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In recent decades, many fungal species have emerged as major causes of human disease. While invasive candidiasis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis remain very common, rates of infection by other opportunistic fungal pathogens such as Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Fusarium spp. and other yeasts and molds are on the rise. Adding to this bleak picture is the fact that treatment and control measures currently available to us are hardly able to keep up with current trends of morbidity and mortality that associate with common and emerging fungal infections. It is interesting to note the likelihood of emerging fungal pathogens exhibiting significant resistance to standard antifungal therapy is real. Hence, invasive infections due to previously rare fungi such as Acremonium, Scedosporium, Paecilomyces, and Trichoderma species are proving difficult to treat. The ever increasing number of hosts with compromised immunity, increased volume of surgeries and invasive medical procedures, limited repertoire of and increased resistance to available antifungals, and better diagnosis and pathogen identification procedures are largely to blame for these alarming trends. Improvements in managing patients with cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and transplantation that are significantly improving patient survival rates are also generously contributing to the pool of patients with compromised immunity. In this article, we review the changing spectrum of invasive mycosis, risk-factors for infections and susceptibility to available antifungals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adherence of four Candida species to human buccal epithelial cells (BECs) following treatment with the most commonly consumed dietary carbohydrates was investigated in vitro . Adhesion of C. albicans , C . tropicalis , C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis was significantly promoted by incubation in minimal medium containing a high concentration (500 mM) of fructose, galactose, glucose, maltose, sorbitol or sucrose ( p [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adherence of three Candida species to human buccal epithelial cells (BEC) following treatment with different concentrations of date extract was investigated in vitro, as well as the effect of a mouth rinse with date extract on the adhesion of yeast to BEC. Adhesion of C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. kefyr to BEC was significantly reduced after both short-and long term periods of yeast exposure to various concentrations of date extract (reduction between 25% and 52% of the control value). A similar inhibition of adherence was observed upon pre-incubation of BEC with date extract. There was a significant reduction (P<0.001) in the adherence of yeast to BEC collected immediately or 5-20 min after an oral rinse with 10% date extract. No statistically significant difference was observed in the adhesion of BEC collected 30 min after an oral rinse with date extract and control BEC. In addition, pre-treatment of either Candida or BEC, or both, with date extract resulted in reduced adherence, the magnitude of which was largest when both types of cells were pre-treated. Date extract also inhibited germ tube formation of C. albicans (56-85% inhibition), which might contribute to the effects on adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the journal is presented, including rules on plagiarism, forced joint authorship and article sale.

In the period between December 1992 and September 1993 a total of 1060 clinically suspected cases of dermatomycoses were examined for causative fungi. Of these 330 (31%) were suspected as cutaneous candidosis. A higher incidence was observed in adults (62.9%) than in children (36.2%) and infants (19.5%). The infected patients that were adults were divided into four categories: diabetics; those receiving steroid; those receiving antibiotic therapy; and a non-risk control group. Analysis of the data revealed that the incidence rate appears to be approximately doubled in diabetes (49.3%), steroid therapy (33.8%) and antibiotic therapy (27.4%) than in the control group (15.7%). Candida albicans was the most frequent isolate (57.6%) followed by Candida tropicalis (16.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preface for the September 2011 issue of the "Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences," is presented.