Madurella mycetomatis (M. mycetomatis) is one of the causative agents of chronic infection – eumycetoma. As a major socioeconomic burden, eumycetoma affects large numbers of people in the prime of their lives. It remains difficult to diagnose properly, treat, and prevent. Creative Biolabs stands out as a service provider of antifungal drug discovery to support human health. We are capable of providing services for every step of the drug development process to meet the needs of our diverse customer base. Here, we give a brief introduction of the M. mycetomatis infections.
Introduction to M. mycetomatis
M. mycetomatis belongs to the genus Madurella. This species grows slow and produces dark colonies composed of a dense, melanized, and mostly sterile mycelium. It can grow at high temperatures (up to 40°C) and in different culture media. It shows various colony morphologies. It is the most common fungus with respect to causing eumycetoma in humans in districts such as central Africa, India, and Sudan. The mode of entry of M. mycetomatis is trauma, including snake bites, insect bites, thorns, etc. The clinical symptoms vary due to the heterogeneity of M. mycetomatis genotypes.
Pathology of M. mycetomatis Infection
In tissues from affected patients, M. mycetomatis forms numerous black sclerotia (grains). Grains are vegetative aggregates of the fungal mycelia embedded in a hard brown matrix. The matrix acts as a barrier protecting the fungus from the natural immunity of the host and antifungal agents. It is probable that excessive production of polysaccharides in the fungal cell wall renders the fungus less susceptible to antifungal treatments and more resistant to the host immune system. Two types of grains have been identified: filamentous and vesicular.
Fig.1 Histological sections of M. mycetomatis eumycetoma in a mammalian host. A and C were stained with PAS staining (200x), B with Grocott methenamine silver stain (400x), and D with hematoxylin and eosin (350x). (Ahmed, 2004)
Fungal Viability & Antifungal Susceptibility
The vegetative cells of M. mycetomatis die rapidly in conditions of moist heat and are easily killed by 70% ethanol. Homogenized mycelia from fresh agar cultures survive well at 4°C, -20°C, and -80°C for several weeks. Few studies have reported the in vitro and in vivo susceptibility of the fungus to different anti-fungal agents. Azoles were reported to be capable of inhibiting the growth of at least 50% of all M. mycetomatis strains included in the studies. The situation calls for identification and development of new antifungal agents against M. mycetomatis.
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Reference
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