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At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Fungal extracellular polysaccharides in house dust as a marker for exposure to fungi: relations with culturable fungi, reported home dampness, and respiratory symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated an association between indoor fungal growth and respiratory symptoms. However, in only a few studies was fungal exposure actually measured. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement by enzyme immunoassay of extracellular polysaccharides of Aspergillus and Penicillium species (EPS-Asp/Pen ) in house dust as a marker for fungal exposure and to study the relations between EPS-Asp/Pen levels and home dampness and respiratory symptoms in children. METHODS: Extracts of house dust samples from bedroom and living room floors and mattresses from homes of 31 children with chronic respiratory symptoms and 29 children with no chronic respiratory symptoms were analyzed for EPS-Asp/Pen. RESULTS: EPS-Asp/Pen were readily detectable (40 to 46,513 nanogram equivalent/g dust) in 161 house dust extracts, with highest concentrations in living room floor dust. EPS-Asp/Pen levels were 2 to 3 times higher on carpeted floors than on smooth floors. EPS-Asp/Pen were significantly correlated with total culturable fungi (r = 0.3 to 0.5) and with house dust mite allergens (r = 0.3 to 0.5). EPS-Asp/Pen levels in living room floor dust were positively associated with occupant-reported home dampness. This was not observed for EPS-Asp/Pen in bedroom floor and mattress dust. EPS-Asp/Pen levels in living room floor dust were positively associated with respiratory symptoms. EPS-Asp/Pen in bedroom floor and mattress dust showed a reversed association with respiratory symptoms, possibly because of allergen-avoidance measures taken in the bedroom. CONCLUSION: The enzyme immunoassay for fungal EPS-Asp/Pen may be a useful method for exposure assessment of indoor fungi.

Antigens, Fungal↗

[A nutrient medium for culturing fungi based on a flores chamomillae infusion. II. The evaluation of the biological properties of fungi cultured on a medium with a flores chamomillae infusion].

The paper reports on the biological properties of Candida albicans (strain I.C. - 130) cultivated on a medium with infusion of Flores chamomillae (I.F.C.) in parallel to the same strain cultivated on the medium Sabouraud (control). The results obtained showed an identical phenotypical profile for the biological properties investigated (fermentation capacity of glucides, reduction of TTC, formation of chlamydospores on the PCB special medium, antigenic structure, sensibility to antifungal substances, virulence). The qualities of the I.F.C. medium for the optimum insurance of the metabolic requirements of the fungi, for their recovery from clinical samples with a high rate of positivity, for ensuring the maintenance of the main biological properties of the fungi, to which the economical advantages are added (low price, easy availability of the raw material simple and rapid preparation methodology) recommend its use in the clinical laboratory, instead of the classical Sabouraud medium to which it corresponds qualitatively.

Animals↗

International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF): name changes in fungi of microbiological, industrial and medical importance. Part 1.

This is the first of a series of reports bringing changes in the names of fungi of microbiological, industrial and medical importance to the attention of workers in these fields. The series is sponsored by the Division of Mycology of the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) and prepared under the auspices of the International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF).

Fungi↗

International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF): name changes in fungi of microbiological, industrial and medical importance. Part 2.

This is the second in a series of reports bringing changes in the names of fungi of microbiological, industrial and medical importance to the attention of workers in these fields. The series is sponsored by the Division of Mycology of the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) and prepared under the auspices of the International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF). The first of this series of reports (which included an introduction to the series explaining the need for name changes) was published in Microbiological Sciences 3: 168-171 (1986).

Fungi↗

Influence of mycotoxin producing fungi (Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium) on gluten proteins during suboptimal storage of wheat after harvest and competitive interactions between field and storage fungi.

