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Journal of Clinical Microbiology Feb 1997We report on a case of subcutaneous infection of the arm caused by the coelomycetous fungus Nattrassia mangiferae (formerly Hendersonula toruloidea) in a... (Review)
Review
We report on a case of subcutaneous infection of the arm caused by the coelomycetous fungus Nattrassia mangiferae (formerly Hendersonula toruloidea) in a steroid-dependent diabetic man with chronic obstructive lung disease. The man was a resident of Arizona, where the fungus is known to be endemic on Eucalyptus camaldulensis and on citrus trees. Diagnosis of fungal infection was made by observation of narrow hyphal filaments by histopathology of biopsy specimens and isolation of a fast-growing black mold which demonstrated hyphae and arthroconidia of varying widths typical of the Scytalidium synanamorph (S. dimidiatum). The formation of pycnidia, which at maturity expressed conidia with a central median dark band, allowed for the confirmation of the isolate as N. mangiferae. Remission of the lesions occurred following intravenous therapy with amphotericin B, followed by topical clotrimazole treatment. We use this patient's case report as an opportunity to review the literature on cases of deep infection caused by Scytalidium species, to evaluate the antifungal susceptibilities of a spectrum of Scytalidium isolates, and to review the taxonomy of Scytalidium species isolated from human infections.
Topics: Aged; Amphotericin B; Antifungal Agents; Arm; Dermatomycoses; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Humans; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mitosporic Fungi; Skin
PubMed: 9003611
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.35.2.433-440.1997 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Aug 2000The susceptibility of 30 clinical isolates belonging to six different species of filamentous fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Scedosporium prolificans,... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Comparison of NCCLS and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-Thiazyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) methods of in vitro susceptibility testing of filamentous fungi and development of a new simplified method.
The susceptibility of 30 clinical isolates belonging to six different species of filamentous fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Scedosporium prolificans, Scedosporium apiospermum, Fusarium solani, and Fusarium oxysporum) was tested against six antifungal drugs (miconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, UR9825, terbinafine, and amphotericin B) with the microdilution method recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) (M38-P). The MICs were compared with the MICs obtained by a colorimetric method measuring the reduction of the dye 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) to formazan by viable fungi. The levels of agreement between the two methods were 96 and 92% for MIC-0 (clear wells) and MIC-1 (75% growth reduction), respectively. The levels of agreement were always higher for Aspergillus spp. (97% +/- 2.5%), followed by Scedosporium spp. (87% +/- 10.3%) and Fusarium spp. (78% +/- 7.8%). The NCCLS method was more reproducible than the MTT method: 98 versus 95% for MIC-0 and 97 versus 90% for MIC-1. However, the percentage of hyphal growth as determined visually by the NCCLS method showed several discrepancies when they were compared with the percentages of MTT reduction. A new simplified assay that incorporates the dye MTT with the initial inoculum and in which the fungi are incubated with the dye for 48 h or more was developed, showing comparable levels of agreement and reproducibility with the other two methods. Furthermore, the new assay was easier to perform and more sensitive than the MTT method.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Formazans; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mitosporic Fungi; Mycoses; Oxidation-Reduction; Reproducibility of Results; Tetrazolium Salts; Thiazoles
PubMed: 10921957
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.38.8.2949-2954.2000 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology May 2010To investigate the presence of fungi during three human decomposition stages: bloated, putrefaction and skeletonization.
AIMS
To investigate the presence of fungi during three human decomposition stages: bloated, putrefaction and skeletonization.
METHODS AND RESULTS
The samples were gathered in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, from the public morgue and cemeteries. The material was submitted to conventional mycological procedures by direct examination and macro/micro morphological and biochemical analyses. The main fungi isolated were Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Candida spp. in the bloated stage (n = 34 cadavers) and in the putrefaction stage (n = 6 cadavers), while in the skeletonization stage (n = 20 cadavers), the main fungi were Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Mucor sp.
CONCLUSIONS
Aspergillus, Penicillium and Candida species were associated with decomposed human cadavers.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY
These findings enable tracing out the profile of fungal communities of human cadavers for the first time. However, much more research will be necessary to develop this new segment of mycology and to enable its routine use in forensic science.
