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Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2022Viable airborne pathogenic fungi represent a potential health hazard when exposing vulnerable persons in quantities exceeding their resilience. In this study, 284 indoor...
Viable airborne pathogenic fungi represent a potential health hazard when exposing vulnerable persons in quantities exceeding their resilience. In this study, 284 indoor fungal isolates from a strain collection of indoor fungi were screened for pathogenic potential through the ability to grow in neutral pH at 37 °C and 30 °C. The isolates were collected from 20 locations including 14 problematic and 6 non-problematic ordinary buildings. Out of the screened isolates, 170 isolates were unable to grow at 37 °C, whereas 67 isolates growing at pH 7.2 at 37 °C were considered as potential opportunistic pathogens. Forty-seven isolates growing at 30 °C but not at 37 °C were considered as less likely pathogens. Out of these categories, 33 and 33 strains, respectively, were identified to the species level. The problematic buildings included known opportunistic pathogens: , , and , as well as less likely pathogens: , , and Opportunistic pathogens such as , and and less likely pathogens such as and were isolated both from ordinary and from problematic buildings. was the dominant, most diverse genus found during screening for potentially pathogenic isolates in the indoor strain collection. Studies on and revealed that tolerance to cleaning chemicals may contribute to the adaptation of species to indoor environments.
PubMed: 36297230
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101171 -
Microorganisms Jan 2020No information is available in the literature about the influence of temperature (T) on and spp. growth and mycotoxin production on cheese rinds. The aim of this work...
No information is available in the literature about the influence of temperature (T) on and spp. growth and mycotoxin production on cheese rinds. The aim of this work was to: (i) study fungal ecology on cheese in terms of T requirements, focusing on the partitioning of mycotoxins between the rind and mycelium; and (ii) validate predictive models previously developed by in vitro trials. Grana cheese rind blocks were inoculated with , , , and , incubated at different T regimes (10-30 °C, step 5 °C) and after 14 days the production of mycotoxins (ochratoxin A (OTA); sterigmatocystin (STC); roquefortine C (ROQ-C), mycophenolic acid (MPA), Pr toxin (PR-Tox), citrinin (CIT), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA)) was quantified. All the fungi grew optimally around 15-25 °C and produced the expected mycotoxins (except MPA, Pr-Tox, and CIT). The majority of the mycotoxins produced remained in the mycelium (~90%) in three out of five fungal species (, and ); the opposite occurred for and with 71% and 58% of STC and OTA detected in cheese rind, respectively. Available predictive models fitted fungal growth on the cheese rind well, but validation was not possible for mycotoxins because they were produced in a very narrow T range.
PubMed: 31906515
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8010069 -
Brazilian Journal of Microbiology :... Nov 2018Gallesia integrifolia (Phytolaccaceae) is native to Brazil and has a strong alliaceous odor. The objective of this study was to identify the chemical composition of G....
Gallesia integrifolia (Phytolaccaceae) is native to Brazil and has a strong alliaceous odor. The objective of this study was to identify the chemical composition of G. integrifolia fruit essential oil and evaluate fungicidal activity against the main food-borne diseases and food spoilage fungi. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and identified by GC-MS. From 35 identified compounds, 68% belonged to the organosulfur class. The major compounds were dimethyl trisulfide (15.49%), 2,8-dithianonane (52.63%) and lenthionine (14.69%). The utilized fungi were Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium funiculosum, Penicillium ochrochloron, Penicillium verrucosum var. cyclopium, and Trichoderma viride. Minimal fungicidal concentration for the essential oil varied from 0.02 to 0.18mg/mL and bifonazole and ketoconazole controls ranged from 0.20 to 3.50mg/mL. The lower concentration of the essential oil was able to control P. ochrochloron, A. fumigatus, A. versicolor, A. ochraceus and T. viride. This study shows a high fungicidal activity of G. integrifolia fruit essential oil and can support future applications by reducing the use of synthetic fungicides.
Topics: Aspergillus; Brazil; Fruit; Fungicides, Industrial; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Oils, Volatile; Penicillium; Phytolaccaceae; Plant Oils
PubMed: 29706576
DOI: 10.1016/j.bjm.2018.03.006 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2020Epigenetic agents, histone deacetylase inhibitor (SAHA) and DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (5-Aza), were added to Czapek-Dox medium to trigger the chemical diversity of...