Cereals contaminated by Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., and Fusarium spp. and their mycotoxins, for example, ochratoxin A (OTA) and deoxynivalenol (DON), are not only a risk to human and animal health but can also show poor technological properties and baking quality. The influence of these genera on the sulfur speciation of low molecular weight (LMW) subunits of glutenin was characterized by investigating suboptimally stored wheat samples in situ by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and baking tests. Field fungi of the genus Fusarium have hardly any influence on both the sulfur speciation of wheat gluten proteins and the baking properties, whereas storage fungi of the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium have a direct influence. An increased amount of sulfur in sulfonic acid state was found, which is not available for thiol/disulfide exchange reactions in the gluten network, and thus leads to a considerably reduced baking volume. From changes of the composition of the mould flora during suboptimal storage of wheat and from the mycotoxin contents, it can be concluded that microbial competitive interactions play an important role in the development of the mould flora and the mycotoxin concentrations during (suboptimal) storage of wheat.

Aspergillus↗

A preliminary study of the occurrence of actidione-resistant fungi in sediments of Catalonian river mouths (Spain). I. Keratinolytic fungi and related Onygenales.

Sediments from eight river mouths along the Catalonian coast (Spain) were surveyed for keratinolytic fungi and related Onygenales. The actidione plating technique was employed. Of 532 actidione-treated sediment samples, 268 (50.3%) were positive for the fungi. Altogether, 384 fungal strains from 35 species were isolated from the samples. Narasimhella marginospora, Aphanoascus fulvescens, Neoarachnotheca keratinophila with its anamorph Myriodontium keratinophilum, Narasimhella hyalinospora, Beauveria alba, Sporothrix schenckii, Chrysosporium lobatum and Gymnoascus littoralis were the predominant species in sediments. Abundance of N. marginospora was clearly correlated with the degree of water pollution with sewage.

Journal Article↗

[Pathogenicity of fungi isolated from American ginseng seeds and bioassay of fungicides against the pathogenic fungi].

OBJECTIVE: Detect the pathogenicity of fungi isolated from American ginseng seeds and select new fungicides against the pathogenic seed-born fungi. METHOD: inoculate the isolates to American ginseng seedlings to detect the pathogenicity, and seeded the hyphae disk at the center of agar plate containing chemicals to do fungicide bioassay. RESULT: Fusarium sp. isolate 5 and Alternara sp. isolate 13 had pathogenicity to American ginseng seedling. Sportak had the strongest inhibition to the two isolates, Carbendazim had better inhibition and Celest had weak inhibition. CONCLUSION: Sportak and Celest could be used as efficacious candidate chemicals to treat or coat the American ginseng seeds, and substitute Carbendazim, which has been used for many years, to control the diseases occurring in seedling stage of American ginseng.

Alternaria↗

[Effect of a preparation from Chaetomium fungi on the growth of phytopathogenic fungi].

We studied the fungicidal activity of a biological preparation from the fungi of the genus Chaetomium against soil phytopathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum. The inhibitory effect of the preparation under study depended on its concentration, duration of storage, and growth characteristics of pure cultures of the phytopathogens. The highest (98.8%) inhibitory activity was observed on day 3 of the interaction with Rhizoctonia solani. After a 2-year storage, this preparation was capable of inhibiting the growth of the phytopathogens only at high doses. The preparation precluded the development of bare patch and increased the productivity of potato plants. The preparation may serve as an alternative to chemical fungicides for plant protection.

Antibiosis↗

[Hemoperfusion with coated activated charcoal for treating acute poisoning by remedies, plant protectants, and fungi. III. Fungi (author's transl)].

Four patients with foudroyant liver dystrophy due to ingestion of fungi of the Amanita phalloides species were treated by hemoperfusion with coated activated charcoal. Three patients survived the poisoning. One patient died in a coma due to hepatic disintegration with cardiac and respiratory insufficiency. One female patient suffering from hemolytic syndrome and acute anuresis due to ingestion of fungi of the Paxillus involutus species recovered completely after treatment of combinated hemodialysis and hemoperfusion. The first hemoperfusion in the patients with Amanita phalloides poisoning were performed two to three days after ingestion of the fungus. At that time there were only traces of amanitines in the blood of one of the surviving patients. These Amanita phalloides toxins were only detected in the first 24-hour urine in the other 3 patients. It is thus not to be expected that toxicologically relevant quanities of the toxins will be eliminated from the blood by hemoperfusion carried out two to three days following ingestion of the fungus, Amanita phalloides. No coherence of restitutio ad integrum and hemoperfusion could be pointed out in the female patients suffering from hemolytic syndrom and anuresis due to Paxillus involutus.

