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At least 1,495 records · Page 83Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Exposure to dust, endotoxins, and fungi in the animal feed industry.

In the Dutch animal feed industry, approximately 6000 workers are exposed to organic dust, originating mainly from raw materials such as grain, pulses (peas and beans), and waste products from the vegetable oil and starch industries. In this study, 79 stationary dust samples and 530 personal dust samples from eight animal feed production facilities were analyzed. The stationary total dust samples showed gravimetric concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 25 mg/m3 (geometric mean [GM] 1.3 mg/m3). Concentrations of smaller particle fractions (respirable, thoracic, and inspirable dust) were considerably lower. Personal inspirable dust concentrations were considerably higher than stationary concentrations and were strongly related to job titles. Pooled personal inspirable dust concentrations ranged from 0.2 to 450 mg/m3 (GM = 2.4 mg/m3). After adjusting for differences between inspirable and total dust, 25% of the measurements exceeded the Dutch maximum allowed concentration (MAC) for total nuisance dust (10 mg/m3) and 42% exceeded the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' threshold limit value for grain dust (4 mg/m3). Endotoxin concentrations ranged from 0.2 to 1870 ng/m3 inspirable dust (GM = 5.1 ng/m3). Endotoxin appeared to be less prevalent in respirable dust than in larger dust fractions. Concentrations in dust appeared to be related to stages in the production process. Colony-forming units (cfu) of fungi ranged from 130 to 15,300 cfu/m3 (GM = 2300 cfu/m3) and were in parallel measurements more strongly related to endotoxin concentrations than to dust concentrations. Clearly, workers in the Dutch animal feed industry are frequently exposed to dust levels above recommended Dutch and American levels. Exposure levels to endotoxin and to fungi are quantified.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

Influence of ELF sinusoidal electromagnetic fields on proliferation and metabolite yield of fungi.

The response of mycelium proliferation in 12 strains of fungi were tested by sinusoidal ELF 50 Hz electromagnetic field treatment in the range B = 0.6-10 mT over 10 days. The ratio of experiment/control indicated three types of proliferation changes: a) no significant change, b) a strong decrease down to E/C = 0.2, c) a maximization of mycelium diameter by treatment at 5-7 mT. According to these results, effects can be produced noninvasively by varying either magnetic intensities or time of treatment. As yet, systematic bioelectromagnetic research using sinusoidal electromagnetic fields (SEMF)-on fermentation of fungi is still in its initial stages.

Cell Division↗
PubMed2005

Establishing site specific reference levels for fungi in outdoor air for building evaluation.

Culturable airborne fungal spore sampling at five building sites during 2002-2003 provided a bank of outdoor data (102 samples total) to evaluate differences in levels of individual species of airborne fungi during the morning and afternoon hours. A minimum of 15 (outdoor) air samples was collected at each site, and data were segregated into morning (before noon) and afternoon subsets. Significant differences in airborne levels for all detected fungal types between the morning and afternoon subsets were determined for each site, using a direct calculation of probability. Significance was defined by differences in frequency of detection above the combined median (p=0.90 or greater) for the respective fungal type. The levels of various species of fungi in the outdoor air varied significantly between morning and afternoon data sets at all five sites, with no pattern by species, time of day, or location. Levels of Penicillium, Aspergillus, or other fungal species associated with problematic buildings if detected outdoors, can be significantly greater in the morning or afternoon (or exhibit no significant difference) on any given day. The data does not indicate laboratory analysis as a major contributor to the variability exhibited in bioaerosols, and underscores the necessity of collecting sufficient number of samples in the outdoor air in both the morning and afternoon to prevent bias when comparing a suspect indoor environment to outdoor conditions.

Aerosols↗
PubMed2006

A preliminary survey of non-lichenized fungi cultured from the hyperarid Atacama Desert of Chile.

The Atacama Desert is one of the driest environments on Earth, and has been so for over 200,000 years. Previous reports have suggested that surprisingly low numbers of culturable bacteria, counted as biomass or species diversity, are present in Atacama sands collected from the most hyperarid regions. In previous studies, the presence of eukaryotic organisms was not discussed. In this report, we describe a method of direct plating onto rich media that resulted in culturing a range of fungi from Atacama samples. All fungi identified in this preliminary survey are spore-forming saprobes that are readily dispersed by wind, a likely mechanism that accounts for their presence in the central Atacama Desert.

Chile↗
PubMed1983

Autofluorescence of fungi: an aid to detection in tissue sections.

