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Microorganisms Feb 2022Few data exist on the human gut mycobiome in relation to lifestyle, ethnicity, and dietary habits. To understand the effect of these factors on the structure of the...
Mycobiome-Host Coevolution? The Mycobiome of Ancestral Human Populations Seems to Be Different and Less Diverse Than Those of Extant Native and Urban-Industrialized Populations.
Few data exist on the human gut mycobiome in relation to lifestyle, ethnicity, and dietary habits. To understand the effect of these factors on the structure of the human gut mycobiome, we analyzed sequences belonging to two extinct pre-Columbian cultures inhabiting Puerto Rico (the Huecoid and Saladoid) and compared them to coprolite samples found in Mexico and Ötzi, the Iceman's large intestine. Stool mycobiome samples from extant populations in Peru and urban cultures from the United States were also included. The ancient Puerto Rican cultures exhibited a lower fungal diversity in comparison to the extant populations. Dissimilarity distances showed that the Huecoid gut mycobiome resembled that from ancient Mexico. Fungal genera including spp., spp., spp., spp., spp., spp., spp., and spp. were differentially abundant in the ancient and extant populations. Despite cultural differences, certain fungal taxa were present in all samples. These results suggest that culture and diet may impact the gut mycobiome and emphasize that modern lifestyles could be associated with the alteration of gut mycobiome diversity. The present study presents data on ancient and extant human gut mycobiomes in terms of lifestyle, ethnicity, and diet in the Americas.
PubMed: 35208912
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020459 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2021Polymicrobial co-fermentation is among the distinct character of high-temperature Daqu. However, fungal communities in the three types of high-temperature Daqu, namely,...
Polymicrobial co-fermentation is among the distinct character of high-temperature Daqu. However, fungal communities in the three types of high-temperature Daqu, namely, white high-temperature Daqu, black high-temperature Daqu, and yellow high-temperature Daqu, are yet to be characterized. In this study, the fungal diversity, taste, and aroma profiles in the three types of high-temperature Daqu were investigated by Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing, electronic tongue, and electronic nose, respectively. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were detected as the absolute dominant fungal phylum in all types of high-temperature Daqu samples, whereas , , , , , and were identified as the dominant fungal genera. The fungal communities of the three types of high-temperature Daqu differed significantly ( < 0.05), and , , and could serve as the biomarkers in white high-temperature Daqu, black high-temperature Daqu, and yellow high-temperature Daqu, respectively. The three types of high-temperature Daqu had an extremely significant difference ( < 0.01) in flavor: white high-temperature Daqu was characterized by sourness, bitterness, astringency, richness, methane, alcohols, ketones, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur organic compounds; black high-temperature Daqu was characterized by aftertaste-A, aftertaste-B, methane-aliph, hydrogen, and aromatic compounds; and yellow high-temperature Daqu was characterized by saltiness, umami, methane, alcohols, ketones, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur organic compounds. The fungal communities in the three types of high-temperature Daqu were significantly correlated with taste but not with aroma, and the aroma of high-temperature Daqu was mainly influenced by the dominant fungal genera including , , , and . The result of the present study enriched and refined our knowledge of high-temperature Daqu, which had positive implications for the development of traditional brewing technique.
PubMed: 34925290
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.784651 -
The Journal of Antimicrobial... Feb 2021To provide a basis for clinical management decisions in Paecilomyces variotii infection.
OBJECTIVES
To provide a basis for clinical management decisions in Paecilomyces variotii infection.
METHODS
Unpublished cases of invasive P. variotii infection from the FungiScope® registry and all cases reported in the literature were analysed.
