Deanna A. Sutton, Pharm.D.
Deanna A. Sutton, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Administrative Director
Fungus Testing Laboratory
Department of Pathology
The University of Texas Health Science Center
San Antonio, TX
Education
    1964 - BS, Medical Technology. University of Oregon Health Science Center, Portland
    1999 - MS, Health Care Management. California Coast University, Santa Ana
    2001 - Ph.D., Management. California Coast University, Santa Ana

Research Activities/Clinical Expertise
The research interests of the Fungus Testing Laboratory encompass two broad arms. The first area of interest includes the evaluation of antifungal agents. These activities include both the in vitro susceptibility testing of a wide range of clinically-significant fungi against approved, investigational, orphan, and potential antifungal drugs/compounds, as well as the development of and providing assays for antifungal drugs in body fluids of patients receiving antifungal therapy. The Fungus Testing Laboratory is a national reference site for the testing of antifungal agents, and is an appointed site location for the Subcommittee on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standard (NCCLS). A component of our involvement with antifungal agents also includes the design of and participation in various clinical trials relative to either the investigational compounds, or studies regarding new indications for approved agents. The second arm of our research involves being actively engaged in promoting accurate taxonomy, nomenclature, and classification of pathogenic fungi. As a repository for clinical isolates from across the nation and abroad, we constantly monitor the appearance of new etiologic agents, provide reports of these findings via abstracts/manuscripts, and update clinical laboratories regarding these new agents through several invited teaching workshops.

The Fungus Testing Laboratory serves as an international reference laboratory for the identification of fungal isolates to the species level, provides in vitro susceptibility testing of both yeasts and moulds, including dimorphic pathogens, and determines antifungal drug levels in body fluids by bioassay, HPLC, and GLC methodologies. Additionally, we serve as a cite laboratory for clinical trials of various approved/investigational antifungal agents.
Selected Publications
    1. Revankar, S.G., J.E. Patterson, D.A. Sutton, R. Pullen, and M.G. Rinaldi. 2002. Disseminated phaeohyphomycosis; review of an emerging mycosis. Clin. Infect. Dis. 34:467-476.

    2. Sutton, D.A. 2002. Cylindrocarpon lichenicola, a Fusarium look-alike: Its ecology, identification, and etiologic potential. Microbiology Tech Sample. Amer. Soc. Clin. Pathol. No.: MB-6 (2002).

    3. Korzets, A., M. Weinberger, A. Chagnac, A. Goldschmied-Reouven, M.G. Rinaldi, and D.A. Sutton. 2001. Peritonitis due to Thermoascus taitungiacus (anamorph Paecilomyces taitungiacus). J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:720-724.
    4. Koneman, E., D.A. Sutton, A.W. Fothergill, M.G. Rinaldi, T. Sun, and S.F. Straus. 2001. CR ROM, LWW's Organism Central, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Hagerstrown, MD.

    5. Gonzales, G.M., D.A. Sutton, E. Thompson, R. Rigerina, and M.G. Rinaldi. 2001. In vitro activity of approved and investigational antifungal agents against 44 clinical isolates of basidiomycetous fungi. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:633-635.

    6. Chin-Hong, P.V., D.A. Sutton, M. Roemer, M.A. Jacobson, and J.A. Aberg. 2001. Invasive fungal sinusitis and meningitis due to Arthrographis kalrae in a patient with AIDS. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:804-807.

    7. Al-Mohsen, I.Z., D.A. Sutton, L. Sigler, E. Almodovar, N. Mahgoug, H. Frayha, S. Al-Hajjar, M.G. Rinaldi, and T.J. Walsh. 2000. Acrophialophora fusispora brain abscess in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Case history, clinical course, and literature review. J. Clin. Microbiol. 38:4569-4576.

    8. Sutton, D.A., S.E. Sanche, S.G. Revankar, A.W. Fothergill, and M.G. Rinaldi. 1999. In vitro amphotericin B resistance in clinical isolates of Aspergillus terreus, with a head to head comparison to voriconazole. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37:2343-2345.

    9. Sutton, D.A. 1999. Coelomycetous fungi in human disease. A review: clinical entities, pathogenesis, identification, and therapy. Rev. Iberoam. Mycol. 16:171-179.

    10. Sutton, D.A., A.W. Fothergill, and M.G. Rinaldi. 1998. Guide to Clinically Significant Fungi. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, MD.