ABSTRACT Background: Papiliotrema laurentii is one of several non-neoformans cryptococci that have rarely been associated with human infection, since it was previously considered saprophyte and thought to be non-pathogenic to humans. Nevertheless, increasing number of reports of human infection have emerged in recent years, mostly in oncologic patients. Aim: To report a case of a female patient with pyloric obstructive cancer with a catheter-related Papiliotrema laurentii blood stream infection and systematically review the available evidence on P. laurentii infection in humans. Methods: Retrieval of studies was based on Medical Subject Headings and Health Sciences Descriptors, which were combined using Boolean operators. Searches were run on the electronic databases Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE (PubMed), BIREME (Biblioteca Regional de Medicina), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), Cochrane Library for Systematic Reviews and Opengray.eu. There was no language or date of publication restrictions. The reference lists of the studies retrieved were searched manually. Results: The search strategy retrieved 1703 references. In the final analysis, 31 references were included, with the description of 35 cases. Every patient but one had a previous co-morbidity - 48.4 % of patients had a neoplasm. Amphotericin B was the most used treatment and only a single case of resistance to it was reported. Most patients were cured of the infection. Conclusion: P. laurentii infection in humans is usually associated to neoplasia and multiple co-morbidities, and amphotericin B seems to be a reliable agent for treatment.

Os agrotóxicos são amplamente utilizados na agricultura e, atualmente, fazem parte do grupo de agentes químicos que podem levar à perda auditiva. A identificação de drogas que, associadas aos ototóxicos, possam atuar como otoprotetores é objeto de estudo. OBJETIVO: Analisar a existência de efeito otoprotetor do extrato de Ginkgo biloba aos possíveis danos cocleares causados pelo agrotóxico do grupo dos organofosforados - metamidofós, avaliando-se as alterações anatômicas por meio da microscopia eletrônica de superfície. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Estudo experimental prospectivo utilizando 21 cobaias, que sofreram ação da administração de soro fisiológico, agrotóxico e ginkgo biloba isoladamente e associadas, durante sete dias consecutivos. Após, as cócleas foram removidas e avaliadas anatomicamente pela microscopia eletrônica de varredura. RESULTADOS: As cobaias submetidas ao agrotóxico apresentaram alterações morfológicas cocleares, com lesões nas três espiras analisadas na microscopia eletrônica, intensificadas de acordo com a dosagem recebida do agente. As cobaias tratadas com agrotóxico e Ginkgo biloba apresentaram uma manutenção da arquitetura ciliar nas células ciliadas externas em todas as espiras da cóclea. CONCLUSÃO: O extrato de Ginkgo biloba, por sua ação antioxidante, atuou como fator otoprotetor à ototoxicidade pelo agrotóxico em cobaias.

Pesticides are widely used in agriculture, despite the risk of hearing loss related to the exposure to their chemical components. This study looks into protective drugs to counteract the ototoxicity of pesticides. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the effect ginkgo biloba extract may have in protecting against possible cochlear damage caused by organophosphate pesticides (methamidophos). Anatomic changes are assessed through surface and electron microscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective experimental study. Twenty-one guinea pigs were given saline solution, pesticide, and ginkgo biloba alone or combined for seven consecutive days. Then their cochleas were removed and examined in a scanning electron microscope. RESULTS: Pesticide-exposed guinea pigs had morphological alterations in their cochleas and injuries in the three turns analyzed through electron microscopy. Injury intensity varied according to the dosages of the agents given to the test subjects. Guinea pigs treated with pesticide and ginkgo biloba maintained the architecture of their outer hair cells in all cochlear turns. CONCLUSION: The antioxidant properties found in the ginkgo biloba extract protected guinea pigs from pesticide ototoxicity.