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The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has infected more than 10 million people and caused more than 502,539 deaths worldwide as of June 2020. The explosive spread of the virus and the rapid increase in the number of cases require the immediate development of effective therapies and vaccines as well as accurate diagnosis tools. The pathogenesis of the disease is triggered by the entry of SARS-CoV-2 via its spike protein into ACE2-bearing host cells, particularly pneumocytes, resulting in overactivation of the immune system, which attacks the infected cells and damages the lung tissue. The interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) with host cells is primarily mediated by the N-terminal helix of the ACE2; thus, inhibition of the spike-ACE2 interaction may be a promising therapeutic strategy for blocking the entry of the virus into host cells. In this paper, we used an in-silico approach to explore small-molecule α-helix mimetics as inhibitors that may disrupt the attachment of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE2. First, the RBD-ACE2 interface in the 6M0J structure was studied by the MM-GBSA decomposition module of the HawkDock server, which led to the identification of two critical target regions in the RBD. Next, two virtual screening experiments of 7236 α-helix mimetics from ASINEX were conducted on the above regions using the iDock tool, which resulted in 10 candidates with favorable binding affinities. Finally, the stability of RBD complexes with the top-two ranked compounds was further validated by 40 ns MD simulations using Desmond package of Schrodinger.

Summary Introduction The aim of our study was to evaluate the concordance between the two antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida sp. isolates using agar diffusion method: Neo-Sensitabs® tablets and Bio-Rad® disks. Materials and methods This is a prospective study conducted in the Laboratory of Parasitology and Mycology of the Mohammed V military teaching hospital from February to August 2012. Upon receiving blood cultures and peripheral sites samples, the identification of Candida isolates performed using routine phenotypic standard tests and the realization of the antifungal susceptibility was carried out on Neo-sensitabs® tablets and Bio-Rad® disks. Results A total of 38 Candida strains were isolated: 15 C. albicans (39%), 13 C. glabrata (34%), 5 C. tropicalis (13%), 4 C. krusei (11%) and 1 C. dubliniensis (3%). There were no significant difference (P > 0.05) in susceptibility rate between both methods for all antifungal agents tested except for 5-fluorocytosine. The concordance percentage between two methods was 100% for amphotericin B, 97.4% for fluconazole, 94.7% for voriconazole and 73% for 5-fluorocytosine. Conclusion Both methods are easy to perform, rapid and cost effective. Our results showed the best agreement between the two methods for testing the susceptibility of Candida isolates to amphotericin B, fluconazole and voriconazole while for the 5-fluorocytosine, the concordance rate was low.

Fusarium are ubiquitous hyalohyphomycoses, usually encountered in the soil. They are the second unusual fungal pathogens after the Trichosporon. Intertrigo Fusarium sp. is a rare achievement. We report a case of intertrigos interorteils in an immunocompetent 45years old and a same case associated with a total onychodystrophy in an immunocompromised 75year-old. Laboratory diagnosis has found Fusarium solani confirmed with the positivity of a pure culture twice. Good progress was noted with terbinafine treatment. One or more aggravating factors must always be sought. These cases are in addition to cases increasingly frequent intertrigo due to Fusarium sp.

Definition, diagnosis and treatment of allergic fungal sinusitis remain difficult and controversial despite the increasing number of publications. We report a case of an allergic fungal sinusitis with a review of the literature.A 45-year-old man consulted for sinusal polyposis resistant to steroid therapy, clinical examination objectified bilateral nasal polyps and covered with scabs. CT scan of the sinuses disclosed a sinuse filled with a tissue density material containing air with lysis of the left maxillary sinus, hypereosinophilia, the IgE levels were high. Finally, mycological investigation allowed the identification of Aspergillus fumigatus. The patient underwent total ethmoidectomy, histological study found an allergic mucin and inflammatory mucosa with numerous eosinophils. The postoperative course was good and the patient was given oral steroids. The clinical and radiological evolution was favorable without recurrence with a follow-up of three years.A set of clinical, radiological, histopathological, immunoallergological and mycological criteria is necessary for precise diagnosis and to avoid fungal drift. The treatment is based on endoscopic surgery associated with corticosteroid.

Trichosporonasahii is a basidiomycete yeast responsible for white piedra and onychomycosis in the immunocompetent host. In the immunocompromised patients, invasive infections are reported; their diagnosis is difficult and they are associated with high mortality rate. Urinary infection due to Trichosporon Asahi is rare but its incidenceis increasing. We report the case of a 58 year old diabetic patient. The yeast was isolated from urine samples of three consecutive crops in pure form. The patient improved after antifungal therapy.

Disseminated Geotrichum capitatum infection is uncommon, and has been reported exclusively in immunocompromised patients. The prognosis is poor with a mortality rate of approximately 50-75%. We report a case of disseminated G. capitatum infection in a severely neutropenic patient who was receiving chemotherapy for acute myeloblastic leukaemia. G. capitatum was isolated from blood cultures, skin lesions, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, throat swabs and stools. The infection was successfully cured with a combination of voriconazole and caspofungin.

