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M L Beckius

Publications and source records attributed to M L Beckius.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Use of chromogenic medium in the isolation of yeasts from clinical specimens.

Over a 1 year period 3296 specimens submitted for fungal culture were plated onto routine mycological media (RM) and CHROMagar Candida (CaC) to evaluate the capability of CaC to improve on RM. With RM, cultures producing single yeast isolates were identified from 802 specimens. CaC produced similar results, with 76 % agreement. Of 761 specimens that yielded a single Candida species by RM, 615 (81 %) produced one or more yeast isolates using CaC. Of concern, 132 negative CaC cultures corresponded to specimens that yielded C. albicans alone on RM. When yeasts were recovered, CaC correctly identified 98 % of C. albicans, 93 % of Candida tropicalis, 96 % of Candida glabrata and 100 % of Candida krusei based on typical colours. CaC did potentially improve on RM by detecting yeasts in 91 specimens that yielded none by routine methods. CaC was noted to recover more yeast isolates than RM when mixed cultures were detected. Overall, the role of CaC in improving RM appears limited.

Blood↗
PubMed1997

Spook house sporotrichosis. A point-source outbreak of sporotrichosis associated with hay bale props in a Halloween haunted-house.

While isolated cases of sporotrichosis typically occur following contact with contaminated plant materials, outbreaks are distinctly unusual. A temporal increase in the incidence of sporotrichosis in a dermatology practice at a military installation in southwestern Oklahoma prompted an investigation. Patients with sporotrichosis presenting to a single dermatologist in the winter of 1992-1993 were interviewed, epidemiological data were collected, and fungal cultures were obtained from incriminated hay fields. Five patients presented with cutaneous sporotrichosis during a 5-week period beginning in December 1992. Four patients had maintained hay bales in a Halloween haunted house and the fifth patient had visited the house once. As in 3 previous reports, this outbreak was associated with stored hay or hay bales harvested in the US plains states. Contact with hay should be recognized as a risk factor for infection with Sporothrix schenckii. Outbreaks are possible given adequate intensity of exposure and may be difficult to recognize because of the delayed presentation of clinical illness.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Misidentification of clinical yeast isolates by using the updated Vitek Yeast Biochemical Card.

The Vitek Yeast Biochemical Card (YBC) is widely used as a rapid identification (RI) (within 48 h) system for clinical yeast isolates. We compared the RI results obtained by the YBC technique with matched results obtained with the API 20C system. The RI of germ tube-negative yeasts isolated from 222 clinical specimens was performed with the YBC system, and the results were compared with those of standard identifications obtained by using the API 20C system and morphology, with additional biochemical reactions performed as required. Commonly isolated yeasts (Candida albicans [n = 29], Candida tropicalis [n = 40], Torulopsis [Candida] glabrata [n = 28], Candida parapsilosis [n = 12], and Cryptococcus neoformans [n = 14]) were generally well identified (115 of 123 [93%] identified correctly, with only C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. neoformans mis- or unidentified more than once). The RI of less commonly isolated yeasts included in the YBC database, however, was less successful (54 of 99 [55%] correct). The YBC card failed to identify 42% (10 of 24) of Candida krusei isolates, 80% (4 of 5) of Candida lambica isolates, 88% (7 of 8) of Trichosporon beigelii isolates, and 83% (10 of 12) of Cryptococcus isolates (non-C. neoformans species). For most identification failures (79%; 42 of 53) there was no identification by the end of 48 h; the other identification failures (21%; 11 of 53) gave definite but incorrect identifications. Of eight rare clinical yeast isolates not included in the Vitek database, six were correctly, not identified, while two (25%) were falsely assigned a definite RI (one Hansenula fabianii isolate was identified as Rhodotorula glutinis, and one Hansenula isolate [non-Hansenula anomala] was identified as Hansenula anomala). While the Vitek YBC rapidly and adequately identifies common yeast isolates, it fails in the RI of more unusual organisms.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1989

Phaeohyphomycotic cutaneous disease caused by Pleurophoma in a cardiac transplant patient.

A 56-y-old female cardiac transplant patient treated with cyclosporine and prednisone noted the onset of three nontender red nodules on the legs and arms after gardening. Biopsy of all lesions revealed inflammatory cells and hyphal elements in the dermis. The dematiaceous fungus cultured from biopsy tissue was a pycnidial-forming organism of the genus Pleurophoma. The lesions responded to the topical application of miconazole.

Female↗