Epigenetic agents, histone deacetylase inhibitor (SAHA) and DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (5-Aza), were added to Czapek-Dox medium to trigger the chemical diversity of marinederived fungus XS-20090066. By HPLC and H NMR analysis, the diversity of fungal secondary metabolites was significantly increased compared with the control. With the aid of MS/MS-based molecular networking, two new nucleoside derivatives, kipukasins K () and L () were obtained. Meanwhile, the yields of four known nucleoside derivatives were significantly enhanced. In addition, one new bisabolane sesquiterpene, aspergillusene E (), along with ten known derivatives were also isolated. The structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic methods of NMR and HRESIMS analysis. Compounds and displayed antibacterial activities against and with the MIC values of 8-16 μg/mL. Our study revealed that the fungus XS-20090066 has been effectively induced by chemical epigenetic manipulation with a combination of SAHA and 5-Aza to produce new metabolites.
PubMed: 32082294
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00085 -
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 -
Marine Drugs May 2022Fibrinolytic enzymes are important components in the treatment of thrombosis-associated disorders. A new bi-functional fibrinolytic enzyme, versiase, was identified from...
Fibrinolytic enzymes are important components in the treatment of thrombosis-associated disorders. A new bi-functional fibrinolytic enzyme, versiase, was identified from a marine-derived fungus ZLH-1. The enzyme was isolated from the fungal culture through precipitation with ammonium sulfate at 90% saturation. Additionally, it was further purified by DEAE-based ion-exchange chromatography, with a recovery of 20.4%. The fibrinolytic enzyme presented as one band on both SDS-PAGE and fibrin-zymogram, with a molecular mass of 37.3 kDa. It was elucidated as a member of metalloprotease in M35 family by proteomic approaches. The homology-modeling analysis revealed that versiase shares significant structural homology wuth the zinc metalloendopeptidase. The enzyme displayed maximum activity at 40 °C and pH 5.0. The activity of versiase was strongly inhibited by the metalloprotease inhibitors EDTA and BGTA. Furthermore, versiase hydrolyzed fibrin directly and indirectly via the activation of plasminogen, and it was able to hydrolyze the three chains (α, β, γ) of fibrin(ogen). Additionally, versiase demonstrated promising thrombolytic and anticoagulant activities, without many side-effects noticed. In conclusion, versiase appears to be a potent fibrinolytic enzyme deserving further investigation.
Topics: Anticoagulants; Aspergillus; Fibrin; Fibrinolytic Agents; Fungi; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Metalloproteases; Molecular Weight; Proteomics; Temperature
PubMed: 35736159
DOI: 10.3390/md20060356 -
Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. :... Oct 2012There is considerable evidence supporting a role for mold exposure in the pathogenesis and expression of childhood asthma. Aspergillus versicolor and Cladosporium... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
There is considerable evidence supporting a role for mold exposure in the pathogenesis and expression of childhood asthma. Aspergillus versicolor and Cladosporium cladosporioides are common molds that have been implicated in asthma. In a model of mold-induced asthma, mice were repeatedly exposed to either A. versicolor or C. cladosporioides spores. The two molds induced distinct phenotypes, and this effect was observed in both BALB/c and C57BL/6 strains. C. cladosporioides induced robust airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), eosinophilia, and a predominately Th2 response, whereas A. versicolor induced a strong Th17 response and neutrophilic inflammation, but very mild AHR. Neutralization of IL-17A resulted in strong AHR and eosinophilic inflammation following A. versicolor exposure. In Dectin-1-deficient mice, A. versicolor exposure resulted in markedly attenuated IL-17A and robust AHR compared with wild-type mice. In contrast, C. cladosporioides induced AHR and eosinophilic inflammation independent of IL-17A and Dectin-1. A. versicolor, but not C. cladosporioides, spores had increased exposure of β-glucans on their surface and were able to bind Dectin-1. Thus, the host response to C. cladosporioides was IL-17A- and Dectin-1-independent, whereas Dectin-1- and IL-17A-dependent pathways were protective against the development of asthma after exposure to A. versicolor.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Aspergillus; Asthma; Bronchial Hyperreactivity; Cladosporium; Eosinophils; Immunophenotyping; Inflammation Mediators; Interleukin-17; Lectins, C-Type; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Neutrophils; Spores, Fungal; Surface Properties; beta-Glucans
PubMed: 22962686
DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1200589 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2022The use of morphology to diagnose invasive mould infections in China still faces substantial challenges, which often leads to delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. We...
