Molecular and Immuno- Diagnosis of emerging mycotic diseases

In the current era of indiscriminate and wide-spread use of broad spectrum anti-biotics, radiotherapy, cortico-steroids, cytotoxic drugs, and immunosuppressants, besides increasing incidence of AIDS in man, auto-immune diseases, coupled with stress of overcrowding and production in dairy animals, opportunistic, life-threatening and deep seated fungi, once thought to be non-Pathogenic, have now assumed a major role in systemic Infectious Diseases in humans and animals. Mycotic diseases not only affect the animal health but also make the country's live stock Industry uneconomic, as they often lead to mastitis, decreased milk yield, abortions, sterility, deterioration of hide quality and above all diminished general performance. Moreover, animal mycoses are well recognized as zoonotic diseases and thereby exist as a public health problem. Due to prolonged and indiscriminate use of antibiotics and steroids in Intra-mammary therapy for mastitis, as well as prevalence of fungal organisms on dairy farms, the incidence of Mycotic Mastitis is on the rise and the most frequently isolated fungi from mycotic mastitis in dairy animals in India, are Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans.Systemic mycotic diseases often pose a difficult diagnostic challenge for clinicians due to lack of any pathognomonic clinical syndrome and characteristic Radiographic feature. In India, the problem is further confounded by the preponderance of tuberculosis and paucity of diagnostic mycological laboratories. Consequently, patients suffering from systemic mycoses may be mistaken as tuberculosis or other bacterial diseases. Most of the reports of mycotic diseases are based on the isolation of fungi. In many cases, these fungi may be just contaminants, without being associated with the pathological lesion and the wrong diagnosis can be made. The correct and early diagnosis is a key factor in the treatment of mycotic diseases. Various molecular methods are being developed for rapid and precise identification of fungi. PCR is the most widely used molecular method used for the diagnosis of fungal pathogens. Along with conventional PCR, various variants of PCR like nested PCR, arbitrary primed PCR and real time PCR have been developed for the diagnosis of a wide range of fungi like dermatophytes, Aspergillus, Candida., Pneumocystis etc.