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PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Aug 2022Eumycetoma is a chronic debilitating fungal disease endemic to tropical and subtropical regions, with Sudan featuring the highest eumycetoma incidence. Among the 50...
Eumycetoma is a chronic debilitating fungal disease endemic to tropical and subtropical regions, with Sudan featuring the highest eumycetoma incidence. Among the 50 species of fungi most commonly associated with eumycetoma Madurella mycetomatis (M. mycetomatis) is often referenced as the most common pathogen. However, there is an enormous knowledge gap related to this neglected disease and its pathogenesis, epidemiological features, and host-specific factors that could contribute to either the host susceptibility and resistance. In this study, we were able to utilize a metagenomic approach and samples collected from clinical black grains (BG) and familiar household environments aimed to assay both the habitat of eumycetoma-associated fungi and its possible connection with eumycetoma patients living in two different eumycetoma endemic villages within the White Nile State of Sudan. DNA sequencing targeting the fungal ITS2 domain was performed on soil, animal dung, housing walls and roofs, and Acacia-species thorn samples and compared with culture-dependent methods of fungal isolation. Additionally, we compared the soil samples obtained in the endemic zone with that from non-endemic zones, including Wagga village in Kassala State and Port Sudan suburb in Port Sudan State. Overall, a total of 392 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were detected by ITS2 metagenomics Eumycetoma causative organisms accounted for 10% of total ASVs which included 11 genera: Exserohilum (2%), Aspergillus (1.7%), Curvularia (1%), Alternaria (0.9%), Madurella (0.5%), Fusarium (0.4%), Cladosporium (0.2%) Exophiala (0.15%), and, in a lesser extent, Microascus (0.05%) Bipolaris and Acremonium (0.01%) for each. Only five genera were identified by culture method, which included Fusarium (29%), Aspergillus (28%), Alternaria (2.5%), Bipolaris (1.6%), and Chaetomium (0.8%). M. mycetomatis was detected within all the studied patients' houses, accounting for 0.7% of total sequences. It was the first common eumycetoma-associated agent detected in soil samples and the third common in the dung and wall samples. In contrast, it was not detected in the roof or thorn samples nor in the soils from non-endemic regions. Exserohilum rostratum, Aspergillus spp and Cladosporium spp were detected in all samples. M. mycetomatis and other eumycetoma-associated fungal identified in the patients' black grains (BG) samples by metagenomics were identified in the environmental samples. Only Acremonium alternatum and Falciformispora senegalensis, responsible for eumycetoma in two patients were not detected, suggesting the infections in these patients happened outside these endemic areas. The soil, animal dung, and houses built from the same soil and dung are the main risk factors for M. mycetomatis infection in these endemic villages. Furthermore, the poor hygienic and environmental conditions, walking barefooted, and the presence of animals within the houses increase the risk of M. mycetomatis and other fungi causing eumycetoma.
Topics: Animals; Madurella; Metagenomics; Mycetoma; Neglected Diseases; Soil
PubMed: 36040926
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010385 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2022Onychomycosis is a fungal disease of the nail that is found worldwide and is difficult to diagnose accurately. This study used metagenomics to investigate the...
Onychomycosis is a fungal disease of the nail that is found worldwide and is difficult to diagnose accurately. This study used metagenomics to investigate the microbiology of 18 clinically diagnosed mycotic nails and two normal nails for fungi and bacteria using the ITS2 and 16S loci. Four mycotic nails were from Bass Coast, six from Melbourne Metropolitan and eight from Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. The mycotic nails were photographed and metagenomically analysed. The ITS2 sequences for and averaged over 90% of hits in 14/18 nails. The high abundance of sequences of a single dermatophyte, compared to all other fungi in a single nail, made it the most likely infecting agents (MLIA). and interdigitale/mentagrophytes were found in Bass Coast and Shepparton while only was found in Melbourne. Two nails with mixed with high abundance non-dermatophyte moulds (NDMs) (, ) were also observed. The two control nails contained chiefly and . For bacteria, was in every nail and was the most abundant, including the control nails, with an overall mean rate of 66.01%. , , and also featured.
