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Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Jun 2024The influence of uranium (U) mining on the fungal diversity (FD) and communities (FC) structure was investigated in this work. Our results revealed that soil FC richness...
The influence of uranium (U) mining on the fungal diversity (FD) and communities (FC) structure was investigated in this work. Our results revealed that soil FC richness and FD indicators obviously decreased due to U, such as Chao1, observed OTUs and Shannon index (P<0.05). Moreover, the abundances of Mortierella, Gibberella, and Tetracladium were notably reduced in soil samples owing to U mining activities (P<0.05). In contrast, the abundances of Cadophora, Pseudogymnoascus, Mucor, and Sporormiella increased in all soil samples after U mining (P<0.05). Furthermore, U mining not only dramatically influenced the Plant_Pathogen guild and Saprotroph and Pathotroph modes (P<0.05), but also induced the differentiation of soil FC and the enrichment of the Animal_Pathogen-Soil_Saprotroph and Endophyte guilds and Symbiotroph and Pathotroph Saprotroph trophic modes. In addition, various fungal populations and guilds were enriched to deal with the external stresses caused by U mining in different U mining areas and soil depths (P<0.05). Finally, nine U-tolerant fungi were isolated and identified with a minimum inhibitory concentration range of 400-600 mg/L, and their adsorption efficiency for U ranged from 11.6% to 37.9%. This study provides insights into the impact of U mining on soil fungal stability and the response of fungi to U mining activities, as well as aids in the screening of fungal strains that can be used to promote remediation of U mining sites on plateaus.
Topics: Mining; Uranium; Soil Microbiology; Fungi; Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; Soil; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 38657459
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116362 -
World Journal of Critical Care Medicine Mar 2024Mucormycosis is a rare, rapidly progressive and often fatal fungal infection. The rarity of the condition lends itself to unfamiliarity, delayed treatment, and poor...
BACKGROUND
Mucormycosis is a rare, rapidly progressive and often fatal fungal infection. The rarity of the condition lends itself to unfamiliarity, delayed treatment, and poor outcomes. Diagnosis of fungal infections early enough to enable appropriate treatment occurs in less than half of affected patients.
CASE SUMMARY
An 11-year-old girl with a history of 15% total body surface area scald burns involving both lower limbs progressed to develop angioinvasive mucormycosis. This further led to a thrombosis of the right external iliac artery and vein and rapidly progressive necrosis of surrounding soft tissues. She also had dextrocardia and patent foramen ovale. A right hip disarticulation and serial aggressive debridements were performed but she went on to develop systemic sepsis with multisystem involvement and succumbed to the infection. Pathology revealed mucor species with extensive vascular invasion.
CONCLUSION
This case highlights the importance of maintaining vigilance for mycotic infections and acting appropriately when there are signs of fulminant wound infection.
PubMed: 38633476
DOI: 10.5492/wjccm.v13.i1.86866 -
Cureus Mar 2024Mucormycosis usually occurs in immunocompromised patients or those with uncontrolled diabetes. Along the third wave of SARS-CoV-2, an associated angioinvasive...
Mucormycosis usually occurs in immunocompromised patients or those with uncontrolled diabetes. Along the third wave of SARS-CoV-2, an associated angioinvasive opportunistic infection with Mucor, a life-threatening fungal infection, was rampant and emerging. With an increase in the usage of steroids in the COVID scenario, the rate of mucormycosis did take a rapid and alarming increase in King Edward Memorial Hospital, Pune, India. Any delay in the diagnosis and management of the disease was life-threatening. The most conventional methods to diagnose mucormycosis are microbiological culture and histopathology of the tissue. The microbiological culture method plays an important role in the diagnosis of mucormycosis. However, the technique is labour-intensive, taking seven to eight days. Histopathology leads to false-negative reports if the tissue is not biopsied from representative sites. On the other hand, molecular methods are rapid, reliable, and applicable to different body samples, such as tissue, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks, plasma, and urine. We aimed to use a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method to detect Mucor in plasma samples. Due to a lack of availability of fresh samples, nucleic acid was extracted from the tissue sections of 69 cases diagnosed as Mucor by histopathology. These samples were subjected to RT-PCR using the MucorGenius kit (Pathonostics, Maastricht, Netherlands). A total of 57 tissue samples were sent for culture, and 49% of our cases were positive by culture and equally by RT-PCR. There was 80% sensitivity and 76% specificity between culture and PCR techniques. However, the use of blood/plasma for RT-PCR for early diagnosis of mucormycosis will be the method of choice.
PubMed: 38618301
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.56160 -
International Microbiology : the... Apr 2024Microorganisms have become more resistant to pesticides, which increases their ability to invade and infect crops resulting in decreased crop productivity. The...
