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Introduction: Patients who underwent laryngectomy due to larynx cancer have a possibility to regain ability to speak with the use of silicone voice prosthesis. However, the lifetime of the device is limited, and last for approximately 3-6 months, mainly due to bacterial and fungal biofilm formation, that subsequently causes deterioration of the prosthesis and malfunction of the valve mechanisms. Moreover, the biofilm can be reservoir for chronic and systemic infections., Aim: The aim of the following study was to investigate Candida biofilm formation on silicone voice prosthesis., Material and Methods: Experiments were performed using C. albicans and C. krusei fungal strains with Provox 2 and Provox Acti Valve voice prosthesis. Fungal biofilms were examined under various magnifications using SEM technique., Results: Scanning electron microscopy revealed that Candida biofilms formed on voice prosthesis had highly heterogeneous structure and were composed of blastospores, pseudohyphae, hyphae and ,,germ tubes" encased in an extracellular material. Noticeable differences in biofilms structure depended on Candida species and type of voice prosthesis., Conclusions: Presented data throws light on problems concerned fungal colonization on indwelled medical devices.

Background: Atherosclerosis is currently being investigated as a chronic inflammatory process and the role of infectious agents is unclear. The presence of mycotic DNA in the wall of the non-atherosclerotic aorta of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and its association with levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1 expression was examined in the present study., Methods and Results: In 40 patients with CAD and a comparative group of 20 patients with aortic valve stenosis (AS) without CAD, specimens of the aortic wall were obtained during cardiac surgery. Mycotic DNA was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a fungus-specific universal primer pair, ITS3 and ITS4, to amplify a portion of the 5.8S rDNA region, the entire ITS2 region and a portion of the 28S rDNA region, and using a species-specific primer pair, CALB1 and CALB2, to specifically amplify Candida (C.) albicans. The nested PCR method was performed to amplify the intergenic transcribed spacer regions of the rRNAs of Candida species. Before surgery the serum level of sICAM-1 was estimated. Mycotic DNA was detected in 48% of the CAD patients and in 40% of the AS patients, with C. albicans DNA in 58% and 100%, respectively (P>0.05). In CAD patients with a high level of sICAM-1, C. albicans DNA was found more frequently than in patients without elevated levels of sICAM-1 (P<0.05)., Conclusions: Mycotic DNA was found in the non-atherosclerotic aortic wall of CAD patients as well as in patients with AS. In the CAD patients C. albicans DNA was related to sICAM-1 expression.

Thyroliberin (TRH) is one of the hormones, which affect immunologic processes. This hormone was studied in experimental subacute candidosis in mice. BALB/c males were given intraperitoneally single dose of Candida albicans cells (1 x 10(7) to 1 x 10(9) cfu of strain no. 244-33 ATCC). The animals from the experimental groups were injected subcutaneously, after 24 h from inoculation, dose of 10 microg TRH in 0.2 ml 0.9% NaCl, seven times at 24 h intervals. The control animals were given respectively 0.2 ml of physiologic NaCl solution. We have found that the examined hormone significantly decreases mortality in these animals (LD50 C. albicans for mice treated with TRH was three times higher than that in the control groups), prolongs mean survival time for mice and decreases the intensity of fungal invasion of the animal organs.

Candida glabrata is very important pathogen which is resistant to some imidazoles (fluconazole). The aim of study was to compare a susceptibility of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata - strains isolated from patietnts treated in Centre for Treatment of Parasitic Diseases and Mycoses - to miconazole using MIC. 96.5% of strains were sensitive to miconazole; values of MIC for C. albicans were lower than for C. glabrata.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare the susceptibility of Candida species to caspofungin and itraconazole.Material and methods: 118 strains of Candida species were used in the study: 8 pattern strains and 110 strains isolated from different ontocenoses. The susceptibility of fungi strains to drugs was determined by diffusion in agar gel. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was calculated from the linear regression equation with the use of the method by Kadłubowski.Results: The MIC value for caspofungin for the pattern strains ranged from 0.321 mg/L to 0.552 mg/L and for itraconazole from 0.019 mg/L to 0.11 mg/L. All the analyzed strains isolated from patients exhibited susceptibility to caspofungin; 5 strains of Candida albicans (8.06%) proved to be resistant to itraconazole. The MIC values for caspofungin ranged from 0.114 mg/L to 1.26 mg/L and for itraconazole from 0.012 mg/L to 16.1 mg/L.Conclusions: 1. All the studied pattern strains are susceptible to the examined drugs; all those isolated from patients show susceptibility to caspofungin; some Candida albicans strains (8.06%) are resistant to itraconazole. 2. The mean MIC values calculated from the activity curves are 0.426 mg/L for caspofungin and 1.0245 mg/L for itraconazole. 3. The mean MIC values calculated for caspofungin are lower than for itraconazole in the case of Candida albicans, C. glabrata and C. tropicalis. Having compared the influence of the drugs on C. famata, C. lusitaniae, C. parapsilosis and C. ciferri we proved there are statistically significant differences (0.0046>p<0.044). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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