Fnu Samiksha

Candida auris frequently demonstrates resistance to multiple antifungal classes and has been classified as a critical priority pathogen by the World Health Organization and the first fungal pathogen designated an urgent threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients with skin colonization face a 7%–20% risk of invasive infection, with 30-day mortality of 30%–72%. While chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is widely used for general skin decolonization, it fails to reliably clear C. auris from patient skin, and no proven decolonization protocol exists. We evaluated a novel chloramine-based antiseptic polymer, polyvantoin chlorine (AVA-003). In vitro CLSI broth microdilution demonstrated activity against isolates from all four major C. auris clades (I–IV), with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 250 to 500 µg/mL. Two proof-of-concept experiments using a validated murine model assessed in vivo efficacy. Female BALB/c mice were inoculated with clinical isolate C. auris MRL-35368 and treated with 1.2% AVA-003, 2% CHG, or vehicle controls across two phases examining formulation and treatment duration. AVA-003 reduced fungal burden at both ear and dorsal sites compared to untreated and CHG-treated controls. Specifically, 1.2% AVA-003 reduced ear burden versus untreated controls by 3.07 log colony-forming units (CFU)/g ( P = 0.003, phase I) and versus 2% CHG at 3 days by 1.42 log CFU/g ( P < 0.0001, phase II); dorsal burden was reduced by 3.58 log CFU/g versus untreated controls ( P < 0.0001). In phase I, 1.2% AVA-003 achieved undetectable burden (0 CFU/g) at both sites. In phase II, AVA-003 significantly reduced but did not uniformly eradicate C. auris burden. Its advantage over CHG was greater at 3 days than 7 days, likely reflecting progressive dorsal hair regrowth, a recognized limitation of the murine model. These findings support AVA-003 as a promising C. auris decolonization candidate warranting further clinical investigation.

Fungal β-1,3-glucans are structurally conserved polysaccharide components of the fungal cell wall that exhibit potent immunomodulatory activity. These molecules are recognized by pattern recognition receptors, Toll-like receptors, complement receptor 3, lactosylceramide, scavenger receptors, and EphA2. Binding of β-1,3-glucans through these receptors triggers coordinated innate and adaptive immune responses such as cytokine production, phagocytosis, and trained immunity. In addition to receptor-mediated immune activation, dietary β-1,3-glucans function as fermentable prebiotic fibers that modulate gut microbiota composition, increase short-chain fatty acid production, and strengthen epithelial barrier integrity. These combined immunological and microbiome-mediated effects position β-1,3-glucans as key regulators of gut homeostasis. Preclinical and emerging clinical evidence supports broad therapeutic potential across multiple disease domains, including inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders, respiratory infections, and cancer. In oncology, β-1,3-glucans enhance anti-tumor immunity, improve responses to monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy, and serve as promising adjuvants in vaccine-based strategies. Additionally, β-1,3-glucan is widely used as a biomarker for invasive fungal infections and represents a validated target of antifungal therapies such as echinocandins. Despite these advances, clinical translation remains limited by heterogeneity in glucan source, structure, and formulation, as well as a lack of appropriately powered, standardized human clinical trials. Future efforts should focus on clarifying mechanisms of action, as well as rigorous clinical evaluation, to fully define the therapeutic utility of fungal β-1,3-glucans.

The projected increase in the global probiotics market is driven by growing consumer awareness of gut health and the potential benefits of microbial supplements. However, the market currently exhibits a significant gap in probiotic yeast options, with Saccharomyces boulardii being the predominant probiotic yeast available. This limitation restricts diversity and potential tailored applications of alternative probiotic yeast strains. Pichia, a genus of yeast, has emerged as a promising candidate. This review explores the safety profile and probiotic attributes of Pichia strains, which collectively highlight its potential as an effective probiotic yeast. Evidence indicates that Pichia exhibits beneficial characteristics such as resilience in harsh gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, antimicrobial activity against pathogens, and immunomodulatory effects that could contribute to gut health. Additionally, the non-pathogenic nature of Pichia and its history of safe and wide use in food and beverage fermentation processes increases confidence in its safety for human consumption. Given its potential, Pichia may diversify the probiotic yeast market and present an alternative beneficial organism that may contribute to general health and well-being.

The grape berry moth, Paralobesia viteana (Clemens), is an important pest of cultivated grapes in eastern North America. Damage is caused directly by larval feeding of grape clusters and indirectly by increasing fruit susceptibility to fungal and bacterial pathogens. Despite the impact of grape berry moth on grapes being widely recognized, there is a lack of understanding of the influence that different grape cultivars may have on grape berry moth development, reproduction, and population dynamics. In this study, we constructed age–stage 2-sex life tables for grape berry moth fed on 5 grape cultivars: Concord, Niagara, Riesling, Chambourcin, and Vidal, to examine the effects of diet on insect population development, survival, reproduction, and demographic parameters such as net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of increase, finite rate of increase, and mean generation time. Our findings reveal that grape cultivar significantly influenced the neonate wandering period, larval developmental time, adult and female longevity, pupal weight, adult preoviposition period, oviposition period, mean generation time, age–stage-specific life expectancy, and reproductive value of P.  viteana. However, diet type did not affect grape berry moth total fecundity or other demographic parameters. The highest female reproductive value was observed at 30–40 days of age, indicating that control tactics implemented during this time frame would have the greatest impact on reducing population increase. This study provides critical information on the effects of different grape cultivars on grape berry moth development, reproduction, and demography. These insights could lead to the development of management strategies that improve pest control and reduce economic losses in vineyards.

Plant peptidase inhibitors have evolved to play a strong defensive role toward phytophagous insect pests. Peptidase inhibitor was partially purified from Psoralea corylifolia seeds of leguminaceae family by ammonium sulphate precipitation (20–80%) followed by dialysis with inhibitory activity against 64–72 h old larvae of Bactrocera cucurbitae. Different concentrations of the inhibitor (200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 ppm) had a deleterious effect on the growth and development of the melon fruit fly larvae. The larval period, pupal period, and the total development period prolonged significantly, while percentage pupation and percentage adult emergence were drastically reduced. Nutritional indices viz. Mean Relative Growth Rate (MRGR) and Food Assimilated (FA) with respect to control were significantly lowered in treated larvae than in control. The inhibitory effect of peptidase inhibitor partially purified from P. corylifolia seeds increased significantly with an increase in the concentration of the inhibitor. It was also active against different strains of bacteria. These results show the potential of peptidase inhibitor partially purified from P. corylifolia seeds in insect pest control which can be used for improving plant protection. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09670874.2021.1989078 .