Topics: Aspergillus; Biodiversity; Brazil; Candida; Ecosystem; Forensic Sciences; Humans; Mitosporic Fungi; Penicillium; Postmortem Changes
PubMed: 19863685
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04573.x -
Nature Genetics Sep 2012Colletotrichum species are fungal pathogens that devastate crop plants worldwide. Host infection involves the differentiation of specialized cell types that are...
Colletotrichum species are fungal pathogens that devastate crop plants worldwide. Host infection involves the differentiation of specialized cell types that are associated with penetration, growth inside living host cells (biotrophy) and tissue destruction (necrotrophy). We report here genome and transcriptome analyses of Colletotrichum higginsianum infecting Arabidopsis thaliana and Colletotrichum graminicola infecting maize. Comparative genomics showed that both fungi have large sets of pathogenicity-related genes, but families of genes encoding secreted effectors, pectin-degrading enzymes, secondary metabolism enzymes, transporters and peptidases are expanded in C. higginsianum. Genome-wide expression profiling revealed that these genes are transcribed in successive waves that are linked to pathogenic transitions: effectors and secondary metabolism enzymes are induced before penetration and during biotrophy, whereas most hydrolases and transporters are upregulated later, at the switch to necrotrophy. Our findings show that preinvasion perception of plant-derived signals substantially reprograms fungal gene expression and indicate previously unknown functions for particular fungal cell types.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Cluster Analysis; Colletotrichum; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Genome, Fungal; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Mitosporic Fungi; Models, Biological; Phylogeny; Plant Diseases; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Transcriptome
PubMed: 22885923
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2372 -
Journal of Microbiology and... Sep 2014Cotton plants were sampled and ranked according to their resistance to Verticillium wilt. In total, 642 endophytic fungi isolates representing 27 genera were recovered...
Cotton plants were sampled and ranked according to their resistance to Verticillium wilt. In total, 642 endophytic fungi isolates representing 27 genera were recovered from Gossypium hirsutum root, stem, and leaf tissues, but were not uniformly distributed. More endophytic fungi appeared in the leaf (391) compared with the root (140) and stem (111) sections. However, no significant difference in the abundance of isolated endophytes was found among resistant cotton varieties. Alternaria exhibited the highest colonization frequency (7.9%), followed by Acremonium (6.6%) and Penicillium (4.8%). Unlike tolerant varieties, resistant and susceptible ones had similar endophytic fungal population compositions. In three Verticillium-wilt-resistant cotton varieties, fungal endophytes from the genus Alternaria were most frequently isolated, followed by Gibberella and Penicillium. The maximum concentration of dominant endophytic fungi was observed in leaf tissues (0.1797). The evenness of stem tissue endophytic communities (0.702) was comparatively more uniform than the other two tissues. Eighty endophytic fungi selected from 27 genera were evaluated for their inhibition activity against highly virulent Verticillium dahliae isolate Vd080 in vitro. Thirty-nine isolates exhibited fungistasis against the pathogen at varying degrees. Seven species, having high growth inhibition rates (≥75%), exhibited strong antifungal activity against V. dahliae. The antifungal activity of both volatile and nonvolatile metabolites was also investigated. The nonvolatile substances produced by CEF-818 (Penicillium simplicissimum), CEF-325 (Fusarium solani), CEF-714 (Leptosphaeria sp.), and CEF-642 (Talaromyces flavus) completely inhibited V. dahliae growth. These findings deepen our understanding of cotton-endophyte interactions and provide a platform for screening G. hirsutum endophytes with biocontrol potential.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Disease Resistance; Endophytes; Gossypium; Microbial Interactions; Mitosporic Fungi; Plant Diseases; Verticillium
PubMed: 24836187
DOI: 10.4014/jmb.1402.02035 -
Applied Microbiology Aug 1971A survey was made of the NaCl tolerance of 975 species of terrestrial fungi selected from the major taxonomic classes. The penicillia and aspergilli were notably the...
A survey was made of the NaCl tolerance of 975 species of terrestrial fungi selected from the major taxonomic classes. The penicillia and aspergilli were notably the most resistant with the majority of their species able to grow in the presence of 20% or more of NaCl. The Basidiomycetes, as a class, were decidedly the least tolerant with over half the species unable to withstand more than 2% NaCl. Uniformity of tolerance by multiple strains of various species suggests that this may provide a useful taxonomic criterion.