Sinonasal aspergillosis is caused by the interaction between the sinonasal mucosa with a cosmopolite fungus (Aspergillus), it is on the increase, this is an infection whose evolution is unpredictable requiring early diagnosis and appropriate support. We report a case of Aspergillus rhinosinusitis of dental origin in pseudo-tumoral form with a review of the literature.A 31 years-old, women, consulted for a right nasal obstruction with purulent rhinorrhea after dental treatment. On examination, there was a bulge of the inner canthus of the right eye and a mass in the right nasal cavity. The CT scanner showed a process of the left naso-sinus cavity centered by calcic image density. The patient underwent a total excision of the mass endoscopically. Mycological and pathological examination concluded that the etiology was Aspergillus fumigatus. The patient had not received any antifungal treatment. The postoperative course was uneventful. The evolution was favourable with no recurrence after 9 months.Aspergillus rhinosinusitis of dental origin is usually due to the emergence of canalicular filling paste into the maxillary sinus through and oral cavity and sinus fistula, neglected it can progress to invasive pseudo-tumoral form. The clinical presentation is nonspecific and the diagnosis often involves imaging (scanner). Mycological and histological examinations are essential for diagnosis. The treatment is based on surgery sometimes associated with antifungal treatment.

The authors report a case of Aspergillus ethmoiditis associated with an orbital abscess, diagnosed in an immunocompetent 6-year-old child, this is a rare infection and diagnosis is difficult, cause of a delayed treatment and frightening prognosis. Mycoses have emerged as important infections in clinical practice; this phenomenon is explained by the ever-growing number of immunocompromised patients and the increasing number of people traveling in areas where fungal diseases are endemic. Surgery with mycological and anatomopathologic examination can suggest a fungal infection confirmed by culture and contribute to institute adequate treatment.

Infective endocarditis is rare in children, it is rarer after a surgical treatment of atrioventricular canal, and it is exceptional that Candida albicans is the etiologic agent. This is a serious infection found in congenital heart disease with or without surgery. It is potentially lethal, despite diagnostic and therapeutic advances. We report a case of infective endocarditis due to C. albicans after the treatment of a congenital systemic atrioventricular canal in a child with trisomy 21. The diagnosis was suspected on clinical manifestations and cardiac auscultation. Confirmation was provided by positive blood cultures and echocardiography. The large size of the vegetation in the patient was in favor of a fungal etiology, blood cultures allowed to identify the fungus. This observation illustrates a poorly understood disease, with very poor prognosis and which is a potential complication of heart surgery. The improved prognosis should be achieved by shortening the time to diagnosis and optimizing the therapeutic support.

Intestinal parasitic infections are among the most widespread of human infections in developing countries, and children are the most vulnerable. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of protozoa and intestinal helminthes, as well as the risk factors of intestinal parasites in schoolchildren in Salé city, Morocco. This is a study of incidence and prevalence conducted prospectively over a period of five months in schoolchildren in Salé city. The collection of stool was performed over three days (j1, j3, j5). In addition, adhesive cellophane tape slide evaluation was performed on day 7 for all students included in this work. During the study period, we included 123 students. Seventy-six children (61.7%) were infected by intestinal parasites. The age group 12-14 years is by far the most affected. Protozoa were found in 57.7% (N = 71) of children examined. Amoebae family parasites were predominant. Helminths were present in 26% (N = 32) of the schoolchildren. Forty-five (36.6%) children were poly-parasitized. This work shows that the prevalence of intestinal parasitism is quite high among primary schoolchildren in Salé city. Several parasite species are found. This finding is explained by unhealthy living conditions and poor hygiene, predisposing to endemicity and perpetuation of the transmission. The impact on health is not negligible especially when compounded by malnutrition. The best way to fight this scourge is prevention and awareness.

Human cutaneous myiasis is a common disease in endemic tropical zones. Increased international travel has produced increases in imported cases. We present an unusual patient with myiasis infestation of the leg caused by Dermatobia hominis, which manifested after returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This particular infestation has not been reported in Morocco prior to this case. Furuncular cutaneous miyasis must be considered when travellers exhibit draining nodules. Medical treatment consists of occlusion of the furuncular punctum with vaseline to stimulate extrusion of the larva or surgical debridement under local anesthesia.

The aim of this article is to report a case of congenital cutaneous candidiasis (CCC). We describe the clinical features and emphasize the role of laboratory testings to assess diagnosis in the newborn and to prevent this condition by screening vaginal candidiasis in pregnant women. A full-term, 3500-g male was born by spontaneous vaginal delivery to a 30-year-old healthy woman. On physical examination, he was a well-developed, vigorous newborn. Since the first hours of his life he presented erythematous maculae diffusely distributed on the skin and pustules overlying areas of confluent macular erythema on his trunk and extremities. The palms and soles were not affected. Neither oral thrush nor peri-anal lesions have been observed. The rest of the physical examination was normal. Microscopic examination of skin scrapings showed the presence of many yeasts and the culture permitted the identification of a strain of Candida albicans. Precocity and extent of the cutaneous signs attest a congenital cutaneous candidiasis and eliminate the other skin diseases of similar clinical symptoms. Topical antifungal therapy (econazole) was given and the cutaneous lesions disappeared after 20 days. CCC appears to be acquired in utero by the ascension of organisms from an infected vagina into the uterine cavity. This condition is preventable with systematic screening and treatment of vulvo-vaginitis due to Candida albicans in pregnant women, The important role played by the laboratory of mycology remains essential.

International audience; Microsatellite length polymorphism (MLP) typing is a PCR-based method used for genotyping of the diploid yeast Candida albicans. However, MLP is subject to homoplasia which can hamper the accuracy of the results. We combined fragment length analysis, high-resolution DNA melting (HRM) analysis, and SNaPshot minisequencing after a single amplification of the CDC3 locus to study 95 epidemiologically independent C. albicans isolates. HRM analysis for a given electrophoretic group led to a maximum of three different curves due to the presence of a SNP upstream of the tandem repeat which could be characterized using the SNaPshot assay. The combination of the three methods had a discriminatory index of 0.88 in complete congruence with previous MLP typing (Mantel test R=0.99, P