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PeerJ 2024Conventional biofilters, which rely on bacterial activity, face challenges in eliminating hydrophobic compounds, such as aromatic compounds. This is due to the low... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Conventional biofilters, which rely on bacterial activity, face challenges in eliminating hydrophobic compounds, such as aromatic compounds. This is due to the low solubility of these compounds in water, which makes them difficult to absorb by bacterial biofilms. Furthermore, biofilter operational stability is often hampered by acidification and drying out of the filter bed.
METHODS
Two bioreactors, a bacterial biofilter (B-BF) and a fungal-bacterial coupled biofilter (F&B-BF) were inoculated with activated sludge from the secondary sedimentation tank of the Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical Company wastewater treatment plant located in Nanjing, China. For approximately 6 months of operation, a F&B-BF was more effective than a B-BF in eliminating a gas-phase mixture containing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and -xylene (BTE-X).
RESULTS
After operating for four months, the F&B-BF showed higher removal efficiencies for toluene (T), ethylbenzene (E), benzene (B), and -X (-Xylene), at 96.9%, 92.6%, 83.9%, and 83.8%, respectively, compared to those of the B-BF (90.1%, 78.7%, 64.8%, and 59.3%). The degradation activity order for B-BF and F&B-BF was T > E > B > -X. Similarly, the rates of mineralization for BTE-X in the F&B-BF were 74.9%, 66.5%, 55.3%, and 45.1%, respectively, which were higher than those in the B-BF (56.5%, 50.8%, 43.8%, and 30.5%). Additionally, the F&B-BF (2 days) exhibited faster recovery rates than the B-BF (5 days).
CONCLUSIONS
It was found that a starvation protocol was beneficial for the stable operation of both the B-BF and F&B-BF. Community structure analysis showed that the bacterial genus and the fungal genus were both important in the degradation of BTE-X. The fungal-bacterial consortia can enhance the biofiltration removal of BTE-X vapors.
Topics: Xylenes; Filtration; Fungi; Benzene Derivatives; Bioreactors; Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; Toluene; Benzene; China; Biofilms
PubMed: 38903883
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17452 -
Journal of Clinical Immunology May 2024Autosomal recessive CARD9 deficiency can underly deep and superficial fungal diseases. We identified two Japanese patients, suffering from superficial and invasive...
Autosomal recessive CARD9 deficiency can underly deep and superficial fungal diseases. We identified two Japanese patients, suffering from superficial and invasive Candida albicans diseases, carrying biallelic variants of CARD9. Both patients, in addition to another Japanese and two Korean patients who were previously reported, carried the c.820dup CARD9 variant, either in the homozygous (two patients) or heterozygous (three patients) state. The other CARD9 alleles were c.104G > A, c.1534C > T and c.1558del. The c.820dup CARD9 variant has thus been reported, in the homozygous or heterozygous state, in patients originating from China, Japan, or South Korea. The Japanese, Korean, and Chinese patients share a 10 Kb haplotype encompassing the c.820dup CARD9 variant. This variant thus originates from a common ancestor, estimated to have lived less than 4,000 years ago. While phaeohyphomycosis caused by Phialophora spp. was common in the Chinese patients, none of the five patients in our study displayed Phialophora spp.-induced disease. This difference between Chinese and our patients probably results from environmental factors. (161/250).
Topics: Humans; CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins; Founder Effect; Male; Female; Candidiasis, Chronic Mucocutaneous; Haplotypes; Mutation; Asia, Eastern; Alleles; Candida albicans; Adult; Pedigree; Asian People
PubMed: 38758287
DOI: 10.1007/s10875-024-01724-7 -
Allergologie Select 2024None.
None.
PubMed: 38756207
DOI: 10.5414/ALX02444E -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2024, a perennial herbaceous plant found in southwest China, has the potential to be used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Endophytic fungi that reside within...
, a perennial herbaceous plant found in southwest China, has the potential to be used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Endophytic fungi that reside within medicinal herbs play an important ecological role in their host plants and can serve as a valuable source for identifying active components. However, little is known about the diversity, and structure of endophytic fungi in . In this study, we investigated the community structure and diversity of endophytic fungi in the leaves, stems, and roots of at both 1- and 2-year-growth stages using a modern culture-independent method using both culture-independent (high-throughput sequencing, HTS) and culture-based methods. Using HTS, our results revealed that the richness and diversity of endophytic fungi in varied depending on the organs and growth stages. Specifically, stems and leaves exhibited significantly higher diversity compared to roots. Additionally, the highest diversity of endophytic fungi was observed in the stems of the 2-year-old plants. At the genus level, , , and were the most abundant endophytic fungi in 1-year-old samples, while , , and were prevalent in 2-year-old samples. A total of 55 endophytic fungal strains belonging to two phyla and 24 genera were isolated from 150 plant tissue segments using culture-based methods. The anti-acetylcholinesterase activity of these isolates was evaluated in vitro and five of them, PCAM010, PCBM027, LP41, SR60, and SM81, showed strong activity (>50% inhibition rate). These findings will serve as a theoretical basis and practical guide for comprehending the structural composition, biological diversity and bioactivity of endophytic fungi in .
