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Microbiology (Reading, England) Mar 2022is a common species of fungus frequently isolated from plants as both an endophyte and a pathogen. Although the current definition of rests on a foundation of... (Review)
Review
is a common species of fungus frequently isolated from plants as both an endophyte and a pathogen. Although the current definition of rests on a foundation of morphological, genetic and genomic analyses, doubts persist regarding the scope of within the genus due to the varied symbiotic interactions and wide host range observed in these fungi. These doubts may be due in large part to the history of unstable taxonomy in , based on limited morphological characters for species delimitation and host specificity associated with toxins encoded by genes carried on conditionally dispensable chromosomes. This review explores the history of taxonomy, focusing in particular on the use of nutritional mode and host associations in species delimitation, with the goal of evaluating as it currently stands based on taxonomic best practice. Given the recombination detected among isolates of , different symbiotic associations in this species should not be considered phylogenetically informative.
Topics: Alternaria; Endophytes; Host Specificity; Plant Diseases
PubMed: 35348451
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001153 -
International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2021Natural dibenzo-α-pyrones (DAPs) can be viewed from two opposite angles. From one angle, the gastrointestinal metabolites urolithins are regarded as beneficial, while... (Review)
Review
Natural dibenzo-α-pyrones (DAPs) can be viewed from two opposite angles. From one angle, the gastrointestinal metabolites urolithins are regarded as beneficial, while from the other, the emerging mycotoxin alternariol and related fungal metabolites are evaluated critically with regards to potential hazardous effects. Thus, the important question is: can the structural characteristics of DAP subgroups be held responsible for distinct bioactivity patterns? If not, certain toxicological and/or pharmacological aspects of natural DAPs might yet await elucidation. Thus, this review focuses on comparing published data on the two groups of natural DAPs regarding both adverse and beneficial effects on human health. Literature on genotoxic, estrogenic, endocrine-disruptive effects, as well as on the induction of the cellular anti-oxidative defense system, anti-inflammatory properties, the inhibition of kinases, the activation of mitophagy and the induction of autophagy, is gathered and critically reviewed. Indeed, comparing published data suggests similar bioactivity profiles of alternariol and urolithin A. Thus, the current stratification into hazardous toxins and healthy urolithins seems debatable. An extrapolation of bioactivities to the other DAP sub-class could serve as a promising base for further research. Conclusively, urolithins should be further evaluated toward high-dose toxicity, while alternariol derivatives could be promising chemicals for the development of therapeutics.
Topics: Alternaria; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Coumarins; Estrogens; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Lactones; Mitophagy; Mutagenicity Tests; Mycotoxins
PubMed: 34884865
DOI: 10.3390/ijms222313063 -
Toxins Jul 2017Emerging and mycotoxins gain more and more interest due to their frequent contamination of food and feed, although in vivo toxicity and toxicokinetic data are limited.... (Review)
Review
Emerging and mycotoxins gain more and more interest due to their frequent contamination of food and feed, although in vivo toxicity and toxicokinetic data are limited. Whereas the mycotoxins beauvericin, moniliformin and enniatins particularly contaminate grain and grain-based products, mycotoxins are also detected in fruits, vegetables and wines. Although contamination levels are usually low (µg/kg range), higher contamination levels of enniatins and tenuazonic acid may occasionally occur. In vitro studies suggest genotoxic effects of enniatins A, A1 and B1, beauvericin, moniliformin, alternariol, alternariol monomethyl ether, altertoxins and stemphyltoxin-III. Furthermore, in vitro studies suggest immunomodulating effects of most emerging toxins and a reproductive health hazard of alternariol, beauvericin and enniatin B. More in vivo toxicity data on the individual and combined effects of these contaminants on reproductive and immune system in both humans and animals is needed to update the risk evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority. Taking into account new occurrence data for tenuazonic acid, the complete oral bioavailability, the low total body clearance in pigs and broiler chickens and the limited toxicity data, a health risk cannot be completely excluded. Besides, some less known toxins, especially the genotoxic altertoxins and stemphyltoxin III, should be incorporated in risk evaluation as well.
Topics: Alternaria; Animals; Cyclobutanes; Depsipeptides; Food Contamination; Fusarium; Humans; Mycotoxins
PubMed: 28718805
DOI: 10.3390/toxins9070228 -
Molecular Plant Pathology Mar 2024Alternaria spp. cause different diseases in potato and tomato crops. Early blight caused by Alternaria solani and brown spot caused by Alternaria alternata are most... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Alternaria spp. cause different diseases in potato and tomato crops. Early blight caused by Alternaria solani and brown spot caused by Alternaria alternata are most common, but the disease complex is far more diverse. We first provide an overview of the Alternaria species infecting the two host plants to alleviate some of the confusion that arises from the taxonomic rearrangements in this fungal genus. Highlighting the diversity of Alternaria fungi on both solanaceous hosts, we review studies investigating the genetic diversity and genomes, before we present recent advances from studies elucidating host-pathogen interactions and fungicide resistances.