RESULTS
We identified 59 cases with P. variotii infection. Main baseline factors were presence of indwelling devices in 29 cases (49.2%), particularly peritoneal catheters (33.9%) and prosthetic heart valves (10.2%), haematological or oncological diseases in 19 (32.2%), major surgery in 11 (18.6%), and diabetes mellitus in 10 cases (16.9%). The most prevalent infection sites were peritoneum (n = 20, 33.3%) and lungs (n = 16, 27.1%). Pain and fever were frequent (n = 35, 59.3% and n = 33, 55.9%, respectively). Diagnosis was established by culture in 58 cases (98.3%). P. variotii caused breakthrough infection in 8 patients. Systemic antifungals were given in 52 patients (88.1%). Amphotericin B was administered in 39, itraconazole in 15, and posaconazole in 8 patients. Clinical isolates were frequently resistant to voriconazole, whereas the above-mentioned antifungals showed good in vitro activity. Infections of the blood and CNS caused high mortality. Overall mortality was 28.8% and death was attributed to P. variotii in 10 cases.
CONCLUSIONS
P. variotii causes life-threatening infections, especially in immunocompromised and critically ill patients with indwelling devices. Patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis are at particular risk. Multidisciplinary management is paramount, including molecular techniques for diagnosis and treatment with efficacious systemic antifungals. Amphotericin B, itraconazole and posaconazole are regarded as treatments of choice. Combination with flucytosine may be considered. Surgical debridement and removal of indwelling devices facilitate favourable outcome.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Byssochlamys; Humans; Mycoses; Paecilomyces; Registries; Voriconazole
PubMed: 33254240
DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkaa481 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2018Patulin (PAT) is a mycotoxin produced by some , and species. is able to degrade PAT as well as , up till date, the process and molecular mechanism(s) involved patulin...
Patulin (PAT) is a mycotoxin produced by some , and species. is able to degrade PAT as well as , up till date, the process and molecular mechanism(s) involved patulin degradation still remains unknown. Protein lysine crotonylation (Kcr) plays an important role in regulating chromatin dynamics, gene expression, and metabolic pathways in mammals and eukaryotes. Investigation of the Kcr changes accompanying degradation of patulin in were observed to investigate the mechanisms of patulin inhibition. Tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling and Kcro affinity enrichment, followed by high-resolution LC-MS/MS analysis, were used to perform quantitative lysine crotonylome analysis on . Consequently, 1691 lysine crotonylation sites in 629 protein groups were identified, among which we quantified 1457 sites in 562 proteins. Among the quantified proteins, 79 and 46 crotonylated proteins were up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. The differentially up expressed modified proteins were mainly involved in tricarboxylic acid cycle and gluconeogenic pathway. The differentially down expressed Kcr proteins were mainly classified to ribosome and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. Bioinformatic analyses were performed to annotate the quantifiable lysine crotonylated targets. Moreover, interaction networks and high confidence domain architectures of crotonylated proteins were investigated with the aid of bioinformatic tools, and these results showed that there was an increase in the number of yeasts with crotonylated proteins. The results also provided information on the various roles of crotonylation, which are involved in PAT degradation.
PubMed: 30233516
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02025 -
Allergy Mar 2022
Topics: Allergens; Byssochlamys; Humans; Paecilomyces
PubMed: 34773271
DOI: 10.1111/all.15176 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2021Hydroponic systems have gained interest and are increasingly used in hot and dry desert areas. Numbers of benefits are offered by hydroponic systems such as the ability...