PubMed: 36422019
DOI: 10.3390/jof8111198 -
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1994Five mycotoxins found in concentrates or roughages have been shown to cause neurologic disease in livestock. Fumonisin B1 is produced by Fusarium moniliforme and causes... (Review)
Review
Five mycotoxins found in concentrates or roughages have been shown to cause neurologic disease in livestock. Fumonisin B1 is produced by Fusarium moniliforme and causes leukoencephalomalacia in horses. Swainsonine and slaframine are produced by Rhizoctonia leguminicola and cause mannose accumulation and parasympathomimetic effects, respectively. Lolitrems from Acremonium lolii and paspalitrems from Claviceps paspali are tremorgens found in grasses.
Topics: Alkaloids; Animals; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Fumonisins; Horse Diseases; Horses; Indole Alkaloids; Mycotoxins; Nervous System Diseases; Parasympathomimetics; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Swainsonine
PubMed: 8176663
DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.1994.tb03195.x -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2022Three new species of are introduced based on specimens collected from China. sp. nov. is distinguished by pale yellow to pale orange-yellow perithecia with a very low...
Three new species of are introduced based on specimens collected from China. sp. nov. is distinguished by pale yellow to pale orange-yellow perithecia with a very low papilla, clavate to subcylindrical asci possessing ellipsoidal to elongate-ellipsoidal spinulose ascospores 13-16 × 4.5-5.5 μm; it has acremonium- to verticillium-like conidiophores and ellipsoidal to rod-shaped conidia. sp. nov. has pinkish-white subglobose to globose perithecia on a well-developed stroma and with a thin perithecial wall, clavate to subcylindrical asci with ellipsoidal to elongate-ellipsoidal spinulose ascospores 7.5-11 × 2.5-3.5 μm; it produces verticillium-like conidiophores and ellipsoidal to subellipsoidal conidia. sp. nov. features solitary to gregarious perithecia with a papilla, clavate asci containing 6-8 smooth-walled ascospores 9-17 × 3-5.5 μm; it forms verticillium-like conidiophores and sparse, subfusiform conidia. The morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of combined nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and beta-tubulin sequences support their placement in and their classification as new to science. Distinctions between the novel taxa and their close relatives are compared herein.
PubMed: 36294592
DOI: 10.3390/jof8101027 -
Plant Disease Nov 2022Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a tropical fruit with great economic value. Guangdong is one of the most important guava production areas. In November 2019, guava wilt...
Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a tropical fruit with great economic value. Guangdong is one of the most important guava production areas. In November 2019, guava wilt disease (GWD) was observed in a 10.6 HA commercial orchard in NanSha district, Guangzhou, Guangdong (22°37'37.626" N, 113°35'56.089" E). Disease incidence was up to 35%. Initially, leaves on the top of some branches became purple or yellow interveinal chlorosis, later dry. Infection severely became systemic developing vascular discoloration of stem, black root rot, eventually entire trees wilted and died. The root tissues were cut into 5-mm2 pieces and surface disinfected with 70% ethanol for 30 sec, 3 % sodium hypochlorite for 4 min, rinsed by the sterile water, then plated onto potato dextrose agar and incubated for 5 days at 25°C. A total of 8 monoconidial isolates with identical colony morphology were obtained. All formed cottony, whitish to pale yellow colonies. Conidiophores were dimorphic, penicillate and acremonium-like. Penicillate conidiophores gave rise to ovoidal, one-celled conidia (4.15 to 6.55×2.28 to 4.61 μm) (n=100) with truncated ends. Cylindrical or fusiform conidia (7.02 to 15.57×2.01 to 5.30 μm) (n=100) arose in long chains on acremonium-like conidiophores. Morphological characteristics of the isolates were consistent with those of Nalanthamala psidii (syn. Myxosporium psidii) reported by Schroers (2005). The rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial nuclear large-subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU) of two representative isolates (GDNS02 and GDNS08) were amplified using the primers pairs ITS4/ITS5 (White et al. 1990) and V9G/LR5 (de Hoog and Gerrits van den. 