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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 -
The Science of the Total Environment Nov 2021The present work is the first of two reviews on applied modeling in the field of aerobiology. The aerobiological predictive models for pollen and fungal spores, usually... (Review)
Review
The present work is the first of two reviews on applied modeling in the field of aerobiology. The aerobiological predictive models for pollen and fungal spores, usually defined as predictive statistical models, will, amongst other objectives, forecast airborne particles' concentration or dynamical behavior of the particles. These models can be classified into Observation Based Models (OBM), Phenological Based Models (PHM), or OTher Models (OTM). The aim of this review is to show, analyze and discuss the different predictive models used in pollen and spore aerobiological studies. The analysis was performed on published electronic scientific articles from 1998 to 2016 related to the type of model, the taxa and the modelled parameters. From a total of 503 studies, 55.5% used OBM (44.8% on pollen and 10.7% on fungal spores), 38.5% PHM (all on pollen) and 6% OTM (5.4% on pollen and 0.6% on fungal spores). OBM have been used with high frequency to forecast concentration. The most frequent model of OBM was linear regression (18.5% out of 503) on pollen and artificial neural networks (4.6%) on fungal spores. In the PHM, the principal use was to characterize the main pollen season (flowering season) based on the model of growth degree days. Finally, OTM have been used to estimate concentrations at unmonitored areas. Olea (14,5%) on pollen and Alternaria (4,8%) on fungal spores were the taxa most frequently modelled. Daily concentration was the most modelled parameter by OBM (25.2%) and season start day by PHM (35.6%). The PHM approaches include greater model diversity and use fewer independent variables than OBM. In addition, PHM show to be easier to apply than OBM; however, the wide range of criteria to define the parameters to use in PHM (e.g.: pollination start day) makes that each model is used with a lesser frequency than other models.
Topics: Alternaria; Forecasting; Pollen; Seasons; Spores, Fungal
PubMed: 34243002
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148783 -
Journal of Natural Products Jun 2020Seven new modified fusicoccane-type diterpenoids (-), together with two known congeners ( and ), were obtained from . Their structures were elucidated from a combination...
Seven new modified fusicoccane-type diterpenoids (-), together with two known congeners ( and ), were obtained from . Their structures were elucidated from a combination of NMR and HRESIMS data and C NMR calculation as well as DP4+ probability analyses, and the absolute configurations of - were determined by ECD calculation and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (Cu Kα). Compounds - belong to a rare class of 16--dicyclopenta[]cyclooctane diterpenoids, and compounds and represent the first examples of fusicoccane-type diterpenoids featuring two previously undescribed tetracyclic 5/6/6/5 ring systems, while compound features a previously undescribed tetracyclic 5/8/5/3 ring system. Compound was moderately anti-inflammatory, and compounds , , , and were weakly cytotoxic.
Topics: Alternaria; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Cell Line, Tumor; Diterpenes; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Mice; Molecular Structure; RAW 264.7 Cells; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
PubMed: 32520548
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.0c00165 -
Toxins Nov 2022As a filamentous and spoilage fungus, spp. can not only infect processing tomatoes, but also produce a variety of mycotoxins which harm the health of human beings. To...
As a filamentous and spoilage fungus, spp. can not only infect processing tomatoes, but also produce a variety of mycotoxins which harm the health of human beings. To explore the production of toxins in processing tomatoes during growth and storage, four main toxins and four conjugated toxins were detected by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-IMS QToF MS) in processing tomatoes on different days after being inoculated with . The results show that the content of toxins in an in vivo assay is higher than that under field conditions. Tenuazonic acid (TeA) is the predominant toxin detected in the field (205.86~41,389.19 μg/kg) and in vivo (7.64~526,986.37 μg/kg) experiments, and the second-most abundant toxin is alternariol (AOH). In addition, a small quantity of conjugated toxins, AOH-9-glucoside (AOH-9-Glc) and alternariol monomethyl ether-3-glucoside (AME-3-Glc), were screened in the in vivo experiment. This is the first time the potential of toxins produced in tomatoes during the harvest period has been studied in order to provide data for the prevention and control of toxins.