PubMed: 38535204
DOI: 10.3390/jof10030195 -
Medical Mycology Mar 2024Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) and pheohyphomycosis (PHM) are the most common implantation mycoses caused by dematiaceous fungi. In the past, flucytosine (5-FC) has been used...
Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) and pheohyphomycosis (PHM) are the most common implantation mycoses caused by dematiaceous fungi. In the past, flucytosine (5-FC) has been used to treat CBM, but development of resistance is common. Carmofur belongs to the same class as 5-FC and has in vitro inhibitory activity against the main agents of CBM and PHM. The aim of this study was to compare the action of these two pyrimidine analog drugs against CBM and PHM agents. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the selectivity index based on cytotoxicity tests of these two drugs against some agents of these mycoses were determined, with carmofur presenting a higher selectivity index than 5-FC. Carmofur demonstrated here synergistic interactions with itraconazole and amphotericin B against Exophiala heteromorpha, Fonsecaea pedrosoi, Fonsecaea monophora, and Fonsecaea nubica strains. Additionally, carmofur plus itraconazole demonstrated here synergism against a Phialophora verrucosa strain. To evaluate the development of carmofur resistance, passages in culture medium containing subinhibitory concentrations of this pyrimidine analog were carried out, followed by in vitro susceptibility tests. Exophiala dermatitidis quickly developed resistance, whereas F. pedrosoi took seven passages in carmofur-supplemented medium to develop resistance. Moreover, resistance was permanent in E. dermatitidis but transient in F. pedrosoi. Hence, carmofur has exhibited certain advantages, albeit accompanied by limitations such as the development of resistance, which was expected as with 5-FC. This underscores its therapeutic potential in combination with other drugs, emphasizing the need for a meticulous evaluation of its application in the fight against dematiaceous fungi.
Topics: Humans; Antifungal Agents; Flucytosine; Itraconazole; Fungi; Chromoblastomycosis; Mycoses; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 38533658
DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myae029 -
PloS One 2024Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal human motor neuron disease leading to muscle atrophy and paralysis. Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) are...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal human motor neuron disease leading to muscle atrophy and paralysis. Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) are associated with familial ALS (fALS). The SOD1 mutants in ALS have a toxic-gain of function by destabilizing the functional SOD1 homodimer, consequently inducing fibril-like aggregation with a cytotoxic non-native trimer intermediate. Therefore, reducing SOD1 oligomerization via chemical modulators is an optimal therapy in ALS. Here, we report the discovery of Phialomustin-B, an unsaturated secondary metabolite from the endophytic fungus Phialophora mustea, as a modulator of SOD1 aggregation. The crystal structure of the SOD1-Phialomustin complex refined to 1.90 Å resolution demonstrated for the first time that the ligand binds to the dimer interface and the lateral region near the electrostatic loop. The aggregation analyses of SOD1WT and the disease mutant SOD1A4V revealed that Phialomustin-B reduces cytotoxic trimerization. We propose that Phialomustin-B is a potent lead molecule with therapeutic potential in fALS.
Topics: Humans; Superoxide Dismutase-1; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Cytoskeleton; Muscular Atrophy
PubMed: 38446760
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298196 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2024This study used the ITS approach based on Illumina MiSeq sequencing to assess the endosphere and rhizosphere fungal communities in healthy and diseased faba bean plants....
This study used the ITS approach based on Illumina MiSeq sequencing to assess the endosphere and rhizosphere fungal communities in healthy and diseased faba bean plants. The findings indicate that the most predominant phyla in all samples were Ascomycota (49.89-99.56%) and Basidiomycota (0.33-25.78%). In healthy endosphere samples, Glomeromycota (0.08-1.17%) was the only predominant phylum. In diseased endosphere samples, Olpidiomycota (0.04-1.75%) was the only predominant phylum. At the genus level, (0.47-35.21%) was more abundant in rhizosphere soil, while (3.48-91.16%) was predominant in the endosphere roots of faba bean plants. Significant differences were observed in the alpha diversity of rhizosphere samples from different germplasm resources ( < 0.05). The fungal community structures were clearly distinguished between rhizosphere and endosphere samples and between healthy and diseased endosphere samples ( < 0.05). was significantly enriched in diseased endosphere samples, whereas was enriched in healthy endosphere samples. and were enriched in diseased rhizosphere samples, while was enriched in healthy rhizosphere samples. Diseased samples displayed more strongly correlated genera than healthy samples. Saprotrophs accounted for a larger proportion of the fungal microbes in rhizosphere soil than in endosphere roots. This study provides a better understanding of the composition and diversity of fungal communities in the rhizosphere and endosphere of faba bean plants as well as a theoretical guidance for future research on the prevention or control of faba bean root rot disease.