Microorganisms have become more resistant to pesticides, which increases their ability to invade and infect crops resulting in decreased crop productivity. The rhizosphere plays a crucial role in protecting plants from harmful invaders. The purpose of the study was to investigate the antagonistic efficiency of indigenous rhizospheric fungal isolates against phytopathogens of M. uniflorum plants so that they could be further used as potent Biocontrol agents. Thirty rhizospheric fungal isolates were collected from the roots of the Macrotyloma uniflorum plant and initially described morphologically for the present study. Further, in vitro tests were conducted to evaluate the antifungal activity of these strains against four myco-phytopathogens namely Macrophamina phaseolina, Phomopsis sp. PhSFX-1, Nigrospora oryzae, and Boeremia exigua. These pathogens are known to infect the same crop plant, M. uniflorum, and cause declines in crop productivity. Fifteen fungal strains out of the thirty fungal isolates showed some partial antagonistic activity against the myco-phytopathogens. The potent fungal isolates were further identified using molecular techniques, specifically based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Penicillium mallochii, Cladosporium pseudocladosporioides, Aspergillus chevalieri, Epicoccum nigrum, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Mucor irregularis were among the strains that were identified. These potent fungal strains showed effective antagonistic activity against harmful phytopathogens. Current findings suggest that these strains may be taken into consideration as synthetic fungicides which are frequently employed to manage plant diseases alternatives.
PubMed: 38616239
DOI: 10.1007/s10123-024-00520-y -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... May 2024Meju is essential for making diverse traditional fermented soybean foods in Korea. To understand the changes in carbohydrates during fermentation, we aimed to identify...
Meju is essential for making diverse traditional fermented soybean foods in Korea. To understand the changes in carbohydrates during fermentation, we aimed to identify autochthonous microorganisms from spontaneously fermented meju and compare the alterations in monosaccharides and oligosaccharides throughout the fermentation process. Microbial diversity was determined using a metabarcoding approach, and monosaccharide and oligosaccharide profiles were obtained by HPLC-Q-TOF MS and HPLC-MS/MS analyses, respectively. The dominant bacterial genera were Weissella, Lactobacillus, and Leuconostoc, while Mucor was highly abundant in the fungal community. The total monosaccharide content increased from Day 0 to Day 50, with the highest amount being 4.37 mg/g. Oligosaccharide profiling revealed the degradation of soybean dietary fiber during fermentation, and novel oligosaccharide structures were also discovered. Correlation analysis revealed that the fungus Mucor was positively related to pentose-containing oligosaccharides, galactose, and galacturonic acid, indicating that Mucor may degrade soybean dietary fibers such as xylogalacturonan, arabinogalactan, and rhamnogalacturonan. The negative relationships between the abundances of Weissella and oligo- and monosaccharides suggested that the bacteria may utilize saccharides for fermentation. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms underlying carbohydrate degradation and utilization; the key components involved in saccharide transformation that contribute to the characteristics of traditional meju were subsequently identified.
Topics: Monosaccharides; Glycine max; Fermentation; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Oligosaccharides; Microbiota; Dietary Fiber
PubMed: 38609217
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114233 -
EFSA Journal. European Food Safety... Apr 2024The food enzyme triacylglycerol lipase (triacylglycerol acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3) is produced with the non-genetically modified strain AE-LMH by Amano Enzyme Inc. A...
The food enzyme triacylglycerol lipase (triacylglycerol acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3) is produced with the non-genetically modified strain AE-LMH by Amano Enzyme Inc. A safety evaluation of this food enzyme was made previously, in which EFSA concluded that this food enzyme did not give rise to safety concerns when used in three food manufacturing processes. Subsequently, the applicant requested to extend its use to include two additional processes. In this assessment, EFSA updated the safety evaluation of this food enzyme when used in a total of five food manufacturing processes. The dietary exposure to the food enzyme-total organic solids (TOS) was estimated to be up to 0.845 mg TOS/kg body weight (bw) per day in European populations. When combined with the no observed adverse effect level previously reported (784 mg TOS/kg bw per day, the highest dose tested), the Panel derived a margin of exposure of at least 928. Based on the data provided for the previous evaluation and the revised margin of exposure, the Panel concluded that this food enzyme does not give rise to safety concerns under the revised intended conditions of use.
PubMed: 38601868
DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8699 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2024Premyrsinane-type diterpenoids have been considered to originate from the cyclization of a suitable 5,6- or 6,17-epoxylathyrane precursor. Their biological activities...
Premyrsinane-type diterpenoids have been considered to originate from the cyclization of a suitable 5,6- or 6,17-epoxylathyrane precursor. Their biological activities have not been sufficiently explored to date, so the development of synthetic or microbial approaches for the preparation of new derivatives would be desirable. Epoxyboetirane A () is an 6,17-epoxylathyrane isolated from in a large enough amount to be used in semi-synthesis. Transannular cyclization of mediated by CpTiCl afforded premyrsinane in good yield as an only diasteroisomer. To enhance the structural diversity of premyrsinanes so their potential use in neurodegenerative disorders could be explored, compound was biotransformed by NRRL3631 to give rise to hydroxylated derivatives at non-activated carbons (-), all of which were reported here for the first time. The structures and absolute configurations of all compounds were determined through extensive NMR and HRESIMS spectroscopic studies.
