The importance of antifungal drugs in the practice of modern medicine has increased dramatically. Creative Biolabs has successfully started a comprehensive antifungal drug discovery platform with multiple high-end technologies. We offer a full range of drug development services against Cryptococcus Gattii. Here is an introduction to Cryptococcus Gattii.
Introduction of Cryptococcus Gattii
The clinical syndromes of fungus Cryptococcus include pneumonia, skin infection, and meningoencephalitis. Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) is the most common cause of fatal meningoencephalitis, especially in HIV patients. Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii) has caused diseases mainly in non-HIV patients. There are four unique molecular types (VGI-IV) of C. gattii. Distribution of the four major molecular types of C. gattii strains among 2046 cryptococcal isolated from clinical and veterinary sources indicate that the VGI type is most common (9%) followed by VGII (7%), VGIII (3%), and VGIV (1%) in decreasing order. C. gattii has long been recognized as an endemic pathogen in Australia. In the 1990s, it emerged and established in British Columbia, Canada, and subsequently in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Fig.1 Route of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. Airborne cryptococcal cells are inhaled by the host and proliferate in the lung before they hematogenously disseminate to the brain. (Kwon-Chung, 2014)
Pathogenicity and Treatment of Cryptococcus Gattii
In humans, C. gattii causes predominantly meningoencephalitis and other CNS and pulmonary diseases. C. gattii is associated with substantial morbidity. It also poses a concern for veterinarians. Some animal infections, particularly those in feline and canine companion animals and Australian native koalas, represent sentinels for human exposure. The clinical syndromes and the treatment of infections caused by C. neoformans and C. gattii are very similar. But in some cases, a longer induction therapy may be required for a C. gattii infection. A recent report from Australia suggested that improved outcomes among those with CNS disease were associated with a 6-week course of amphotericin and flucytosine.
Features of our Services
With the help of our well-established technologies and skillful scientific team, Creative Biolabs is capable of providing one-stop antifungal drug discovery service including target identification and validation, Hit identification, Hit to lead, Lead optimization, and IND enabling to meet your drug discovery goals. Our scientists are confident in tailoring our customers the most reliable and cost-effective experiment scheme to facilitate their meaningful research. Please contact us for more information and a detailed quote.
Reference
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