Topics: Humans; Chromatography, Liquid; Alternaria; Solanum lycopersicum; Food Contamination; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Mycotoxins; Toxins, Biological; Lactones
PubMed: 36548724
DOI: 10.3390/toxins14120827 -
Mycologia 2021The genus contains a diversity of saprobic and pathogenic species that can be found in a wide range of environments. is currently divided into 26 subgeneric sections,... (Review)
Review
The genus contains a diversity of saprobic and pathogenic species that can be found in a wide range of environments. is currently divided into 26 subgeneric sections, and the "small-spored" section includes many species that are economically important agricultural pathogens. Recognizing that a stable framework for systematics and species identification is essential for management and regulation purposes, this section has experienced much taxonomic debate and systematic revision in recent years. Molecular phylogenetic studies have challenged the reliability of using morphological characteristics to differentiate species but have also suggested that commonly used molecular markers for fungal phylogenetics may not be sufficiently informative at this taxonomic level. To allow the assessment of molecular variation and evolutionary history at a genome-wide scale, we present an overview and analysis of phylogenomic resources for section . We review the currently available genomic resources and report five newly sequenced genomes. We then perform multiple comparative genomic analyses, including macrosynteny assessment and inference of phylogenetic relationships using a variety of data sets and analysis methods. Fine-scale, genome-wide phylogenetic reconstruction revealed incomplete lineage sorting and the genomic distribution of gene/species tree discordance. Based on these patterns, we propose a list of candidate genes that may be developed into informative markers that are diagnostic for the main lineages. This overview identifies gaps in knowledge and can guide future genome sequencing efforts for this important group of plant pathogenic fungi.
Topics: Alternaria; Genome-Wide Association Study; Phylogeny; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 34637684
DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2021.1950456 -
Plant Disease Feb 2022Maize ( L.) is a major economic crop worldwide. Maize can be infected by species causing leaf blight that can result in significant economic losses. In this study, 168...
Maize ( L.) is a major economic crop worldwide. Maize can be infected by species causing leaf blight that can result in significant economic losses. In this study, 168 isolates recovered from symptomatic maize leaves were identified based on morphological characteristics, pathogenicity, and multilocus sequence analyses of the genes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (), the internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA (rDNA ITS), the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (), and histone3 (). Maize isolates grouped to four species including , . , . , and sp. Notably, . (71.4%) was the most prevalent of the four isolated species, followed by . (21.5%), sp. (4.1%), and . (3.0%). Pathogenicity tests showed that all four species could produce elliptic to nearly round, or strip, lesions on leaves of maize, gray-white to dry white in the lesion centers and reddish-brown at the edges. The average disease incidence (58.47%) and average disease index (63.55) of maize leaves inoculated with . were significantly higher than levels resulting from . (55.28% and 58.49), sp. (55.34% and 58.75), and . (56% and 55). Haplotype analyses indicated that there were 14 haplotypes of . and five haplotypes of . in Heilongjiang Province and suggested the occurrence of a population expansion. Results of the study showed that species associated with maize leaf blight in Heilongjiang Province are more diverse than those that have been previously reported. This is the first report globally of . , . , and an unclassified species as causal agents of leaf blight on maize.
Topics: Alternaria; Haplotypes; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Virulence; Zea mays
PubMed: 34472972
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-06-21-1151-RE -
Archives of Toxicology Feb 2024Fungi of the genus Alternaria are ubiquitous plant pathogens and saprophytes which are able to grow under varying temperature and moisture conditions as well as on a... (Review)
Review
Fungi of the genus Alternaria are ubiquitous plant pathogens and saprophytes which are able to grow under varying temperature and moisture conditions as well as on a large range of substrates. A spectrum of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with toxic potential has been identified, but occurrence and relative proportion of the different metabolites in complex mixtures depend on strain, substrate, and growth conditions. This review compiles the available knowledge on hazard identification and characterization of Alternaria toxins. Alternariol (AOH), its monomethylether AME and the perylene quinones altertoxin I (ATX-I), ATX-II, ATX-III, alterperylenol (ALP), and stemphyltoxin III (STTX-III) showed in vitro genotoxic and mutagenic properties. Of all identified Alternaria toxins, the epoxide-bearing analogs ATX-II, ATX-III, and STTX-III show the highest cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic potential in vitro. Under hormone-sensitive conditions, AOH and AME act as moderate xenoestrogens, but in silico modeling predicts further Alternaria toxins as potential estrogenic factors. Recent studies indicate also an immunosuppressive role of AOH and ATX-II; however, no data are available for the majority of Alternaria toxins. Overall, hazard characterization of Alternaria toxins focused, so far, primarily on the commercially available dibenzo-α-pyrones AOH and AME and tenuazonic acid (TeA). Limited data sets are available for altersetin (ALS), altenuene (ALT), and tentoxin (TEN). The occurrence and toxicological relevance of perylene quinone-based Alternaria toxins still remain to be fully elucidated. We identified data gaps on hazard identification and characterization crucial to improve risk assessment of Alternaria mycotoxins for consumers and occupationally exposed workers.
