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Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2023The main objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of f. , , , and as biological control agents (BCAs) against diseases caused by and in pepper. For this...
The main objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of f. , , , and as biological control agents (BCAs) against diseases caused by and in pepper. For this purpose, their antagonistic activities were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. We analysed the expression patterns of five defence related genes, , , , , and , in leaves. All BCAs showed a high in vitro antagonistic activity, significantly reducing the mycelial growth of and . The treatments with f. , , and substantially reduced the severity of the disease caused by by 54, 76, and 70%, respectively, and of the disease caused by by 66, 55, and 64%, respectively. had the lowest values of disease reduction. Reinoculation with the four BCAs increased the control of both plant pathogens. Markedly different expression patterns were observed in the genes , , and . Based on the results, all four BCAs under study could be used as a biological alternative to chemicals for the control of and in pepper with a high success rate.
PubMed: 36983528
DOI: 10.3390/jof9030360 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023Whole genome sequencing is rapidly increasing phylogenetic resolution across many groups of fungi. To improve sequencing coverage in the genus (), we report nine new...
Whole genome sequencing is rapidly increasing phylogenetic resolution across many groups of fungi. To improve sequencing coverage in the genus (), we report nine new genomes representing five different species. Phylogenetic comparison between these genomes and those reported previously showed that is a distinct species from its close relative . The independence of is supported by analysis of overall gene identify (via BLAST), differences in secondary metabolism and an inability to form ascomata when paired with a fertile strain of opposite mating type. Furthermore, whole genome sequencing resolves the clade into three separate species, one of which lacked a valid name that is now provided.
PubMed: 36983453
DOI: 10.3390/jof9030285 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023Abiotic stress is one of the major constraints which restrain plant growth and productivity by disrupting physiological processes and stifling defense mechanisms....
Abiotic stress is one of the major constraints which restrain plant growth and productivity by disrupting physiological processes and stifling defense mechanisms. Hence, the present work aimed to evaluate the sustainability of bio-priming salt tolerant endophytes for improving plant salt tolerance. and - were obtained and cultured on PDA medium containing different concentrations of NaCl. The highest salt (500 mM) tolerant fungal colonies were selected and purified. at 61.3 × 10 conidia/ml and at about 64.9 × 10 conidia/ml of colony forming unit (CFU) were used for priming wheat and mung bean seeds. Twenty- days-old primed and unprimed seedlings of wheat and mung bean were subjected to NaCl treatments at 100 and 200 mM. Results indicate that both endophytes sustain salt resistance in crops, however significantly increased the growth (141 to 209%) and chlorophyll content (81 to 189%), over unprimed control under extreme salinity. Moreover, the reduced levels (22 to 58%) of oxidative stress markers (HO and MDA) corresponded with the increased antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities (141 and 110%). Photochemical attributes like quantum yield (F/F) (14 to 32%) and performance index (PI) (73 to 94%) were also enhanced in bio-primed plants in comparison to control under stress. In addition, the energy loss (DI/RC) was considerably less (31 to 46%), corresponding with lower damage at PS II level in primed plants. Also, the increase in I and P steps of OJIP curve in and primed plants showed the availability of more active reaction centers (RC) at PS II under salt stress in comparison to unprimed control plants. Infrared thermographic images also showed that bio-primed plants were resistant to salt stress. Hence, it is concluded that the use of bio-priming with salt tolerant endophytes specifically can be an effective approach to mitigate the salt stress cosnequences and develop a potential salt resistance in crop plants.
PubMed: 36968419
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1082480 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023Sport facilities represent extreme indoor environments due to intense cleaning and disinfection. The aim of this study was to describe the composition of the cultivated...
