Although Malassezia yeasts are a part of the normal microflora, under certain conditions they can cause superficial skin infection Pityriasis versicolor, Malassezia folliculitis. Lipophilic yeasts are being considered as major opportunistic pathogens for a very long time. Most of the yeasts show an absolute requirement for long fatty acid chains and specific procedures are required for their isolation, conservation and identification. To date, the genus is composed of one non lipid-dependent species M. pachydermatis and lipid-dependent species M. furfur, M. sympodialis, M. globosa, M. obtusa, M. restricta, M. slooffiae, M. dermatis, M. yamatoensis, M. japonica, M. nana, M. caprae, M. equina, M. cuniculi.

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 Human cases of dermatophytoses are occasionally transmitted from animals, and suffered from tinea corporis and sometimes Kerion celsi. The most frequent causative agent of these diseases is Microsporum canis. The other dermatophyte, Arthroderma benhamiae is now prevailing in rabbits, rodents and hedgehogs that are popular household pets in Japan. Therefore, some human cases of A. benhamiae infection were reported and the transmission of this infection from rabbits and rodents was confirmed. Cryptococcosis is regarded as dangerous zoonosis, but its transmission from animal to peoples has not been documented in Japan. Animal cases of cryptococcosis are possible to increase in number by developing immunosuppressive animals as well as by spreading of newly introduced C. gattii to Japan. Animal cases of sporotrichosis are rarely reported in Japan. However, feline sporotrichosis should be prevented and promptly treated since it easily transmitted to people from cat lesions and the exudates where copious numbers of organisms are found in tissues.

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Candida albicans water-soluble fraction (CAWS) has microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). It is a mannoprotein-β glucan complex obtained from the culture supernatant of Candida albicans NBRC1385 and exhibits vasculitis-inducing activity (CAWS vasculitis) in mice. The sensitivity to CAWS vasculitis varies greatly among mouse strains. This study examined the factors contributing to or inhibiting CAWS vasculitis using CAWS-vasculitis-resistant CBA/J mice and Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk)-deficient CBA/N mice, which is a CAWS-vasculitis-sensitive strain having the same origin as CBA/J mice. After stimulation with various kinds of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), the production of inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IFN-γwas induced in CBA/N mice, whereas that of immunosuppressive IL-10 was induced in CAWS-vasculitis-resistant CBA/J mice. The production of TIMP1, an endogenous matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor, was observed in CBA/J mice. Furthermore, the induction of CAWS-vasculitis was inhibited by gene therapy using plasmid (pCAGGS-mIL-10). The results strongly suggest that the difference in the production of these cytokines is closely linked to the development of CAWS vasculitis.

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 Leaf hydrosols prepared from 18 weakly aromatic Japanese herbs used traditionally were tested on the filamentation-inhibitory activity of Candida albicans. These hydrosols were divided into two classes, A and B. The inhibitory activity of 13 hydrosols belonging to class A was markedly altered depending on the drying process of the parent herbs. On the other hand, the remaining 5 hydrosols belonging to class B showed no significant change on the composition and inhibitory activity upon drying. The change of the bioactivity was correlated with the change and concentration of the respective major constituents. Especially strong bioactivity shown by hydrosols of dried Houttuynia cordata and fresh Prunus pendula was ascribed to n-capric acid and cyanide, respectively. Eight hydrosols exhibited weak or moderate activity against the growth of C. albicans.

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 We examined the effect of the oral administration of β-D-glucan derived from Aureobasidium pullulans ADK-34 (AP-FBG) on Candida albicans or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in immunosuppressed mice. Mice pretreated with cyclophosphamide (CY) were intraperitoneally administered AP-FBG for 4 days and then infected with 6×10⁴ C. albicans cells. In a preliminary experiment, the survival time of the Candida-infected mice treated with AP-FBG was clearly prolonged. Similarly, the effect of the oral administration of AP-FBG was examined. Mice were orally given 2.5% AP-FBG in feed for 42 days from 14 days prior to 2×10⁴ C. albicans cells infection. The survival time of mice treated with AP-FBG was significantly prolonged and the viable cell count in the kidneys of the survivors was significantly decreased at 30 days after infection. The effects of the oral administration of AP-FBG on intestinal MRSA infection were also examined. Mice were given 2.5% AP-FBG orally in feed for 30 days before and after oral MRSA infection and treated with CY 12 days after the infection. The number of viable MRSA cells or the IgA production in feces did not significantly change, while AP-FBG administration seemed to relieve temporally the loss of body weight of mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that oral pre-administration of AP-FBG promoted resistance of CY-treated mice to C. albicans and lessened the weight reduction of CY-mice infected by MRSA.

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 Paracoccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection endemic to South American countries that affects the lungs, skin, and mucosae. Reports from Japan are limited by a long-term resident in South America. Some cases are incorrectly diagnosed because of a refractory buccal ulcer that resembles a malignant tumor. This is a disease that may not be correctly examined if we cannot suspect by a case history. We report the case of a Brazilian man who had a buccal ulcer with lung involvement, which mimicked pharyngeal cancer.

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 Our analysis reported here, is the first one in the world to make a nationwide-level estimate on numbers of visceral mycoses in case of leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)in Japan. The data on visceral mycoses in cases reported in the“ Annual of the Pathological Autopsy Cases in Japan” published by the Japanese society of pathology in 2002 and 2006, and the data in the vital statics in Japan published by Ministry of health, labour and welfare were analyzed epidemiologically. The estimated numbers of visceral mycoses were 2,250 out of the estimated total death 8,976 in 2001, and 2290 out of 9,805 in 2005, respectively, in cases of leukemia and MDS in Japan. Furthermore, the estimated severe cases that we thought direct cause of death were 1,454 in 2001, and 1,464 in 2005, respectively. In the severe cases, the most causative agents were Aspergillus. The estimated numbers of Candida and Zygomycetes were interestingly almost same in the severe cases, but the lethal rate in Zygomycetes was about 60-80 % , almost twice as that in Candida. We think it is imperative to continuously survey and watch these rates towards the future.

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