{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T22:49:01Z","timestamp":1788821341761,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,28]],"date-time":"2025-04-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745798400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Talaromycosis, caused by <jats:italic>Talaromyces marneffei<\/jats:italic> (<jats:italic>T. marneffei<\/jats:italic>), has become more common in HIV-negative and immunocompetent patients. The fungus colonizes the body through dormant spores, causing opportunistic infections. Early diagnosis is challenging. This study aims to analyze the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of <jats:italic>T. marneffei<\/jats:italic> infections.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Patients diagnosed with <jats:italic>T. marneffei<\/jats:italic> infection or colonization at the People\u2019s Hospital of Ningbo University between August 2022 and July 2024 were included. Demographic characteristics, clinical data, diagnostic approaches, and treatment outcomes were analyzed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Seven patients were diagnosed with <jats:italic>T. marneffei<\/jats:italic> infection, and three with colonization. Productive cough and fever were the predominant symptoms in all patients. Nodules, cavitary lesions, and pleural effusions on chest imaging were observed exclusively in infected patients. The positivity rates for metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and conventional microbiological testing were 100 and 10%, respectively. Of the seven infected patients, three had a single infection with <jats:italic>T. marneffei<\/jats:italic>, and four had co-infection with <jats:italic>T. marneffei<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Mycobacterium avium complex<\/jats:italic>. All patients were treated with monotherapy or combination therapy using voriconazole. All but one recovered.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Early diagnosis and combination therapy are critical for <jats:italic>T. marneffei<\/jats:italic> infection. mNGS complements traditional methods, facilitating accurate diagnosis and guiding targeted treatment.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1579522","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,28]],"date-time":"2025-04-28T04:13:08Z","timestamp":1745813588000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Clinical features of Talaromyces marneffei infection and colonization in HIV-negative patients: the role of mNGS in diagnosis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Aixiang","family":"Wu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Gai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuxin","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chenjie","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yan","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaojing","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huajun","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"337","DOI":"10.3109\/13693786.2010.551426","article-title":"Endemic 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