1998), respectively. The obtained sequences were deposited in GenBank under the accession nos. OM278372 to 73 (ITS) and OM278377 to 78 (LSU). BLASTn analysis showed 99.81% and 100% identities with the reported sequences of N. psidii CBS 116952 (AY864836) and CBS 110507 (AY554243). Maximum likelihood analyses of combined ITS and LSU sequences indicated that these two isolates being clustered with N. psidii strains. Pathogenicity tests were performed twice using healthy seedlings (60-70 cm height, cv. pearl). Each stem of five seedlings was wounded using a 5-mm sterile cork borer, and 5-day-old mycelium plugs of isolate GDNS08 were inoculated into the holes (25-cm above the soil line) and covered with Parafilm, sterile PDA plugs were placed into the wounds of additional 5 control seedlings. All plants were kept in a greenhouse (25℃, 80% relative humidity, 16/8-h day/night). After 3 months, all inoculated plants developed purple leaf, defoliation and wilt symptoms resembling those observed in the orchards, while the controls remained asymptomatic. Nalanthamala psidii was reisolated from the roots tissue of the inoculated plants, identity was confirmed by morphological characteristics and ITS sequence analyses as described above, but not from the controls, fulfilling Koch's postulates. Nalanthamala psidii has been previously reported as the causal agent of guava wilt in Taiwan, Philippines, South Africa and Bangladesh (Hsieh et al. 1976; Opina 1995; Schoeman et al. 1997; Alam et al. 2019). To our knowledge, this is the first report of N. psidii causing guava wilt in Guangdong, China. The outbreak of GWD in South Africa in the 1980s resulted in devastating losses to guava industry (Schoeman et al. 1997). Further research is needed to develop the integrated management to constrain this disease from spreading.
PubMed: 36320135
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-05-22-1166-PDN -
MycoKeys 2022Using chicken feathers as bait, and were collected from the soil of Yuncheng East Garden Wildlife Zoo and Zhengzhou Zoo in China. They were identified by combining...
Using chicken feathers as bait, and were collected from the soil of Yuncheng East Garden Wildlife Zoo and Zhengzhou Zoo in China. They were identified by combining the morphological characteristics and the two-locus DNA sequence (LSU and ITS) analyses. In the phylogenetic tree, both new species clustered into separate subclades, respectively. They were different from their allied species in their morphology. The description, illustrations, and phylogenetic tree of the two new species were provided.
PubMed: 36760887
DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.91.86257 -
The Journal of General and Applied... Jun 2022Ascofuranone and its precursor, ilicicolin A, are secondary metabolites with various pharmacological activities that are produced by Acremonium egyptiacum. In...
Ascofuranone and its precursor, ilicicolin A, are secondary metabolites with various pharmacological activities that are produced by Acremonium egyptiacum. In particular, ascofuranone strongly inhibits trypanosome alternative oxidase and represents a potential drug candidate against African trypanosomiasis. However, difficulties associated with industrial production of ascofuranone by A. egyptiacum, specifically the co-production of ascochlorin, which inhibits mammalian respiratory chain complex III at low concentrations, has precluded its widespread application. Therefore, in this study, ascofuranone biosynthetic genes (ascA-E and H-J) were heterologously expressed in Aspergillus sojae, which produced very low-levels of endogenous secondary metabolites under conventional culture conditions. As a result, although we obtained transformants producing both ilicicolin A and ascofuranone, they were produced only when an adequate concentration of chloride ions was added to the medium. In addition, we succeeded in increasing the production of ilicicolin A, by enhancing the expression of the rate-determining enzyme AscD, using a multi-copy integration system. The heterologous expression approach described here afforded the production of both ascofuranone and ilicicolin A, allowing for their development as therapeutics.
Topics: Animals; Aspergillus; Mammals; Sesquiterpenes
PubMed: 35418536
DOI: 10.2323/jgam.2021.08.001 -
Marine Drugs Sep 2021Cyclopeptides usually play a pivotal role, either in the viability or virulence of fungi. Two types of cyclopeptides, six new hydroxamate siderophore cyclohexapeptides...