The use of morphology to diagnose invasive mould infections in China still faces substantial challenges, which often leads to delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. We developed a model called XMVision Fungus AI to identify mould infections by training, testing, and evaluating a ResNet-50 model. Our research achieved the rapid identification of nine common clinical moulds: complex, complex, complex, complex, , , , spp., and spp. In our study, the adaptive image contrast enhancement enabling XMVision Fungus AI as a promising module by effectively improve the identification performance. The overall identification accuracy of XMVision Fungus AI was up to 93.00% (279/300), which was higher than that of human readers. XMVision Fungus AI shows intrinsic advantages in the identification of clinical moulds and can be applied to improve human identification efficiency through training. Moreover, it has great potential for clinical application because of its convenient operation and lower cost. This system will be suitable for primary hospitals in China and developing countries.
PubMed: 36312928
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1021236 -
Toxicological Sciences : An Official... May 2010We have characterized cell death in THP-1 cells after exposure to heat-treated spores from satratoxin G-producing Stachybotrys chartarum isolate IBT 9631,...
We have characterized cell death in THP-1 cells after exposure to heat-treated spores from satratoxin G-producing Stachybotrys chartarum isolate IBT 9631, atranone-producing S. chartarum isolate IBT 9634, and sterigmatocystin-producing Aspergillus versicolor isolate IBT 3781, as well as the trichothecenes T-2 and satratoxin G. Spores induced cell death within 3-6 h, with Stachybotrys appearing most potent. IBT 9631 induced both apoptosis and necrosis, while IBT 9634 and IBT 3781 induced mostly necrosis. T-2 toxin and satratoxin G caused mainly apoptosis. Comet assay +/- formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase showed that only the spore exposures induced early (3h) oxidative DNA damage. Likewise, only the spores increased the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), suggesting that spores as particles may induce ROS formation and oxidative DNA damage. Increased Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) phosphorylation, indicating DNA damage, was observed after all exposures. The DNA damage response induced by IBT 9631 as well as satratoxin G was characterized by rapid (15 min) activation of p38 and H2AX. The p38 inhibitor SB 202190 reduced IBT 9631-induced H2AX activation. Both IBT 9631 and T-2 induced activation of Chk2 and H2AX after 3 h. The ATM inhibitor KU 55933, as well as transfection of cells with ATM siRNA, reduced this activation, suggesting a partial role for ATM as upstream activator for Chk2 and H2AX. In conclusion, activation of Chk2 and H2AX correlated with spore- and toxin-induced apoptosis. For IBT 9631 and satratoxin G, additional factors may be involved in triggering apoptosis, most notably p38 activation.
Topics: Apoptosis; Aspergillus; Cell Line; Cell Survival; Comet Assay; DNA; DNA Damage; Humans; Monocytes; Spores, Fungal; Stachybotrys; T-2 Toxin
PubMed: 20150440
DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfq045 -
Mycobiology Sep 2016In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of to detect different mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the common indoor fungus, , and demonstrate...
In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of to detect different mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the common indoor fungus, , and demonstrate the potential usage of the plant as a bioindicator to monitor fungal VOCs in indoor air. We evaluated the volatile production of strains SRRC 108 (NRRL 3449) and SRRC 2559 (ATCC 32662) grown on nutrient rich fungal medium, and grown under conditions to mimic the substrate encountered in the built environment where fungi would typically grow indoors (moist wallboard and ceiling tiles). Using headspace solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we analyzed VOC profiles of the two strains. The most abundant compound produced by both strains on all three media was 1-octen-3-ol. Strain SRRC 2559 made several terpenes not detected from strain SRRC 108. Using a split-plate bioassay, we grew in a shared atmosphere with VOCs from the two strains of grown on yeast extract sucrose medium. The VOCs emitted by SRRC 2559 had an adverse impact on seed germination and plant growth. Chemical standards of individual VOCs from the mixture (2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-octen-3-ol, limonene, and β-farnesene), and β-caryophyllene were tested one by one in seed germination and vegetative plant growth assays. The most inhibitory compound to both seed germination and plant growth was 1-octen-3-ol. Our data suggest that is a useful model for monitoring indoor air quality as it is sensitive to naturally emitted fungal volatile mixtures as well as to chemical standards of individual compounds, and it exhibits relatively quick concentration- and duration-dependent responses.
PubMed: 27790067
DOI: 10.5941/MYCO.2016.44.3.162