Many pathogenic fungi have been found to autofluoresce in routine hematoxylin and eosin sections when exposed to ultraviolet light. These fungi include Blastomyces, Cryptococcus, Candida, Aspergillus, Coccidioides, and occasionally, Histoplasma. No autofluorescence was observed with Mucor. Examinations of other inflammatory processes, including those producing a granulomatous response, have not revealed any false-positive results. The advantages of fluorescent microscopy for fungal screening include: (1) no special staining procedures required; (2) no time delay, as involved with special stains; (3) the ability to scan sections at a relatively low power; and (4) the ability to tentatively identify the fungus. Disadvantages may include: (1) lack of a fluorescent microscope, and (2) a possible aging process whereby autofluorescence is lost in older cases.

Aspergillus↗
PubMed1996

Dematiaceous fungi are an increasing cause of human disease.

The dematiaceous fungi appear to be an increasing cause of human disease. At The Methodist Hospital, in Houston, Texas, five cases of serious disease caused by these fungi occurred between 1987 and 1992. Cerebral abscesses with Xylohypha bantiana followed treatment for lymphoma. An infection of the lower extremity with Exophiala jeanselmei var. castellanii followed cardiac surgery. Peritoneal growth of Alternaria tenuissima was a complication of peritoneal dialysis. Cerebral abscesses with Dactylaria gallopava occurred in a liver transplantation patient. A traumatic ankle wound contaminated with dirt led to an infection with Phialophora repens. All patients except the last were immunocompromised at the time of the infection; diabetics and patients on steroids may be at particular risk.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effects of antifungal agents and gamma interferon on macrophage cytotoxicity for fungi and tumor cells.

The activated macrophage may play a central role in host effector mechanisms against invading fungi. Here we demonstrate the importance of the activation state of murine macrophages for both fungistatic and fungicidal activity. Host factors such as gamma interferon and microbial products such as endotoxin can interact synergistically to initiate this cytotoxicity. This activated state may be aided by antifungal agents such as amphotericin B. Both a methyl ester derivative of amphotericin B and liposomal amphotericin B Both a methyl ester derivative of amphotericin B and liposomal amphotericin B potentiated macrophage activation but were less potent than amphotericin B. Other available antifungal agents such as azole compounds and flucytosine did not possess this ability to interact with the intrinsic macrophage effector mechanisms. However, ketoconazole and itraconazole avidly bind to macrophages as the biologically active drug. The azole-loading of macrophages may be a factor in macrophage cytotoxicity for fungi.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

In vitro activity of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil against dermatophytes and other filamentous fungi.

The in vitro activity of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil against dermatophytes (n = 106) and filamentous fungi (n = 78) was determined. Tea tree oil MICs for all fungi ranged from 0.004% to 0.25% and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) ranged from <0.03% to 8.0%. Time-kill experiments with 1-4 x MFC demonstrated that three of the four test organisms were still detected after 8 h of treatment, but not after 24 h. Comparison of the susceptibility to tea tree oil of germinated and non-germinated Aspergillus niger conidia showed germinated conidia to be more susceptible than non-germinated conidia. These data demonstrate that tea tree oil has both inhibitory and fungicidal activity.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2005

Susceptibility of biological stages of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans, to entomopathogenic fungi (Hyphomycetes).

The susceptibility of the egg, pupa, and adult of Haematobia irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) to isolates of the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sor., Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill., and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (Wize) Brown and Smith, was evaluated under laboratory conditions. Groups of 20 eggs than 4 h old, pupae less than 48h old and adults were sprayed with a conidial suspension of each isolate. Eggs, pupae and adults of horn fly were susceptible to these entomopathogenic fungi. For treated eggs, the isolates Ma3, Ma 15, Ma25, Pfr1, and Pfr8 reduced adult emergence to 3.8% to 6.3% in comparison with the control (72%). The mortality of pupae infected by the isolates Ma2, Ma25, and Pfr10 ranged between 50% and 71.3%. Mortality of adults after treatment with the isolates Ma6, Ma 10, Ma 14, Ma 15, Pfr 1, Pfr 9, Pfr 10, Pfr 11, and Pfr12 were higher than 90%. The isolate Ma6 produced the lowest LC(50) against adult horn flies (8.08 &times 10(2)conidia/ml). These findings supported the hypotheses that isolates of M. anisopliae, and P. fumosoroseus are pathogenic against the different biological stages of horn flies by reducing adult emergence when applied on groups of eggs and pupae, and producing mortality when applied to adults.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Preliminary survey for entomopathogenic fungi associated with Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in southern New York and New England, USA.

