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The Science of the Total Environment Jan 2020Moisture-indicative microbes in buildings are associated with a variety of symptoms, ranging from mild irritation to severe clinical illnesses. These symptoms are caused...
Indoor exposure to Streptomyces albus and Aspergillus versicolor elevates the levels of spore-specific IgG, IgG1 and IgG3 serum antibodies in building users - A new ELISA-based assay for exposure assessment.
Moisture-indicative microbes in buildings are associated with a variety of symptoms, ranging from mild irritation to severe clinical illnesses. These symptoms are caused principally by dried, dormant and dead microbe material like spores, mycelium and microbe metabolites, leading to the activation of the immune system and formation of the antigen-specific immunoglobulins. This activation presumably takes place through the respiratory track and is a normal immune reaction against pathogenic invaders. During continuous exposure, a prolonged state of inflammation will follow, and this forms a considerable health risk for a building's occupant. A new ELISA system utilizing spores from two species Streptomyces albus and Aspergillus versicolor as an antigen was developed to reveal the related immunological processes. In 159 persons, microbial exposure was observed to increase the levels of spore-specific IgG, IgG1 and IgG3 serum antibody levels of individuals residing in microbe-dense buildings compared with the control reference buildings. No differences were detected in the levels of S. albus- and A. versicolor-specific serum IgA or IgM levels.
Topics: Air Microbiology; Air Pollution, Indoor; Aspergillus; Environmental Exposure; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Spores, Fungal; Streptomyces
PubMed: 31518785
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134335 -
Indoor Air Jan 2018Mold particles from Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Stachybotrys chartarum have been linked to respiratory-related diseases.... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Mold particles from Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Stachybotrys chartarum have been linked to respiratory-related diseases. We characterized X-ray-inactivated spores and hyphae fragments from these species by number of particles, morphology, and mycotoxin, β-glucan and protease content/activity. The pro-inflammatory properties of mold particles were examined in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) and THP-1 monocytes and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-differentiated THP-1. Spores from P. chrysogenum and S. chartarum contained some hyphae fragments, whereas the other preparations contained either spores or hyphae. Each mold species produced mainly one gelatin-degrading protease that was either of the metallo- or serine type, while one remains unclassified. Mycotoxin levels were generally low. Detectable levels of β-glucans were found mainly in hyphae particle preparations. PMA-differentiated THP-1 macrophages were by far the most sensitive model with effects in the order of 10 ng/cm . Hyphae preparations of A. fumigatus and P. chrysogenum were more potent than respective spore preparations, whereas the opposite seems to be true for A. versicolor and S. chartarum. Hyphae fragments of A. fumigatus, P. chrysogenum, and A. versicolor enhanced the release of metalloprotease (proMMP-9) most markedly. In conclusion, species, growth stage, and characteristics are all important factors for pro-inflammatory potential.
Topics: Aspergillus fumigatus; Cytokines; Humans; Hyphae; Macrophages; Monocytes; Mycotoxins; Particle Size; Penicillium chrysogenum; Peptide Hydrolases; Spores, Fungal; Stachybotrys; THP-1 Cells; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 28922584
DOI: 10.1111/ina.12426 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2022The use of morphology to diagnose invasive mould infections in China still faces substantial challenges, which often leads to delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. We...
The use of morphology to diagnose invasive mould infections in China still faces substantial challenges, which often leads to delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. We developed a model called XMVision Fungus AI to identify mould infections by training, testing, and evaluating a ResNet-50 model. Our research achieved the rapid identification of nine common clinical moulds: complex, complex, complex, complex, , , , spp., and spp. In our study, the adaptive image contrast enhancement enabling XMVision Fungus AI as a promising module by effectively improve the identification performance. The overall identification accuracy of XMVision Fungus AI was up to 93.00% (279/300), which was higher than that of human readers. XMVision Fungus AI shows intrinsic advantages in the identification of clinical moulds and can be applied to improve human identification efficiency through training. Moreover, it has great potential for clinical application because of its convenient operation and lower cost. This system will be suitable for primary hospitals in China and developing countries.