Sport facilities represent extreme indoor environments due to intense cleaning and disinfection. The aim of this study was to describe the composition of the cultivated microbiota in dust samples collected in sport facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. A dust sample is defined as the airborne dust sedimented on 0.02 m within 28 d. The results show that the microbial viable counts in samples of airborne dust ( = 9) collected from seven Finnish sport facilities during the pandemic contained a high proportion of pathogenic filamentous fungi and a low proportion of bacteria. The microbial viable counts were between 14 CFU and 189 CFU per dust sample. In seven samples from sport facilities, 20-85% of the microbial viable counts were fungi. Out of 123 fungal colonies, 47 colonies belonged to the potentially pathogenic sections of (Sections , , and ). Representatives of each section were identified as , , and Six colonies belonged to the genus In six samples of dust, a high proportion (50-100%) of the total fungal viable counts consisted of these potentially pathogenic fungi. A total of 70 isolates were considered less likely to be pathogenic, and were identified as section , and sp. In the rural ( = 2) and urban ( = 7) control dust samples, the microbial viable counts were >2000 CFU and between 44 CFU and 215 CFU, respectively, and consisted mainly of bacteria. The low proportion of bacteria and the high proportion of stress tolerant, potentially pathogenic fungi in the dust samples from sport facilities may reflect the influence of disinfection on microbial communities.
PubMed: 36839611
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020339 -
Microorganisms Feb 2023Phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms release organic acids that can chelate mineral ions or reduce the pH to solubilize insoluble phosphates for use by plants; it is...
Phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms release organic acids that can chelate mineral ions or reduce the pH to solubilize insoluble phosphates for use by plants; it is important to study potential phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms for use in agriculture. In this study, PSF7 was isolated from the soil of the Wengfu Phosphorus Tailings Dump in Fuquan City, Guizhou Province, China. PSF7 was identified as based on morphological characterization and ITS sequencing analysis. The relationship between the phosphorus-solubilizing capacity and pH variation of PSF7 under liquid fermentation was studied. The results showed that there was a significant negative correlation (-0.784) between the soluble phosphorus content of PSF7 and the pH value. When PSF7 was placed under low phosphorus stress, eight organic acids were determined from fermentation broth using HPLC, of which tartaric acid and formic acid were the main organic acids. Different optimization parameters of medium components were analyzed using response surface methodology. The optimized medium components were 23.50 g/L sucrose, 1.64 g/L ammonium sulfate and soybean residue, 1.07 g/L inorganic salts, and 9.16 g/L tricalcium phosphate, with a predicted soluble phosphorus content of 123.89 mg/L. Under the optimum medium composition, the actual phosphorus-solubilizing content of PSF7 reached 122.17 mg/L. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy analysis of the sample was carried out to characterize the phosphate-solubilizing efficiency of PSF7 on mineral phosphate. The results provide useful information for the future application of PSF7 as a biological fertilizer.
PubMed: 36838419
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020454 -
Microorganisms Feb 2023To investigate the characteristics of in vitro culture and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) in patients with fungal keratitis (FK) presented in a tertiary referral...
PURPOSE
To investigate the characteristics of in vitro culture and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) in patients with fungal keratitis (FK) presented in a tertiary referral hospital in central China.
METHODS
In this noncomparative retrospective study, patients with the diagnosis of FK between October 2021 and November 2022 were reviewed. An IVCM and fungal culture (corneal scraping specimens) were performed, and the characteristics were analyzed.
RESULTS
During October 2021 and November 2022, 85 patients were diagnosed with FK. From 63 culture-positive cases, 8 species of fungus were identified. The proportions of isolated fungal species were and equally accounting for 33.3% (21 of 63), 9.5% (6 of 63), 6.3% (4 of 63), 6.3% (4 of 63), 3.2% (2 of 63), 3.2% (2 of 63), and 4.8% (3 of 63), respectively. In positive culture cases, IVCM was found to be positive for hyphae or spores in 61 of 63 patients (96.8%). Different fungal species had a variety of cultural characteristics and IVCM manifestations.
CONCLUSIONS
In a tertiary referral hospital in central China, species, species, and species were the 3 most common isolated fungal pathogens, and the proportion of species was significantly higher than that in other regions of China. Careful lesion depth examination by IVCM and OCT should be taken before lamellar keratoplasty to avoid postoperative recurrence. Identifying the IVCM image and culture characteristics will facilitate rapid diagnosis and proper treatment, but IVCM cannot yet replace fungal cultures to distinguish between different fungal species.