TAXONOMY
Kingdom Fungi, Phylum Ascomycota, Class Dothideomycetes, Order Pleosporales, Family Pleosporaceae, Genus Alternaria.
BIOLOGY AND HOST RANGE
Alternaria spp. adopt diverse lifestyles. We specifically review Alternaria spp. that cause disease in the two solanaceous crops potato (Solanum tuberosum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). They are necrotrophic pathogens with no known sexual stage, despite some signatures of recombination.
DISEASE SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of the early blight/brown spot disease complex include foliar lesions that first present as brown spots, depending on the species with characteristic concentric rings, which eventually lead to severe defoliation and considerable yield loss.
CONTROL
Good field hygiene can keep the disease pressure low. Some potato and tomato cultivars show differences in susceptibility, but there are no fully resistant varieties known. Therefore, the main control mechanism is treatment with fungicides.
Topics: Alternaria; Solanum tuberosum; Solanum lycopersicum; Plant Diseases; Fungicides, Industrial
PubMed: 38476108
DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13435 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2021is a ubiquitous fungus and a major allergen associated with the development of asthma. Inhalation of intact spores is the primary cause of human exposure to fungal...
is a ubiquitous fungus and a major allergen associated with the development of asthma. Inhalation of intact spores is the primary cause of human exposure to fungal allergen. However, allergen-rich cultured fungal filtrates are oftentimes used in the current models of fungal sensitization that do not fully reflect real-life exposures. Thus, establishing novel spore exposure models is imperative. In this study, we established novel fungal exposure models of both adult and neonate to live spores. We examined pathophysiological changes in the spore models as compared to the non-exposure controls and also to the conventional filtrate models. While both filtrate- and spore-exposed adult BALB/c mice developed elevated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), filtrates induced a greater IgE mediated response and higher broncholavage eosinophils than spores. In contrast, the mice exposed to spores had higher numbers of neutrophils. Both exposures induced comparable levels of lung tissue inflammation and mucous cell metaplasia (MCM). In the neonatal model, exposure to spores resulted in a significant increase of AHR in both adult and neonatal mice. Increased levels of IgE in both neonatal and adult mice exposed to spores was associated with increased eosinophilia in the treatment groups. Adult demonstrated increased numbers of lymphocytes that was paralleled by increased IgG1 production. Both adults and neonates demonstrated similarly increased eosinophilia, IgE, tissue inflammation and MCM.
Topics: Allergens; Alternaria; Animals; Asthma; Disease Models, Animal; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Spores, Fungal
PubMed: 34485171
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.683194 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Oct 2017Mold allergies are common, mainly target the respiratory tract and present as allergic rhinitis and/or bronchial asthma. Molds include a large group of different... (Review)
Review
Mold allergies are common, mainly target the respiratory tract and present as allergic rhinitis and/or bronchial asthma. Molds include a large group of different allergens that induce all types of allergic reactions. Allergen specific immunotherapies (AITs) to molds are common; however, at the present time, they are limited to Alternaria. This review presents not only the benefits but also the problems with such types of AIT based on the literature and our experience.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Allergens; Alternaria; Asthma; Child; Child, Preschool; Cladosporium; Desensitization, Immunologic; Female; Fungi; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Immunoglobulin E; Male; Middle Aged; Rhinitis, Allergic; Young Adult
PubMed: 28481693
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1314404 -
Scientific Reports May 2023The fungal genus Alternaria is a pan-global pathogen of > 100 crops, and is associated with the globally expanding Alternaria leaf blotch in apple (Malus x domestica...
The fungal genus Alternaria is a pan-global pathogen of > 100 crops, and is associated with the globally expanding Alternaria leaf blotch in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) which leads to severe leaf necrosis, premature defoliation, and large economic losses. Up to date, the epidemiology of many Alternaria species is still not resolved as they can be saprophytic, parasitic or shift between both lifestyles and are also classified as primary pathogen able to infect healthy tissue. We argue that Alternaria spp. does not act as primary pathogen, but only as a necrosis-dependent opportunist. We studied the infection biology of Alternaria spp. under controlled conditions and monitored disease prevalence in real orchards and validated our ideas by applying fungicide-free treatments in 3-years field experiments. Alternaria spp. isolates were not able to induce necroses in healthy tissue, but only when prior induced damages existed. Next, leaf-applied fertilizers, without fungicidal effect, reduced Alternaria-associated symptoms (- 72.7%, SE: ± 2.5%) with the same efficacy as fungicides. Finally, low leaf magnesium, sulphur, and manganese concentrations were consistently linked with Alternaria-associated leaf blotch. Fruit spot incidence correlated positively with leaf blotch, was also reduced by fertilizer treatments, and did not expand during storage unlike other fungus-mediated diseases. Our findings suggest that Alternaria spp. may be a consequence of leaf blotch rather than its primary cause, as it appears to colonize the physiologically induced leaf blotch. Taking into account existing observations that Alternaria infection is connected to weakened hosts, the distinction may appear slight, but is of great significance, as we can now (a) explain the mechanism of how different stresses result in colonization with Alternaria spp. and (b) substitute fungicides for a basic leaf fertilizer. Therefore, our findings can result in significant decreases in environmental costs due to reduced fungicide use, especially if the same mechanism applies to other crops.