Hydroponic systems have gained interest and are increasingly used in hot and dry desert areas. Numbers of benefits are offered by hydroponic systems such as the ability to save water, enhance nutrients use efficiency, easy environmental control, and prevention of soil-borne diseases. However, the high consumption of chemical fertilizers for nutrient solution and the sensitivity of closed hydroponic systems to salinity are issues that need solutions. Thus, the main goal of our research activities is to isolate plant growth promoting fungi in order to develop sustainable hydroponic systems. We are working on isolating and testing the possibility to incorporate the cell-free filtrate (CFF) of plant growth promoting fungi (PGPF) in the composition of the nutrient solution. In this work, we isolated six strains of PGPF from the rhizosphere of the halophyte grass . Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences amplified by ITS1 and ITS4 primers identified the isolated fungi as: , , , , , and . The promoting of vigor in tobacco seedlings was used as criteria to evaluate the biostimulant activity of these fungi by adding either their mycelia (DE: direct effect) or their cell-free filtrates (CFF: indirect effect) to the plant-growth media. The best significant growth stimulation was obtained with plants treated by . However, only the CFFs of (A5.1) and (A8) when added at a dilution factor of 1/50 to half-strength nutritive solution (0.5NS) resulted in significant improvement of all assessed growth parameters. Indeed, the A5.1CFF and A8CFF in 0.5NS induced a significant better increase in the biomass production when compared to NS or 0.5NS alone. All fungi produced indole acetic acid in the CFFs, which could be one of the key factors explaining their biostimulant activities. Furthermore, six genes involved in nitrogen-metabolism ( and ), auxin biosynthesis ( and ), and brassinosteroid biosynthesis ( and ) were shown to be induced in roots or leaves following treatment of plants with the all CFFs. This work opens up a prospect to study in deep the biostimulant activity of PGPFs and their applications to decrease the requirement of chemical fertilizers in the hydroponic growing systems.
PubMed: 33923476
DOI: 10.3390/plants10040784 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2020Lipopeptide biosurfactants produced by sp. were assessed regarding their antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms. Both...
Lipopeptide biosurfactants produced by sp. were assessed regarding their antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were found not to be susceptible to these lipopeptides. However, mycosubtilin and mycosubtilin/surfactin mixtures were very active against the filamentous fungi and , with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 1-16 mg/L. They were also active against , MIC = 16-64 mg/L. Moreover it was found that the antifungal activity of these lipopeptides was not affected by differences in isoform composition and/or purity. Furthermore their cytotoxicity tested on two different cell lines mimicking ingestion and detoxification was comparable to those of approved food preservatives such as nisin. Overall, for the first time here mycosubtilin and mycosubtilin/surfactin mixtures were found to have high antifungal activity against food relevant fungi at concentrations lower than their toxicity level hence, suggesting their application for extending the shelf-life of products susceptible to these moulds. In addition combining nisin with mycosubtilin or mycosubtiliin/surfactin mixtures proved to be an effective approach to produce antimicrobials with broader spectrum of action.
PubMed: 33505362
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.561060 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2018Species in the genus , a member of the fungal order Eurotiales, are ubiquitous in nature and impact a variety of human endeavors. Here, the biology of one common...
Species in the genus , a member of the fungal order Eurotiales, are ubiquitous in nature and impact a variety of human endeavors. Here, the biology of one common species, , was explored using genomics and functional genetics. Sequencing the genome of two isolates revealed key genome and gene features in this species. A striking feature of the genome was the two-part nature, featuring large stretches of DNA with normal GC content separated by AT-rich regions, a hallmark of many plant-pathogenic fungal genomes. These AT-rich regions appeared to have been mutated by repeat-induced point (RIP) mutations. We developed methods for genetic transformation of , including forward and reverse genetics as well as crossing techniques. Using transformation and crossing, RIP activity was identified, demonstrating for the first time that RIP is an active process within the order Eurotiales. A consequence of RIP is likely reflected by a reduction in numbers of genes within gene families, such as in cell wall degradation, and reflected by growth limitations on on diverse carbon sources. Furthermore, using these transformation tools we characterized a conserved protein containing a domain of unknown function (DUF1212) and discovered it is involved in pigmentation.
PubMed: 30619145
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03058 -
Fish & Shellfish Immunology May 2024Paecilomyces variotii (a filamentous fungus), is a promising novel protein source in fish feeds due to its high nutritional value. Also, P. variotii has...
Differential expression of immune-related biomarkers in primary cultures from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) exposed to processed Paecilomyces variotii with or without inactivated Moritella viscosa.