PubMed: 38276030
DOI: 10.3390/jof10010084 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023Brown Stem Rot (BSR), caused by the soil borne fungal pathogen , can reduce soybean yields by as much as 38%. Previous allelism studies identified three Resistant to...
Brown Stem Rot (BSR), caused by the soil borne fungal pathogen , can reduce soybean yields by as much as 38%. Previous allelism studies identified three Resistant to brown stem Rot genes (, and ), all mapping to large, overlapping regions on soybean chromosome 16. However, recent fine-mapping and genome wide association studies (GWAS) suggest , and are alleles of a single locus. To address this conflict, we characterized the locus using the Williams82 reference genome (Wm82.a4.v1). We identified 120 Receptor-Like Proteins (RLPs), with hallmarks of disease resistance receptor-like proteins (RLPs), which formed five distinct clusters. We developed virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) constructs to target each of the clusters, hypothesizing that silencing the correct RLP cluster would result in a loss of resistance phenotype. The VIGS constructs were tested against resistant genotypes L78-4094 (), PI 437833 (), or PI 437970 (, infected with or mock infected. No loss of resistance phenotype was observed. We then developed VIGS constructs targeting two RLP clusters with a single construct. Construct B1a/B2 silenced resistance in L78-4094, confirming at least two genes confer -mediated resistance to . Failure of B1a/B2 to silence resistance in PI 437833 and PI 437970 suggests additional genes confer BSR resistance in these lines. To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) responding to silencing, we conducted RNA-seq of leaf, stem and root samples from B1a/B2 and empty vector control plants infected with or mock infected. B1a/B2 silencing induced DEGs associated with cell wall biogenesis, lipid oxidation, the unfolded protein response and iron homeostasis and repressed numerous DEGs involved in defense and defense signaling. These findings will improve integration of resistance into elite germplasm and provide novel insights into fungal disease resistance.
PubMed: 38259908
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1292605 -
Ocular Immunology and Inflammation Jan 2024We report two cases of fungal keratitis due to rare melanized fungal pathogens in ocular infection, one is the first case report of keratitis due to and the second is...
PURPOSE
We report two cases of fungal keratitis due to rare melanized fungal pathogens in ocular infection, one is the first case report of keratitis due to and the second is keratitis due to rare fungal pathogen in ocular infections .
METHOD
Conventional mycology during routine diagnostics helped in identifying these rare fungal isolates, following which we proceeded for the confirmation of identification by DNA sequencing and did antifungal susceptibility test to understand their susceptibility pattern. The clinical information for these two patients were collected from hospital electronic medical records.
RESULTS
We discuss the clinical presentation, treatment given, and clinical outcome in these patients and correlate these with the conventional microbiology and sequencing techniques, which helped in identifying the pathogen and the antifungal susceptibility of these rare isolates. We also do a brief literature review for these two rare fungal pathogens.
CONCLUSIONS
and are rare causes of fungal keratitis due to melanized fungi. Both of this fungal keratitis respond well to medical therapy alone if diagnosed and treated early.
PubMed: 38252885
DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2024.2303352 -
Effects of Cryptosporidium parvum infection on intestinal fungal microbiota in yaks (Bos grunniens).Microbial Pathogenesis Oct 2023During the last decade, researchers had started to focus on the relationship between intestinal parasitic infection and variation of intestinal microflora....
During the last decade, researchers had started to focus on the relationship between intestinal parasitic infection and variation of intestinal microflora. Cryptosporidium is a widely known opportunistic and zoonotic pathogen. Several studies have shown that Cryptosporidium infection has impact to alter the gut microflora. However, there are only few studies referring to the fungal microflora changes in response to Cryptosporidium infection in highland ruminants. Therefore, the present study was performed for exploring the alternations of intestinal fungal microbiota in yaks after exposure to Cryptosporidium infection. In present study, Amplicon sequencing of ITS regions was used to study the variations of fungal microflora in yaks. After filtering the raw data, over 45 000 and 62 000 clean data were obtained in uninfected and infected yaks, respectively. By using alpha diversity analysis, it was found that there is no significant difference in the richness and evenness when positive samples were compared with negative ones, whereas intestinal fungal communities in different taxa in yaks were changed. The results of present study depicted that 2-phyla and 21-genera in the infected animals had significantly (P < 0.05) changed. These genera were Septoria, Coniothyrium, Cleistothelebolus, Bensingtonia, Cystobasidium, Filobasidium, Coprotus, Carex, Blumeria, Coprinellus, Leucosporidium, Phialophora, Isolepis, Ascobolus, Thecaphora, Mortierella, Urocystis, Symmetrospora and Lasiobolus. In addition, we found variations in 28 enzymes suggesting that the function of microbiota was also affected. It is concluded that there are drastic changes in the fungal microflora and microbiota functions after exposure to Cryptosporidium infection in yak. Our results help to focus on the prompt way for the development of new therapies to control Cryptosporidiosis.
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Cryptosporidiosis; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Mycobiome; Cryptosporidium parvum; Cryptosporidium
PubMed: 37633503
DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106322