PubMed: 36312928
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1021236 -
Archives of Pharmacal Research Jan 2017Versicolols A and B (1 and 2), two rare prenylated isocoumarin derivatives, along with five known isocoumarins (3-7) were isolated from the fermentation products of an...
Versicolols A and B (1 and 2), two rare prenylated isocoumarin derivatives, along with five known isocoumarins (3-7) were isolated from the fermentation products of an endophytic fungus Aspergillus versicolor. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques. Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against five human tumor cell lines. The results showed that compounds 1 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against A549 and MCF7 cells with IC values of 9.4 and 8.8 μm, and compound 2 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against SHSY5Y and MCF7 cells with IC values of 8.2 and 6.8 μm, respectively.
Topics: A549 Cells; Aspergillus; Cytotoxins; Endophytes; Humans; Isocoumarins; MCF-7 Cells; Prenylation
PubMed: 25749845
DOI: 10.1007/s12272-015-0588-5 -
Natural Product Research Jan 2022Two new benzoic acid derivatives, named methyl(S)-3-hydroxy-4-(2- hydroxy -6-methylheptan-2-yl)benzoate () and 2-hydroxy-3-(6- hydroxy-6-methylhept-1-en-2-yl)benzoic...
Two new benzoic acid derivatives, named methyl(S)-3-hydroxy-4-(2- hydroxy -6-methylheptan-2-yl)benzoate () and 2-hydroxy-3-(6- hydroxy-6-methylhept-1-en-2-yl)benzoic acid (), were isolated from the ethanol extract of an endophytic fungus derived from the medicinal plant . The structures of compounds (-) were elucidated using NMR and MS methods.
Topics: Aspergillus; Benzoic Acid; Euphorbia; Molecular Structure
PubMed: 32524860
DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2020.1777121 -
Water Research Sep 2017Fungi are near-ubiquitous in potable water distribution systems, but the disinfection kinetics of commonly identified fungi are poorly studied. In the present study,...
Fungi are near-ubiquitous in potable water distribution systems, but the disinfection kinetics of commonly identified fungi are poorly studied. In the present study, laboratory scale experiments were conducted to evaluate the inactivation kinetics of Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus versicolor, and Penicillium purpurogenum by free chlorine and monochloramine. The observed inactivation data were then fit to a delayed Chick-Watson model. Based on the model parameter estimation, the Ct values (integrated product of disinfectant concentration C and contact time t over defined time intervals) for 99.9% inactivation of the tested fungal strains ranged from 48.99 mg min/L to 194.7 mg min/L for free chlorine and from 90.33 mg min/L to 531.3 mg min/L for monochloramine. Fungal isolates from a drinking water system (Aspergillus versicolor and Penicillium purpurogenum) were more disinfection resistant than Aspergillus fumigatus type and clinical isolates. The required 99.9% inactivation Ct values for the tested fungal strains are higher than E. coli, a commonly monitored indicator bacteria, and within a similar range for bacteria commonly identified within water distribution systems, such as Mycobacterium spp. and Legionella spp.
Topics: Aspergillus; Chloramines; Chlorine; Disinfectants; Disinfection; Drinking Water; Escherichia coli; Humans; Kinetics; Penicillium; Water Microbiology; Water Purification
PubMed: 28501787
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.04.064 -
Mycobiology Sep 2016In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of to detect different mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the common indoor fungus, , and demonstrate...