Cyclopeptides usually play a pivotal role, either in the viability or virulence of fungi. Two types of cyclopeptides, six new hydroxamate siderophore cyclohexapeptides (-), including acremonpeptides E and F, and their complexes with aluminum and ferric ions; one new cyclic pentapeptolide, aselacin D (); together with a known compound, aselacin C (), were isolated and characterized from the sponge-derived fungus F10. In addition, two new siderophore analogues chelating gallium ions (Ga), Ga (III)-acremonpeptide E () and Ga (III)-acremonpeptide F (), using isolated acremonpeptides E and F, were prepared. The planar structures of - were elucidated by HRESIMS and (1D and 2D) NMR. The absolute configurations of amino acids were determined by means of the advanced Marfey's method and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer was performed to disclose the elements of compound , indicating the existence of aluminum (Al). Al (III)-acremonpeptides E (), Ga (III)-acremonpeptides E (), Al (III)-acremonpeptide F (), and Ga (III)-acremonpeptide F () displayed high in vitro anti-fungal activities, which are comparable to amphotericin B, against and
Topics: Acremonium; Animals; Antifungal Agents; Aquatic Organisms; Aspergillus; Crystallography, X-Ray; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; Peptides, Cyclic; Porifera; Structure-Activity Relationship
PubMed: 34677436
DOI: 10.3390/md19100537 -
Fungi associated with ornamental plants in some Nurseries in Al-Qurayyat, Jouf region, Saudi Arabia.Iranian Journal of Microbiology Feb 2023Fungi communities are important soil components as decomposers and plant symbionts, and they play an important part in natural ecological and biogeochemical processes....
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Fungi communities are important soil components as decomposers and plant symbionts, and they play an important part in natural ecological and biogeochemical processes. In this study, isolation and identification of terrestrial and zoosporic fungi were detected.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sixty-seven fungal species from thirty-four genera were isolated from 45 soil samples obtained randomly from nurseries in Al-Qurayyat, Jouf reagon, Saudi Arabia using the soil dilution technique on glucose-Czapek's agar medium, cellulose-Czapek's agar, and Potato dextrose agar medium.Authentic fungus manuals were then used to identify and characterise the mycoflora.
RESULTS
A total of 46 fungal species belonging to 22 terrestrial fungal genera were recovered on glucose-Czapek's agar, 38 species belonging to 20 terrestrial fungal genera were recovered on cellulos-Czapek's agar and 27 fungal species belonging to 15 terrestrial fungal genera were recovered on PDA medium while 12 species belonging to 7 genera zoosporic fungal genera were discovered.
CONCLUSION
The most common terrestrial fungal genera were and while in zoosporic fungus. was the most prevalent, followed by and .
PubMed: 37069907
DOI: 10.18502/ijm.v15i1.11934 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Dec 2022Fungal periprosthetic joint infections are rare. Acremonium osteoarticular infections are scarcely reported. Variable susceptibility to antifungal agents have been...
BACKGROUND
Fungal periprosthetic joint infections are rare. Acremonium osteoarticular infections are scarcely reported. Variable susceptibility to antifungal agents have been reported and optimal pharmacotherapy has yet to be established. Here we illustrate an Acremonium osteoarticular infection involving a prosthetic joint and present an antifungal regimen that had led to treatment success.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 60-year-old female with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 had left total knee arthroplasty done in 2012 with a cementless implant for knee osteoarthritis. In 2019, the patient had asymptomatic, progressive osteolysis with fracture and migration of the femoral component warranting replacement. Eleven months later, the patient developed significant pain, redness, and swelling in the left leg and knee concerning for periprosthetic joint infection that failed outpatient antibiotic treatment. Further investigation revealed infection by Acremonium species. A revision of the joint was successfully completed, and the patient was placed on voriconazole for one year. Subsequent cultures did not yield any fungal growth.
CONCLUSION
While an optimal antifungal regimen for periprosthetic joint infections has not been well established, voriconazole is a relatively safe and effective agent that can be used as a long-term therapy. With variable susceptibility testing in reported isolates, individualized antifungal susceptibility should be used to guide therapy for Acremonium infections.
Topics: Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Antifungal Agents; Acremonium; Voriconazole; Prosthesis-Related Infections; Mycoses
PubMed: 36581826
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07824-2