomial Trichosporon asahii Transmission Events via Microsatellite Typing Assay, South America

Researchers developed a new genetic fingerprinting method to identify and track Trichosporon asahii, a dangerous fungal infection that spreads in hospitals. Using this tool on clinical samples from South America, they discovered multiple separate outbreak events where the same fungal strains infected patients across different hospitals and years. This method is faster and cheaper than other genetic tests, making it useful for hospitals worldwide to detect and prevent fungal outbreaks.

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Genotypic and Phenotypic Investigation of Clinical Aspergillus isolates from Iran Indicates Nosocomial Transmission Events of Aspergillus flavus

Researchers studied fungal infections caused by Aspergillus species in Iranian hospitals from 2020 to 2023. They found that Aspergillus flavus was the most common cause of infection and discovered evidence of several hospital-related outbreaks through genetic analysis. All isolates tested were susceptible to current antifungal medications, but the discovery of hospital transmission suggests the need for better infection control measures like improved air filtration in hospitals.

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Candida vulturna, the Next Fungal Menace? A Narrative Review

Candida vulturna is a newly identified fungus that causes serious bloodstream infections, particularly in newborns and hospitalized patients in tropical regions. Unlike many common fungal infections, it resists several antifungal medications, though it remains susceptible to certain antibiotics called echinocandins. Scientists have documented 94 cases worldwide, including three hospital outbreaks, and the infection has a relatively low death rate of 18%. Accurate identification requires genetic testing since standard hospital laboratory tests often misidentify this pathogen.

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