Topics: Humans; Perylene; Alternaria; Mycotoxins; Mutagens; Lactones; Risk Assessment; Food Contamination
PubMed: 38147116
DOI: 10.1007/s00204-023-03636-8 -
PeerJ 2022Pathogen accumulation after introduction is unavoidable for exotic plants over a long period of time. Therefore, it is important to understand whether plant invasion...
Pathogen accumulation after introduction is unavoidable for exotic plants over a long period of time. Therefore, it is important to understand whether plant invasion promotes novel pathogen emergence and increases the risk of pathogen movement among agricultural, horticultural, and wild native plants. In this study, we used multiple gene analysis to characterize the species composition of 104 isolates of obtained from the invasive plant and native plants from Yunnan, Hubei, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Guangxi in China. Phylogenetically, these strains were from (88.5%), (10.6%) and (0.9%). There was a high amount of sharing between strains associated with and with local plants. Pathogenicity tests indicated that most of these strains are generalists; the isolates with a wider host range were more virulent to the plant. Woody plants were more resistant to these strains than herbaceous plants and vines. However, the invasive plant was highly sensitive to these strains. Our data are valuable for understanding how invasion impacts the species composition of the native plant and whether invasion causes potential disease risks in invaded ecosystems.
Topics: Ageratina; Alternaria; Ecosystem; Introduced Species; Virulence; China; Plants
PubMed: 35251785
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13012 -
Toxins Nov 2019Mycotoxins are low-molecular weight compounds produced by diverse genera of molds that may contaminate food and feed threatening the health of humans and animals. Recent... (Review)
Review
Mycotoxins are low-molecular weight compounds produced by diverse genera of molds that may contaminate food and feed threatening the health of humans and animals. Recent findings underline the importance of studying the combined occurrence of multiple mycotoxins and the relevance of assessing the toxicity their simultaneous exposure may cause in living organisms. In this context, for the first time, this work has critically reviewed the most relevant data concerning the occurrence and toxicity of mycotoxins produced by spp., which are among the most important emerging risks to be assessed in food safety, alone or in combination with other mycotoxins and bioactive food constituents. According to the literature covered, multiple mycotoxins may often occur simultaneously in contaminated food, along with several other mycotoxins and food bioactives inherently present in the studied matrices. Although the toxicity of combinations naturally found in food has been rarely assessed experimentally, the data collected so far, clearly point out that chemical mixtures may differ in their toxicity compared to the effect of toxins tested individually. The data presented here may provide a solid foothold to better support the risk assessment of mycotoxins highlighting the actual role of chemical mixtures on influencing their toxicity.
Topics: Alternaria; Edible Grain; Food Contamination; Fruit; Humans; Mycotoxins; Risk Assessment; Vegetables; Xenobiotics
PubMed: 31684145
DOI: 10.3390/toxins11110640 -
Biosensors Jul 2023Medicinal plants are constantly challenged by different biotic inconveniences, which not only cause yield and economic losses but also affect the quality of products... (Review)
Review
Medicinal plants are constantly challenged by different biotic inconveniences, which not only cause yield and economic losses but also affect the quality of products derived from them. Among them, pathogens are one of the harmful fungal pathogens in medicinal plants across the globe. Therefore, a fast and accurate detection method in the early stage is needed to avoid significant economic losses. Although traditional methods are available to detect , they are more time-consuming and costly and need good expertise. Nevertheless, numerous biochemical- and molecular-based techniques are available for the detection of plant diseases, but their efficacy is constrained by differences in their accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, dependability, and speed in addition to being unsuitable for direct on-field studies. Considering the effect of on medicinal plants, the development of novel and early detection measures is required to detect causal species accurately, sensitively, and rapidly that can be further applied in fields to speed up the advancement process in detection strategies. In this regard, nanotechnology can be employed to develop portable biosensors suitable for early and correct pathogenic disease detection on the field. It also provides an efficient future scope to convert innovative nanoparticle-derived fabricated biomolecules and biosensor approaches in the diagnostics of disease-causing pathogens in important medicinal plants. In this review, we summarize the traditional methods, including immunological and molecular methods, utilized in plant-disease diagnostics. We also brief advanced automobile and efficient sensing technologies for diagnostics. Here we are proposing an idea with a focus on the development of electrochemical and/or colorimetric properties-based nano-biosensors that could be useful in the early detection of and other plant pathogens in important medicinal plants. In addition, we discuss challenges faced during the fabrication of biosensors and new capabilities of the technology that provide information regarding disease management strategies.
Topics: Alternaria; Plants, Medicinal; Biosensing Techniques; Nanotechnology; Plant Diseases
PubMed: 37504100
DOI: 10.3390/bios13070701