Disease relevance of Coccidioides

• Twelve patients with fungal meningitis (ten cases were due to Coccidioides immitis, two were from Cryptococcus neoformans) were treated with brief courses of intravenous (IV) miconazole [1].
• Detecting serum antibodies to a purified recombinant proline-rich antigen of Coccidioides immitis in patients with coccidioidomycosis [2].
• The antigen-2 or proline rich antigen (Ag2/PRA) from Coccidioides immitis, known to protect mice against experimental Coccidioidomycosis, was expressed in the genetically attenuated cholera vaccine candidate Vibrio cholerae 638 and its thymine auxotrophic derivative 638T [3].
• Expression of ornithine decarboxylase of Coccidioides immitis in three Escherichia coli strains carrying the lambda DE3 lysogen and an E. coli EWH319 strain odc- null mutant [4].
• Flexor tenosynovitis caused by Coccidioides immitis [5].

High impact information on Coccidioides

• Induction of cellular immunity to Coccidioides immitis after sensitization with dinitrochlorobenzene [6].
• Studies in multiple laboratories have shown that Ag2/PRA as both protein and genetic vaccines provides significant protection against mice challenged systemically with Coccidioides [7].
• However, the presence in Csa1p of repeated cysteine-rich hydrophobic domains with significant sequence similarity to motifs found in surface proteins (Ag2 and Pth11) from two distantly related fungal pathogens (Coccidioides immitis and Magnaporthe grisea respectively) suggests a common function in host interaction [8].
• The structure of an allosamidin complex with the Coccidioides immitis chitinase defines a role for a second acid residue in substrate-assisted mechanism [9].
• Innate immunity to the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides posadasii is dependent on Toll-like receptor 2 and Dectin-1 [10].

Chemical compound and disease context of Coccidioides

• One patient developed a fatal form of fulminant disseminated coccidioidomycosis, while the other patient developed a solitary pulmonary Coccidioides immitis abscess which was responsive to intravenous liposomal amphotericin and fluconazole therapy [11].
• Oral treatment of mice with R41 400, ketoconazole, after intranasal challange with arthrospores of Coccidioides immitis prevented death at doses of 40 mg per kg of body weight per day [12].
• The activity of two new antifungal azoles, BAY n 7133 and BAY 1 9139, against Coccidioides immitis was compared with that of ketoconazole in vitro and in experimental murine coccidioidomycosis [13].

Biological context of Coccidioides

• Genes influencing resistance to Coccidioides immitis and the interleukin-10 response map to chromosomes 4 and 6 in mice [14].
• PCR assays for identification of Coccidioides posadasii based on the nucleotide sequence of the antigen 2/proline-rich antigen [15].
• Ornithine decarboxylase from respiratory fungal pathogen, Coccidioides immitis, cloned in the pETCiODC plasmid under control of T7lac promoter, was produced in E. coli BL21(DE3), BL21(DE3)pLysS, BLR(DE3) and EWH319 transformant strains [4].
• Pulmonary surfactant proteins (SP)-A and SP-D have been recognized to play an important role in binding and phagocytosis of various microorganisms, but their roles in Coccidioides infection are not known [16].

Anatomical context of Coccidioides

• Comparative lipid content, cell wall yield, neutral monosaccharide, glucosamine, and protein (amino acid) contents of arthrospores, mycelia, and spherules of Coccidioides immitis Cash were studied [17].
• The enhanced protection was associated with increased gamma interferon secretion; production of immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a), IgG2b, and IgG3 antibodies to Coccidioides immitis antigen; and the influx of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in lungs and spleens [18].
• As arthroconidia of Coccidioides immitis transform into spherules, the fungal particles progressively become more resistant to the inhibitory effects of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) as measured by PMNL inhibition of fungal incorporation of N-acetylglucosamine [19].
• The biological activities of four Coccidioides antigens were compared in skin test, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and lymphocyte transformation (LT) assays fo 137 Coccidioides-infected and 20 noninfected guinea pigs [20].
• An anterior-chamber tap was positive for Coccidioides immitis, and the patient was treated with intravenous and two intracameral injections of amphotericin B [21].

Associations of Coccidioides with chemical compounds

• Uniform susceptibility of various strains of Coccidioides immitis to amphotericin B [22].
• Most isolates of Coccidioides immitis were also inhibited or killed by 0.39 micrograms of ketoconazole/ml; however, several were not killed by 100 micrograms/ml [23].
• Evaluation of the proline-rich antigen of Coccidioides immitis as a vaccine candidate in mice [24].
• Administration of miconazole to mice infected with Coccidioides immitis prevented death in all cases; the infecting doses killed 60%-100% of the untreated animals [25].
• Relationship of progesterone- and estradiol-binding proteins in Coccidioides immitis to coccidioidal dissemination in pregnancy [26].

Gene context of Coccidioides

• Isolation and confirmation of function of the Coccidioides immitis URA5 (orotate phosphoribosyl transferase) gene [27].
• Isolation and characterization of two chitinase-encoding genes (cts1, cts2) from the fungus Coccidioides immitis [28].
• Roles of gamma interferon and interleukin-4 in genetically determined resistance to Coccidioides immitis [29].
• The arginase (ARG)-encoding gene (arg) of Coccidioides immitis, a human fungal pathogen, was cloned and sequenced [30].
• A heat shock protein-encoding gene (hsp60) from the human respiratory fungal pathogen, Coccidioides immitis (Ci), was cloned, sequenced, chromosome-mapped, expressed and immunolocalized in parasitic cells [31].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Coccidioides

• Extraction of skin test activity from Coccidioides immitis mycelia by water, perchloric acid, and aqueous phenol extraction [32].
• Molecular cloning and characterization of the Coccidioides immitis complement fixation/chitinase antigen [33].
• Oral administration of ambruticin (W7783) (by gavage) was lifesaving in mice infected intranasally with arthrospores of Coccidioides immitis [34].
• Latex particle agglutination, agar gel immunodiffusion, and complement fixation gave negative results for Coccidioides immitis antibody [35].
• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antigens of Coccidioides immitis: human sera interference corrected by acidification-heat extraction [36].

References