Free-living larval, nymphal, and adult Ixodes scapularis Say were collected from scattered locales in southern New England and New York to determine infection rates with entomopathogenic fungi. Infection rates of larvae, nymphs, males, and females were 0% (571), 0% (272), 0% (57), and 4.3% (47), respectively. Two entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from field-collected I. scapularis females from Fire Island, NY. Isolates were identified as Verticillium lecanii (Zimmermann) Viegas and Verticillium sp. (a member of the Verticillium lecanii species complex).

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Hyaloraphidium curvatum: a linear mitochondrial genome, tRNA editing, and an evolutionary link to lower fungi.

We have sequenced the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Hyaloraphidium curvatum, an organism previously classified as a colorless green alga but now recognized as a lower fungus based on molecular data. The 29.97-kbp mitochondrial chromosome is maintained as a monomeric, linear molecule with identical, inverted repeats (1.43 kbp) at both ends, a rare genome architecture in mitochondria. The genome encodes only 14 known mitochondrial proteins, 7 tRNAs, the large subunit rRNA and small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA), and 3 ORFs. The SSU rRNA is encoded in two gene pieces that are located 8 kbp apart on the mtDNA. Scrambled and fragmented mitochondrial rRNAs are well known from green algae and alveolate protists but are unprecedented in fungi. Protein genes code for apocytochrome b; cytochrome oxidase 1, 2, and 3, NADH dehydrogenase 1, 2, 3, 4, 4L, 5, and 6, and ATP synthase 6, 8, and 9 subunits, and several of these genes are organized in operon-like clusters. The set of seven mitochondrially encoded tRNAs is insufficient to recognize all codons that occur in the mitochondrial protein genes. When taking into account the pronounced codon bias, at least 16 nuclear-encoded tRNAs are assumed to be imported into the mitochondria. Three of the seven predicted mitochondria-encoded tRNA sequences carry mispairings in the first three positions of the acceptor stem. This strongly suggests that these tRNAs are edited by a mechanism similar to the one seen in the fungus Spizellomyces punctatus and the rhizopod amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii. Our phylogenetic analysis confirms with overwhelming support that H. curvatum is a member of the chytridiomycete fungi, specifically related to the Monoblepharidales.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Phylogenetic relationship of the kingdoms Animalia, Plantae, and Fungi, inferred from 23 different protein species.

The phylogenetic relationship among the kingdoms Animalia, Plantae, and Fungi remains uncertain, because of lack of solid fossil evidence. In spite of the extensive molecular phylogenetic analyses since the early report, this problem is a longstanding controversy; the proposed phylogenetic relationships differ for different authors, depending on the molecules and methods that they use. To settle this problem, we have accumulated 23 different protein species from the three kingdoms and have inferred the phylogenetic trees by three different methods--the maximum-likelihood method, the neighbor-joining method, and the maximum-parsimony method--for each data set. Although inferred tree topologies differ for different protein species and methods used, both the maximum-likelihood analysis based on the difference (delta l) between the total log-likelihood of a tree and that of the maximum-likelihood tree and bootstrap probability (P) of 23 proteins consisting of 10,051 amino acid sites in total have shown that a tree ((A,F),P), in which Plantae (P) is an outgroup to an Animalia (A)-Fungi (F) clade, is the maximum-likelihood tree; the delta l (= 0.0) and P (94%) of ((A,F),P) are significantly larger than those of ((A,P),F) (delta l = -54.4 +/- 36.3; and P = 6%) and ((F,P),A) (delta l = -141.1 +/- 30.9; and P = 0%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animal Population Groups↗
PubMed1989

Molecular phylogeny of the kingdoms Animalia, Plantae, and Fungi.

The branching order of the kingdoms Animalia, Plantae, and Fungi has been a controversial issue. Using the transformed distance method and the maximum parsimony method, we investigated this problem by comparing the sequences of several kinds of macromolecules in organisms spanning all three kingdoms. The analysis was based on the large-subunit and small-subunit ribosomal RNAs, 10 isoacceptor transfer RNA families, and six highly conserved proteins. All three sets of sequences support the same phylogenetic tree: plants and animals are sibling kingdoms that have diverged more recently than the fungi. The ribosomal RNA and protein data sets are large enough so that in both cases the inferred phylogeny is statistically significant. The present report appears to be the first to provide statistically conclusive molecular evidence for the phylogeny of the three kingdoms. The determination of this phylogeny will help us to understand the evolution of various molecular, cellular, and developmental characters shared by any two of the three kingdoms. Noting that the large-subunit rRNA sequences have evolved at similar rates in the three kingdoms, we estimated the ratio of the time since the animal-plant split to the time since the fungal divergence to be 0.90.

Animal Population Groups↗
PubMed1994

Current progress in crystallographic studies of new lipases from filamentous fungi.

