{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T17:30:00Z","timestamp":1787247000555,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]],"date-time":"2025-11-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763942400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":23,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,1]],"date-time":"2025-11-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761955200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Science Reports"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background and Aims<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Lymphatic filariasis (LF) and associated chronic wounds are of public health concern worldwide. Despite the significant burden of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and its associated chronic wounds, the fungal component of the wound microbiome remains poorly understood. Previous research has primarily focused on bacterial pathogens, neglecting the potential role of fungi in wound pathogenesis and progression. A comprehensive understanding of the microbial landscape, especially the overlooked fungal component, is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies. The study aimed to molecularly characterize the fungal populations present in these wounds via Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequencing.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This was a cross\u2010sectional study, with a total of 63 individuals sampled from eight (8) LF\u2010hyperendemic communities within the Ahanta West District in Ghana. Skin and wound swabs were collected from each participant between December 2021 and February 2022 and subjected to standard culture\u2010based techniques. Fungal isolates were identified, and their DNA was extracted for subsequent PCR amplification of the ITS region. The sequencing was performed using the Oxford Nanopore platform.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Of the 63 patients sampled, fungal colonies were observed in 16 individuals (25.4% prevalence) through culture\u2010based methods. Molecular characterisation identified 24 Twenty\u2010four (24) distinct fungal species at different frequencies from nine different genera:\n                      <jats:italic>Cladosporium<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergillus<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Periconia<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Penicillium<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Candida<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Lasiodiplodia<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Acrophialophora<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Zygosporium<\/jats:italic>\n                      , and\n                      <jats:italic>Trichoderma. Cladosporium<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. was the most prevalent, accounting for 30% of isolates, followed by\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergillus<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. (28.6%),\n                      <jats:italic>Periconia<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. (14.3%),\n                      <jats:italic>Penicillium<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. (12.9%), and\n                      <jats:italic>Candida<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. (8.6%). A smaller proportion of isolates represented\n                      <jats:italic>Lasiodiplodia<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp.,\n                      <jats:italic>Acrophialophora<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp.,\n                      <jats:italic>Zygosporium<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp., and\n                      <jats:italic>Trichoderma<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp., each comprising 1.4% of the total isolates. Notably, only 2 out of the 16 patients did not present with mixed fungal populations in their wounds.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The presence of fungal pathogens and the potential for polymicrobial infections within the LF\u2010wound environment highlight the need for comprehensive and tailored treatment protocols. Effective wound management is essential to address these complex wounds and mitigate the development of antibiotic resistance, a growing concern in chronic wound care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/hsr2.71552","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]],"date-time":"2025-11-24T08:39:53Z","timestamp":1763973593000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Molecular Characterisation of Fungi Populations in the Chronic Wounds of Filarial Lymphedema Patients in Southern Ghana: A Cross\u2010Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Dzidzor Yawa","family":"Ayeke","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana"},{"name":"West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and 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