Topics: Malus; Fruit; Alternaria; Fertilizers; Crops, Agricultural; Fungicides, Industrial; Necrosis; Plant Leaves
PubMed: 37225789
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35448-2 -
Toxins Aug 2023mycotoxins are a class of important, agriculture-related hazardous materials, and their contamination in ruminant feeds and products might bring severe toxic effects to...
mycotoxins are a class of important, agriculture-related hazardous materials, and their contamination in ruminant feeds and products might bring severe toxic effects to animals and even human beings. To control these hazardous compounds, a reliable and sensitive LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) method was established for simultaneous determination of six target mycotoxins in ruminant feeds, including ALT (Altenuene), AME (Alternariol Monomethyl Ether), AOH (Alternariol), ATX-Ι (Altertoxins I), TeA (Tenuazonic Acid), and TEN (Tentoxin). This developed analytical method was used for the determination of the presence of these substances in cattle and sheep feeds in Xinjiang Province, China. The results revealed that mycotoxins are ubiquitously detected in feed samples. Especially, AME, AOH, TeA, and TEN are the most frequently found mycotoxins with a positive rate over 40% and a concentration range of 4~551 µg/kg. The proposed method could be applied for exposure investigation of mycotoxins in ruminant feeds and for the reduction in the health risk to animals and even consumers.
Topics: Humans; Cattle; Sheep; Animals; Mycotoxins; Alternaria; Chromatography, Liquid; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Ruminants
PubMed: 37624252
DOI: 10.3390/toxins15080495 -
Toxins Nov 2022The mycotoxins such as alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and tentoxin (TEN) are mycotoxins, which can contaminate cereal-based raw materials....
The mycotoxins such as alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and tentoxin (TEN) are mycotoxins, which can contaminate cereal-based raw materials. Today, wheat is one of the most important crops in temperate zones, and it is in increasing demand in the Western Balkans countries that are urbanizing and industrializing. This research aimed to investigate the occurrence and determine the concentration of mycotoxins AOH, AME, and TEN in wheat samples from the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Albania, harvested in the year 2020 in the period between 15 June and 15 July. A total of 80 wheat grain samples, 40 from each country, were analyzed by an QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method. From the obtained results, it can be seen that the mean concentration of AOH was 3.3 µg/kg and AME was 2.2 µg/kg in wheat samples from Serbia, while TEN from both Serbia and Albania was under the limit of quantification (
Topics: Alternaria; Mycotoxins; Triticum
PubMed: 36422965
DOI: 10.3390/toxins14110791 -
International Archives of Allergy and... 2023Airborne fungi induce allergic symptoms in 3-10% of the population worldwide. To better prevent and manage fungi-related allergic diseases, it is essential to identify...
INTRODUCTION
Airborne fungi induce allergic symptoms in 3-10% of the population worldwide. To better prevent and manage fungi-related allergic diseases, it is essential to identify the genus and the distribution profile of airborne fungi.
METHODS
With this purpose in mind, we carried out a 12-month volumetric sampling study to monitor the airborne fungi and retrospectively analyzed the sensitization profile of four dominant fungi (Cladosporium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium) among respiratory allergies during the same study period in Wuhan, China.
RESULTS
A total of 29 different fungal genuses were identified, and the peak fungal concentration period was found to be in September and October, followed by May and June. The most prevalent fungi in this area were Cladosporium (36.36%), Ustilago (20.12%), and Alternaria (13.87%). In addition, the skin prick test data from 1,365 respiratory allergies patients showed that 202 (14.80%) of them were sensitized to fungi. The sensitization rates to Cladosporium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium were 11.72%, 4.69%, 1.98%, and 4.76%, respectively. The seasonal fluctuation of Alternaria and Aspergillus correlated with their sensitization rates. Among the fungal sensitized patients, 76 (37.62%) were sensitized to two or more kinds of fungi. The serum-specific IgE tests suggested low to high correlations existed between these fungi; however, these correlations were not found between fungi and other allergens.
CONCLUSION
Our study provides the distribution profile and reveals the clinical significance of the airborne fungi in Wuhan, which will facilitate the precise management of fungal allergy.
Topics: Humans; Fungi; Retrospective Studies; Hypersensitivity; Allergens; Aspergillus; Alternaria; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Cladosporium; China
PubMed: 37611554
DOI: 10.1159/000531245