Fig 1.
Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections demonstrating the grains (G) of A; S. somaliensis, B; A. pelletieri and C; M. mycetomatis, grains highlighted different inflammatory zones, Zone 1, 2 and 3 that surrounding the grains (G) (H and E, X 10).
This figure is composed of representative pictures from single patients. Differences among individual patients were noted, however we chose pictures which correlated with the majority of each group of patients.
Fig 2.
Collagen deposition around different mycetoma causatives agent; in this figure a representative picture of the A. pelletieri grain insight the subcutaneous tissue from one particular patient is shown.
In panel A, a HE staining is performed. In panel B, a Masson trichrome staining of the same area is shown. As is seen on this slide, collagen (coloured blue) is mainly seen within zone 2 as a fine thin bundles that surrounded the grains. In panel C, a HE staining is performed from patient with S. somaliensis; and D, collagen fibers is mainly seen within zone 2 as a fine thin bundles that surrounded the grains; in Panels E and F showed a collagen fibers in M. mycetomatis, with thick collagen bundles. This figure is composed of representative pictures from single patients. Differences among individual patients were noted, however we chose pictures which correlated with the majority of each group of patients.
Table 1.
The clinical characteristics of the studied population.
Fig 3.
IL-17A expression in M. mycetomatis (A), S. somaliensis (B) and A. pelletieri (C) lesions.
IL-17A staining was seen as a brown cytoplasmic staining in cells. This figure is composed of representative pictures from single patients. Differences among individual patients were noted, however we chose pictures which correlated with the majority of each group of patients.
Table 2.
Correlations between the IL-17 expression and the patient’s clinical data.
Fig 4.
MMP-9 expression in M. mycetomatis (A), S. somaliensis (B) and A. pelletieri (C).
Stromal expression (i.e. connective tissue parenchymal) of MMP-9 was negative in all the areas which contained thick bundles of collagen fibers (arrow head) (X 10). This figure is composed of representative pictures from single patients. Differences among individual patients were noted, however we chose pictures which correlated with the majority of each group of patients.
Fig 5.
Showed the expression of IL-17 within tissue sections; A: IL- 17 was expressed in T-lymphocyte cells and neutrophils. B; in giant cells, C; Stromal cells were noticed to expressed the IL 17. This figure is composed of representative pictures from single patients. Differences among individual patients were noted, however we chose pictures which correlated with the majority of each group of patients.
Table 3.
Correlations between the MMP-9 expression and the patient’s clinical data.
Fig 6.
Correlation between IL-17A expression intensity and MMP-9 expression intensity, r = 0.8887, p value <0.0001.