In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of to detect different mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the common indoor fungus, , and demonstrate the potential usage of the plant as a bioindicator to monitor fungal VOCs in indoor air. We evaluated the volatile production of strains SRRC 108 (NRRL 3449) and SRRC 2559 (ATCC 32662) grown on nutrient rich fungal medium, and grown under conditions to mimic the substrate encountered in the built environment where fungi would typically grow indoors (moist wallboard and ceiling tiles). Using headspace solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we analyzed VOC profiles of the two strains. The most abundant compound produced by both strains on all three media was 1-octen-3-ol. Strain SRRC 2559 made several terpenes not detected from strain SRRC 108. Using a split-plate bioassay, we grew in a shared atmosphere with VOCs from the two strains of grown on yeast extract sucrose medium. The VOCs emitted by SRRC 2559 had an adverse impact on seed germination and plant growth. Chemical standards of individual VOCs from the mixture (2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-octen-3-ol, limonene, and β-farnesene), and β-caryophyllene were tested one by one in seed germination and vegetative plant growth assays. The most inhibitory compound to both seed germination and plant growth was 1-octen-3-ol. Our data suggest that is a useful model for monitoring indoor air quality as it is sensitive to naturally emitted fungal volatile mixtures as well as to chemical standards of individual compounds, and it exhibits relatively quick concentration- and duration-dependent responses.
PubMed: 27790067
DOI: 10.5941/MYCO.2016.44.3.162 -
Chemistry & Biodiversity Jan 2018Chemical examination of a coral-associated fungus Aspergillus versicolor LZD-44-03 resulted in the isolation of two new compounds with the trivial names of varicuothiols...
Chemical examination of a coral-associated fungus Aspergillus versicolor LZD-44-03 resulted in the isolation of two new compounds with the trivial names of varicuothiols A (1) and B (2) as a unique scaffold. Their structures were determined through extensive spectroscopic analyses in association with the modified Mosher's method and chemical conversion. Both 1 and 2 exhibited significant inhibition against LPS-induced RAW24.7 cell proliferation, in association with the down regulation of nitrite production and cytokines (MCP-1, IL-6, and TNF-α).
Topics: Alkaloids; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Aspergillus; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Cytokines; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Lipopolysaccharides; Mice; Molecular Conformation; Nitrites; RAW 264.7 Cells; Structure-Activity Relationship
PubMed: 29144588
DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201700445 -
Medical Mycology Case Reports Mar 2018Papillary adenocarcinoma of the lungs is the most common primary lung adenocarcinoma, with the feature of papillary-like structure formation by cells. A dog was...
Papillary adenocarcinoma of the lungs is the most common primary lung adenocarcinoma, with the feature of papillary-like structure formation by cells. A dog was presented with the primary complaint of vomiting, hyporexia and increased respiratory effort. Thoracic radiography revealed increased soft tissue radiopacity of the right cranial lung lobe suggestive of possible consolidation or collapsed lung lobe, with generalised miliary nodular pattern throughout the other lung fields. The dog was euthanized humanely and necropsy was performed. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of primary pulmonary lung neoplasm (papillary adenocarcinoma) with infection identified through fungal culture and PCR. There have been several reports on humans and dogs with fungal infections that often mimic or coexist with pulmonary neoplasm. This is the first documented report of isolated from a lung neoplasm in a dog in Malaysia.
PubMed: 29234587
DOI: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2017.11.005 -
Mycobiology 2021An endophytic fungus strain DYSJ3 was isolated from a stem of Blume, which was identified as based on the morphological characteristics, internal transcribed spacer...
An endophytic fungus strain DYSJ3 was isolated from a stem of Blume, which was identified as based on the morphological characteristics, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and calmodulin gene sequences analyses. DYSJ3 exhibited strong antagonistic activity against , and f. sp. with the inhibition rates of 61.9, 51.2 and 55.3% respectively. The antifungal metabolites mainly existed in the mycelium of DYSJ3, and its mycelial crude extract (CE) had broad-spectrum antifungal activities against plant pathogenic fungi. The CE had a good thermal stability, and the inhibition rate of 100 µg/mL CE against was above 70.0% after disposing at 120 °C for 1 h. Five secondary metabolites were isolated from the CE and identified as averufanin, ergosterol peroxide, versicolorin B, averythrin and sterigmatocystin. Activity evaluation showed versicolorin B exhibited inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth and conidial germination of , and sterigmatocystin had a weak inhibitory effect on the mycelial growth of .
PubMed: 36970635
DOI: 10.1080/12298093.2021.1976967