Adult↗

Incidence of antiprotozoal and antivermal antibiotics in fungi, V Class Fungi Imperfecti Collected in the Vietnamese Democratic Republic.

From soil samples collected in the jungles of Ninh Binh Province of the Vietnamese Democratic Republic, 97 isolates belonging to 54 species of Fungi imperfecti were obtained and screened for the production of antibiotics. The isolates were identified as belonging to the orders Melanconiales, Moniliales, Sphaeropsidales and Mycelia sterilia. In the species studied a very high incidence of antiprotozoal activities were observed.

Animals↗

The potential of nematophagous fungi to control the free-living stages of nematode parasites of sheep: survey for the presence of fungi in fresh faeces of grazing livestock in Australia.

In the course of 12 months, 1742 fresh faecal samples from grazing livestock, principally ruminants, from various States of Australia were examined for the presence of nematophagous fungi. In total, 48 separate isolations were made representing various species from the genus Arthrobotrys and also 16 isolates of the single Duddingtonia species, Duddingtonia flagrans. These isolates will be used in continuing studies to select the most suitable species, on the basis of nematophagous capability and ruminant gut survival capacity, for development of a biological means of controlling nematode parasites of livestock.

Animal Husbandry↗

The full-length phylogenetic tree from 1551 ribosomal sequences of chitinous fungi, Fungi.

A data set with 1551 fungal sequences of the small subunit ribosomal RNA has been analysed phylogenetically. Four animal sequences were used to root the tree. The parsimony ratchet algorithm in combination with tree fusion was used to find most parsimonious trees and the parsimony jackknifing method was used to establish support frequencies. The full-length consensus tree, of the most parsimonious trees, is published and jackknife frequencies above 50% are plotted on the consensus tree at supported nodes. Until recently attempts to find the most parsimonious trees for large data sets were impractical, given current computational limitations. The parsimony ratchet in combination with tree fusion was found to be a very efficient method of rapid parsimony analysis of this large data set. Parsimony jackknifing is a very fast and efficient method for establishing group support. The results show that the Glomeromycota are the sister group to a monophyletic Dikaryomycota. The majority of the species in the Glomeromycota/Dikaryomycota group have a symbiotic lifestyle--a possible synapomorphy for a group 'Symbiomycota'. This would suggest that symbiosis between fungi and green plants evolved prior to the colonization of land by plants and not as a result of the colonization process. The Basidiomycotina and the Ascomycotina are both supported as monophyletic. The Urediniomycetes is the sister group to the rest of the Basidiomycotina successively followed in a grade by Ustilaginomycetes, Tremellomycetes, Dacrymycetales, Ceratobasidiales and Homobasidiomycetes each supported as monophyletic except the Homobasidiomycetes which are left unsupported. The ascomycete node begins with a polytomy consisting of the Pneumocystidomycetes, Schizosaccharomycetes, unsupported group with the Taphrinomycetes and Neolectales, and finally an unnamed, monophyletic and supported group including the Saccharomycetes and Euascomycetes. Within the Euascomycetes the inoperculate euascomycetes (Inoperculata) are supported as monophyletic excluding the Orbiliomycetes which are included in an unsupported operculate, pezizalean sister group together with Helvellaceae, Morchellaceae, Tuberaceae and others. Geoglossum is the sister group to the rest of the inoperculate euascomycetes. The Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Chaetothyriomycetes and Eurotiomycetes are each highly supported as monophyletic. The Leotiomycetes and the Lecanoromycetes both appear in the consensus of the most parsimonious trees but neither taxon receives any jackknife support.

DNA, Fungal↗

Effect of cadmium on fungi and on interactions between fungi and bacteria in soil: influence of clay minerals and pH.