Paecilomyces variotii (a filamentous fungus), is a promising novel protein source in fish feeds due to its high nutritional value. Also, P. variotii has Microbial-Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs) such as glucans and nucleic acids that could modulate the host's immune response. To understand the potential bioactive properties of this fungus in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), our study was conducted to evaluate the gene expression of immune-related biomarkers (e.g., cytokines, effector molecules and receptors) on primary cultures from salmon head kidney (HKLs) and spleen leukocytes (SLs) exposed to either UV inactivated or fractions from P. variotii with or without inactivated Moritella viscosa (a skin pathogen in salmonids). Moreover, the effect of the fermentation conditions and down-stream processing on the physical ultrastructure and cell wall glucan content of P. variotii was characterized. The results showed that drying had a significant effect on the cell wall ultrastructure of the fungi and the choice of fermentation has a significant effect on the quantity of β-glucans in P. variotii. Furthermore, stimulating Atlantic salmon HKLs and SLs with P. variotii and its fractions induced gene expression related to pro-inflammatory (tnfα, il1β) and antimicrobial response (cath2) in HKLs, while response in SLs was related to both pro-inflammatory and regulatory response (tnfα, il6 and il10). Similarly, the stimulation with inactivated M. viscosa alone led to an up-regulation of genes related to pro-inflammatory (tnfα, il1β, il6) antimicrobial response (cath2), intra-cellular signalling and recognition of M. viscosa (sclra, sclrb) and a suppression of regulatory response (il10) in both HKLs and SLs. Interestingly, the co-stimulation of cells with P. variotii and M. viscosa induced immune homeostasis (il6, tgfβ) and antimicrobial response (cath2) in SLs at 48h. Thus, P. variotii induces immune activation and cellular communication in Atlantic salmon HKLs and SLs and modulates M. viscosa induced pro-inflammatory responses in SLs. Taken together, the results from physical and chemical characterization of the fungi, along with the differential gene expression of key immune biomarkers, provides a theoretical basis for designing feeding trials and optimize diets with P. variotii as a functional novel feed ingredient for Atlantic salmon.
Topics: Animals; Salmo salar; Moritella; Interleukin-10; Interleukin-6; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Biomarkers; Anti-Infective Agents; Fish Diseases; Byssochlamys
PubMed: 38508541
DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109506 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Feb 1981The combined and independent effects of sucrose, sodium chloride, potassium sorbate, and sodium benzoate on heat inactivation of conidia of Aspergillus flavus and...
The combined and independent effects of sucrose, sodium chloride, potassium sorbate, and sodium benzoate on heat inactivation of conidia of Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium puberulum, ascospores of Byssochlamys nivea, and vegetative cells of Geotrichum candidum were studied. In addition, the effects of solutes and preservatives on colony formation by unheated and heated conidia of A. flavus were evaluated. Increased concentrations of sucrose were accompanied by increased tolerance to heat by A. flavus, B. nivea, and G. candidum. Low concentrations (3 and 6%) of sodium chloride protected A. flavus and G. candidum, whereas up to 12% sodium chloride protected B. nivea, but had little effect on the heat stability of P. puberulum. Potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate acted synergistically with heat to inactivate all four molds. At the same concentration, the two preservatives had varied degrees of effectiveness on molds and were influenced by the type of solute in the heating menstrua. Heated conidia of A. flavus had increased sensitivity to preservatives and reduced water activity, whether achieved by the presence of sucrose or sodium chloride, thus demonstrating heat-induced injury. At the same concentration, potassium sorbate was clearly more inhibitory than was sodium benzoate to colony formation by A. flavus, and the presence of sucrose and sodium chloride enhanced this inhibition.
Topics: Ascomycota; Benzoates; Food Preservatives; Hot Temperature; Mitosporic Fungi; Saccharomycetales; Sodium Chloride; Sorbic Acid; Spores, Fungal; Sucrose
PubMed: 7195189
DOI: 10.1128/aem.41.2.472-477.1981