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Closing the Gap in Proteomic Identification of Histoplasma capsulatum: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Authors :
Terenzio Cosio
Roberta Gaziano
Carla Fontana
Enrico Salvatore Pistoia
Rosalba Petruccelli
Marco Favaro
Francesca Pica
Silvia Minelli
Maria Cristina Bossa
Anna Altieri
Domenico Ombres
Nikkia Zarabian
Cartesio D’Agostini
Source :
Journal of Fungi, Vol 9, Iss 10, p 1019 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Histoplasmosis is a globally distributed systemic infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum (H. capsulatum). This fungus can cause a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, and the diagnosis of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis is often a challenge for clinicians. Although microscopy and culture remain the gold standard diagnostic tests for Histoplasma identification, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has emerged as a method of microbial identification suitable for the confirmation of dimorphic fungi. However, to our knowledge, there are no entries for H. capsulatum spectra in most commercial databases. In this review, we describe the case of disseminated histoplasmosis in a patient living with HIV admitted to our university hospital that we failed to identify by the MALDI-TOF method due to the limited reference spectrum of the instrument database. Furthermore, we highlight the utility of molecular approaches, such as conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing, as alternative confirmatory tests to MALDI-TOF technology for identifying H. capsulatum from positive cultures. An overview of current evidence and limitations of MALDI-TOF-based characterization of H. capsulatum is also presented.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2309608X
Volume :
9
Issue :
10
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Journal of Fungi
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.0cf43bd0c84d10932c5e7236e08add
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9101019