Fungi (Rhizopus stolonifer, Trichoderma viride, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans, Cunninghamella echinulata, and several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium) tolerated higher concentrations of cadmium (Cd) when grown in soil than when grown on laboratory media, indicating that soil mitigated the toxic effects of Cd. In soil amended with clay minerals, montmorillonite provided partial or total protection against fungistatic effects of Cd, whereas additions of kaolinite provided little or no protection. Growth rates of Aspergillus niger were inhibited to a greater extent by 100 or 250 mug of Cd per g in soil adjusted to pH 7.2 than in the same soil at its natural pH of 5.1. However, there were no differences in the growth rates of Aspergillus fischeri with 100 or 250 mug of Cd per g in the same soil, whether at pH 5.1 or adjusted to pH 7.2. Growth of A. niger and A. fischeri in a soil contaminated with a low concentration of Cd (i.e., 28 mug/g), obtained from a site near a Japanese smelter, did not differ significantly from growth in a soil collected some distance away and containing 4 mug of Cd per g. Growth of A. niger in sterile soil amended with 100 mug of Cd per g and inoculated with Bacillus cereus or Agrobacterium tumefaciens was reduced to a greater extent than in the same soil containing 100 mug of Cd per g but no bacteria. The inhibitory effects of Agrobacterium radiobacter to A. niger were slightly reduced in the presence of 100 mug of Cd per g, whereas the inhibitory effects of Serratia marcescens were enhanced.

Antibiosis↗

How fungi keep time: circadian system in Neurospora and other fungi.

The circadian system in Neurospora remains a premier model system for understanding circadian rhythms, and evidence has now begun to accumulate suggesting broad conservation of rhythmicity amongst the filamentous fungi. A well-described transcription-translation-based negative feedback loop involving the FREQUENCY, WHITE COLLAR-1 and WHITE COLLAR-2 proteins is integral to the Neurospora system. Recent advances include descriptions of the surprisingly complex frequency transcription unit, an enhanced appreciation of the roles of kinases and their regulation in the generation of the circadian rhythm and their links to the cell cycle, and strong evidence for an additional WHITE COLLAR-associated feedback loop. Documentation of sequence homologs of integral circadian and photoresponsive proteins amongst the 42 available sequenced fungal genomes suggests unexpected roles for circadian timing among both pathogens and saprophytes.

Biological Clocks↗

A quantitative bioassay for extracellular metabolites that antagonize growth of filamentous fungi, and its use with biocontrol fungi.

A bioassay and an empirically derived formula were developed to quantify fungitoxic effects. This bioassay can be easily performed and objectively read, and it is suitable for low-volume samples originating from aqueous or organic solvents. The formula defines the Inhibition Index (I), a single value that incorporates both the response to concentrations of the inhibitory compound and the persistence of inhibition. Antagonistic efficacy of metabolites produced by biocontrol strains of Trichoderma spp. were measured based on inhibition of growth of Rhizoctonia solani. Although the bioassay itself was not influenced by pH or light conditions, these factors affected metabolite production or activity. Aqueous extracts from light-grown germlings of Trichoderma virens inhibited R. solani more than extracts from germlings grown in the dark. Low pH increased the inhibitory activity of extracts from T. virens. Tests of fungal strains developed for biocontrol demonstrated that the bioassay reflected their activity both in the field and in other in vitro tests. The bioassay and formula are readily adapted for use with other fungi.

Journal Article↗

Polysaccharides in fungi. XIV. Anti-inflammatory effect of the polysaccharides from the fruit bodies of several fungi.

Anti-inflammatory assays on the carrageenin-induced edema and scald-induced hyperalgesia in the hindpaw of rats were studied on polysaccharides obtained from the fruit bodies of various fungi (polysaccharide AC, BC: Tremella fuciformis;MEA, MHA, MCW-A, MCW-N: Auricularia auricula-judae; T-2-HN: Dictophora indusiata;G-A: Ganoderma japonicum). The purified polysaccharides MHA, MCW-A, G-A and T-2-HN exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on carrageenin edema. Among these polysaccharides, T-2-HN (partially O-acetylated alpha-D-mannan) also showed the marked inhibitory effect on scald hyperalgesia. We have found that T-2-HN has more potent anti-inflammatory activity than phenylbutazone in the above two inflammatory models. Since the purified polysaccharide is free from protein and lipid, it is clear that anti-inflammatory effect arises from the polysaccharide itself. The polysaccharides (T-2-HN, locust bean gun, xanthan gum) had little effect on the metabolism of arachidonic acid in canine platelets. The mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of the polysaccharide remains obscure.

Animals↗