Lipases from filamentous fungi have been studied extensively over many years. They exhibit properties attractive for industrial applications, e.g. in laundry detergents, tanning and paper industries and stereospecific organic synthesis. Enzymes from the fungi Rhizomucor miehei and Geotrichum candidum have been among the first neutral lipases to be characterized structurally by X-ray diffraction methods. In this paper we report a preliminary account of crystallographic studies of three other fungal lipases homologous to that from R. miehei and obtained from Humicola lanuginosa, Penicillium camembertii and Rhizopus delemar. These newly characterized structures have important implications for our understanding of structure-function relationships in lipases in general and the molecular basis of interfacial activation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

The pre-symbiotic growth of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is induced by a branching factor partially purified from plant root exudates.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is an association between obligate biotrophic fungi and more than 80% of land plants. During the pre-symbiotic phase, the host plant releases critical metabolites necessary to trigger fungal growth and root colonization. We describe the isolation of a semipurified fraction from exudates of carrot hairy roots, highly active on germinating spores of Gigaspora gigantea, G. rosea, and G. margarita. This fraction, isolated on the basis of its activity on hyphal branching, contains a root factor (one or several molecules) that stimulates, directly or indirectly, G. gigantea nuclear division. We demonstrate the presence of this active factor in root exudates of all mycotrophic plant species tested (eight species) but not in those of nonhost plant species (four species). We negatively tested the hypothesis that it was a flavonoid or a compound synthesized via the flavonoid pathway. We propose that this root factor, yet to be chemically characterized, is a key plant signal for the development of AM fungi.

Daucus carota↗
PubMed2002

Genomics of phytopathogenic fungi and the development of bioinformatic resources.

Genomic resources available to researchers studying phytopathogenic fungi are limited. Here, we briefly review the genomic and bioinformatic resources available and the current status of fungal genomics. We also describe a relational database containing sequences of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from three phytopathogenic fungi, Blumeria graminis, Magnaporthe grisea, and Mycosphaerella graminicola, and the methods and underlying principles required for its construction. The database contains significant annotation for each EST sequence and is accessible at http://cogeme.ex.ac.uk. An easy-to-use interface allows the user to identify gene sequences by using simple text queries or homology searches. New querying functions and large sequence sets from a variety of phytopathogenic species will be incorporated in due course.

Cladosporium↗
PubMed2003

Inhibition of plant-pathogenic fungi by the barley cystatin Hv-CPI (gene Icy) is not associated with its cysteine-proteinase inhibitory properties.

The recombinant barley cystatin Hv-CPI inhibited the growth of three phytopathogenic fungi (Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum graminicola, and Plectosphaerella cucumerina) and the saprotrophic fungus Trichoderma viride. Several mutants of barley cystatin were generated by polymerase chain reaction approaches and both their antifungal and their cysteine-proteinase inhibitory properties investigated. Point mutants R38-->G, Q63-->L, and Q63-->P diminished their capacity for inhibiting papain and cathepsin B, retaining their antifungal properties. However, mutant C68-->G was more active for papain and cathepsin B than the wild type. These results indicate that in addition to the consensus cystatin-reactive site, Q63-V64-V65-A66-G67, the A37-R38-F39-A40-V41 region, common to all cereal cystatins, and the C68 residue are important for barley cystatin activity. On the other hand, the K92-->P mutant is inactive as a fungicide, but still retains measurable inhibitory activity for papain and cathepsin B. Against B. cinerea, the antifungal effect of Hv-CPI and of its derived mutants does not always correlate with their activities as proteinase inhibitors, because the Q63-->P mutant is inactive as a cystatin, while still inhibiting fungal growth, and the K92-->P mutant shows the reciprocal effects. These data indicate that inhibition of plant-pathogenic fungi by barley cystatin is not associated with its cysteine-proteinase inhibitory activity. Moreover, these results are corroborated by the absence of inhibition of intra- and extramycelia-proteinase activities by barley cystatin and by other well-known inhibitors of cysteine-proteinase activity in the fungal zymograms of B. cinerea.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Evolution of 'pollinator'- attracting signals in fungi.

Fungi produce a plethora of secondary metabolites yet their biological significance is often little understood. Some compounds show well-known antibiotic properties, others may serve as volatile signals for the attraction of insects that act as vectors of spores or gametes. Our investigations in an outcrossing, self-incompatible fungus show that a fungus-produced volatile compound with fungitoxic activities is also responsible for the attraction of specific insects that transfer gametes. We argue that insect attraction using this compound is likely to have evolved from its primary function of defence--as has been suggested for floral scent in the angiosperms. We, thus, propose that similar yet convergent evolutionary pathways have lead to interspecific communication signals in both fungi and plants.

Animals↗