PubMed: 36838371
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020406 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023The incidence of invasive sino-pulmonary diseases due to non- hyaline molds is increasing due to an enlarging and evolving population of immunosuppressed hosts as well... (Review)
Review
The incidence of invasive sino-pulmonary diseases due to non- hyaline molds is increasing due to an enlarging and evolving population of immunosuppressed hosts as well as improvements in the capabilities of molecular-based diagnostics. Herein, we review the following opportunistic pathogens known to cause sinopulmonary disease, the most common manifestation of hyalohyphomycosis: spp., spp., , spp., spp., spp., , , species complex, , and species. To facilitate an understanding of the epidemiology and clinical features of sino-pulmonary hyalohyphomycoses in the context of host immune impairment, we utilized a host-based approach encompassing the following underlying conditions: neutropenia, hematologic malignancy, hematopoietic and solid organ transplantation, chronic granulomatous disease, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and healthy individuals who sustain burns, trauma, or iatrogenic exposures. We further summarize the pre-clinical and clinical data informing antifungal management for each pathogen and consider the role of adjunctive surgery and/or immunomodulatory treatments to optimize patient outcome.
PubMed: 36836326
DOI: 10.3390/jof9020212 -
Mycology 2023During a field survey of cultivated mushroom diseases, and , causal agents of pileus rot or white mould disease were detected, which resulted in up to 80% of yield...
During a field survey of cultivated mushroom diseases, and , causal agents of pileus rot or white mould disease were detected, which resulted in up to 80% of yield losses. Multi-locus phylogenic analysis revealed that the fungi were affiliated in a distinct clade in . We further constructed a phylogenetic tree with broader sampling in and estimated the divergence times. The and clades were estimated to have diverged from around 129 MYA and fam. nov is herein proposed to accommodate species in this clade. Two new genera, i.e. and were introduced based on morphological characteristics and phylogenic relationships of longispora and , respectively. Five new combinations - , and - were proposed.
PubMed: 36816772
DOI: 10.1080/21501203.2022.2143919 -
MycoKeys 2022Clavicipitaceous fungi are pathogenic to scale insects, white flies and other insect orders. However, a few species are spider-associated. Two new genera from China,...
Clavicipitaceous fungi are pathogenic to scale insects, white flies and other insect orders. However, a few species are spider-associated. Two new genera from China, and , are described based on phylogenetic, ecological and morphological characteristics. Two spider-associated species, , , and an insect-associated species are included. The morphological characteristics of paecilomyces-like conidiogenous structures, present in many insect/spiders associated species make species-level identifications difficult. A phylogenetic analysis of the combined dataset (ITS, LSU, RPB2 and TEF), placed the two new genera in Clavicipitaceae. The new spider-associated species may be the result of convergent evolution to adapt to the ecological environment and may have undergone host jumping or altered their nutritional preferences.
PubMed: 36760893
DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.91.86812 -
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology Mar 2023The natural occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) was investigated along the Ticino River (Ticino River Natural Park, Novara Province, Piedmont, Italy), at the...
Genetic variability of Metarhizium isolates from the Ticino Valley Natural Park (Northern Italy) as a possible microbiological resource for the management of Popillia japonica.
The natural occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) was investigated along the Ticino River (Ticino River Natural Park, Novara Province, Piedmont, Italy), at the center of the area of the first settlement of the invasive alien pest Popillia japonica. Using Zimmermann's "Galleria bait method", EPF were successfully isolated from 83 out of 155 soil samples from different habitats (perennial, cultivated, or uncultivated meadows, woodlands, and riverbanks). Sequencing of the 5' end of the Translation Elongation Factor 1 alfa (5'-TEF) region allowed the assignment of 94% of the isolates to Metarhizium spp., while 8% and 7% were assigned to Beauveria spp. and Paecilomyces spp., respectively. Four Metarhizium species were identified: Metarhizium robertsii was the most common one (61.5% of the isolates), followed by M. brunneum (24.4%), M. lepidiotae (9%), and M. guizhouense (5.1%). Microsatellite marker analysis of the Metarhizium isolates revealed the presence of 27 different genotypes, i.e., 10 genotypes among M. robertsii, 8 among M. brunneum, 5 among M. lepidiotae, and 4 among M. guizhouense. Metarhizium brunneum appeared to be associated with woodlands and more acid soils, while the other species showed no clear association with a particular habitat. Laboratory virulence tests against P. japonica 3rd instar larvae allowed the identification of one M. robertsii isolate that showed efficacy as high as 80.3%. The importance of this kind of study in the frame of eco-friendly microbiological control is discussed.
Topics: Animals; Metarhizium; Soil Microbiology; Coleoptera; Larva; Ecosystem; Beauveria; Pest Control, Biological
PubMed: 36716929
DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.107891