PubMed: 38592850
DOI: 10.3390/plants13060842 -
Heliyon Apr 2024The water quality in Karachi (Pakistan) is uncertain due to the occurrence of fungi and other microorganisms. A total of twenty-five water samples were collected from...
The water quality in Karachi (Pakistan) is uncertain due to the occurrence of fungi and other microorganisms. A total of twenty-five water samples were collected from public places, educational institutes, hospitals, water supply systems and surface water of the canal of Karachi (Pakistan). The different fungal species including sp., , sp., Fusarium sp., sp., , sp. , sp. and sp. were isolated from these drinking water samples. However, the bacteria, microalgae and some other microorganisms were present in low concentrations. The reason for fungi infection and production of mycotoxicity depends upon various factors and the availability of their nutrients in filtration plants. The major threats to human health are fungal mycotoxicity which is responsible for carcinogenic and other lethal diseases. Mostly, the genus was dominated and isolated with a maximum of 88-98% of occurrence in the different samples of drinking water by the direct plate-spread method. For the control of fungi, various Physico-chemical coagulation treatments were used, but Potassium alum, clay pot, and hot water treatment disinfected effectively 69-70% removal of the fungi and its spore or mycelia from the water. In addition, it is concluded that drinking water purifications such as chlorination, filtration and lime did not eliminate thermophilic fungal spores or mycelia including , and from the water.
PubMed: 38576549
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28926 -
Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and... Apr 2024Rhinocerebralmucormycosis, is a progressive fungal invasion of a hard palate, paranasal sinuses, orbit, and brain. Post covid the huge number of mucor cases reported in...
Rhinocerebralmucormycosis, is a progressive fungal invasion of a hard palate, paranasal sinuses, orbit, and brain. Post covid the huge number of mucor cases reported in our institute. To combat them a uniform assessment scale was needed as multiple healthcare workers were involved. Thus, a novel linear grading system on nasal endoscopy was developed for the early management of patients to prevent morbidity and mortality. A Prospective study of 650 patients in Epidemic duration from April to June 2021 in a tertiary health center, Central India. Patients subjected to Nasal Endoscopy with 0degree 4 mm Telescope and classified into 5 categories according to the severity of the disease. In a novel grading system, minimum patients were of grade 0, maximum was in Grade I. Maxillary sinus was most commonly involved. This novel grading system on nasal endoscopy makes the management of patients much easier in an epidemic, reducing human errors, morbidity, and mortality of the fulminant disease.
PubMed: 38566709
DOI: 10.1007/s12070-023-04380-2 -
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy May 2024Ibrexafungerp (formerly SCY-078) is the first member of the triterpenoid class that prevents the synthesis of the fungal cell wall polymer β-(1,3)-D-glucan by...
Ibrexafungerp (formerly SCY-078) is the first member of the triterpenoid class that prevents the synthesis of the fungal cell wall polymer β-(1,3)-D-glucan by inhibiting the enzyme glucan synthase. We evaluated the efficacy of ibrexafungerp against pulmonary mucormycosis using an established murine model. Neutropenic mice were intratracheally infected with either or . Treatment with placebo (diluent control), ibrexafungerp (30 mg/kg, PO BID), liposomal amphotericin B (LAMB 10 mg/kg IV QD), posaconazole (PSC 30 mg/kg PO QD), or a combination of ibrexafungerp plus LAMB or ibrexafungerp plus PSC began 16 h post-infection and continued for 7 days for ibrexafungerp or PSC and through day 4 for LAMB. Ibrexafungerp was as effective as LAMB or PSC in prolonging median survival (range: 15 days to >21 days) and enhancing overall survival (30%-65%) vs placebo (9 days and 0%; < 0.001) in mice infected with . Furthermore, median survival and overall percent survival resulting from the combination of ibrexafungerp plus LAMB were significantly greater compared to all monotherapies ( ≤ 0.03). Similar survival results were observed in mice infected with . Monotherapies also reduce the lung and brain fungal burden by ~0.5-1.0log conidial equivalents (CE)/g of tissue vs placebo in mice infected with ( < 0.05), while a combination of ibrexafungerp plus LAMB lowered the fungal burden by ~0.5-1.5log CE/g compared to placebo or any of the monotherapy groups ( < 0.03). These results are promising and warrant continued investigation of ibrexafungerp as a novel treatment option against mucormycosis.
Topics: Animals; Amphotericin B; Mucormycosis; Mice; Antifungal Agents; Triterpenes; Neutropenia; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Rhizopus; Lung Diseases, Fungal; Mucor; Triazoles; Glycosides
PubMed: 38557112
DOI: 10.1128/aac.01545-23