Topics: Ascomycota; Aspergillus; Basidiomycota; Culture Media; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Fungi; Mitosporic Fungi; Penicillium; Sodium Chloride; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 5096381
DOI: 10.1128/am.22.2.210-213.1971 -
Microbiology (Reading, England) Aug 1996Pestalotiopsis microspora occurs as a range of strains in bald cypress, Taxodium distichum. The organisms live as endophytes in the bark, phloem and xylem, and isolates... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Pestalotiopsis microspora occurs as a range of strains in bald cypress, Taxodium distichum. The organisms live as endophytes in the bark, phloem and xylem, and isolates show differences in cultural and microscopic characteristics on common laboratory media. Many of these fungi make taxol as determined by the reactivity of partially purified culture extracts with specific monoclonal antibodies against taxol. In the case of one strain of P. microspora (CP-4), taxol was isolated from culture medium and was shown to be identical to authentic taxol by chromatographic and spectroscopic means.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Mitosporic Fungi; Paclitaxel; Species Specificity; Trees
PubMed: 8760934
DOI: 10.1099/13500872-142-8-2223 -
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Jun 1999MICs and minimum fungicidal concentrations of amphotericin B, miconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole, and flucytosine against 17 isolates of Scopulariopsis...
MICs and minimum fungicidal concentrations of amphotericin B, miconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole, and flucytosine against 17 isolates of Scopulariopsis spp. were determined by a broth microdilution method. All the isolates were resistant to itraconazole, fluconazole, and flucytosine, and amphotericin B, miconazole, and ketoconazole MICs were low for only a few.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mitosporic Fungi
PubMed: 10348787
DOI: 10.1128/AAC.43.6.1520 -
Bioscience, Biotechnology, and... Feb 1995An uncommon heptaketide metabolite, setosol (2,8-dimethyl-4 methoxy-6,10,11-trihydroxy-benzo-oxaonin), was isolated from a liquid culture filtrate of the fungus... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
An uncommon heptaketide metabolite, setosol (2,8-dimethyl-4 methoxy-6,10,11-trihydroxy-benzo-oxaonin), was isolated from a liquid culture filtrate of the fungus Pleiochaeta setosa. The biological activity of the molecule was studied by using 12 microbial strains consisting of three bacteria, three yeasts and six fungi. The level of activity was compared with those of known antibiotics and antifungal agents. The metabolite exhibited antifungal and antibiotic activity against Drechslera oryzae, Gerlachia oryzae, Pyricularia oryzae, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Staphylococcus aureus. The acetylated derivative of setosol did not inhibit the growth of any of the target pathogens. Phytotoxicity studies on whole lupine leaves show that setosol is implicated in the pathogenesis of the brown spot disease of lupines since artificial inoculation of the leaves with the metabolite provoked lesions similar to the characteristic brown spots and lesions on lupine leaves infected by the fungus.
Topics: Acetylation; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antifungal Agents; Aspergillus oryzae; Bacteria; Candida albicans; Cryptococcus neoformans; Escherichia coli; Fungi; Fusarium; Heterocyclic Compounds; Mitosporic Fungi; Plant Diseases; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Staphylococcus aureus; Structure-Activity Relationship
PubMed: 7766015
DOI: 10.1271/bbb.59.173 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2013The title compounds are a class of structurally simple analogues of quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs). In order to develop novel QBA-like antifungal...
The title compounds are a class of structurally simple analogues of quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs). In order to develop novel QBA-like antifungal drugs, in this study, 24 of the title compounds with various substituents on the N-phenyl ring were evaluated for bioactivity against seven phytopathogenic fungi using the mycelial growth rate method and their SAR discussed. Almost all the compounds showed definite activities in vitro against each of the test fungi at 50 μg/mL and a broad antifungal spectrum. In most cases, the mono-halogenated compounds 2-12 exhibited excellent activities superior to the QBAs sanguinarine and chelerythrine. Compound 8 possessed the strongest activities on each of the fungi with EC₅₀ values of 8.88-19.88 µg/mL and a significant concentration-dependent relationship. The SAR is as follows: the N-phenyl group is a high sensitive structural moiety for the activity and the characteristics and position of substituents intensively influence the activity. Generally, electron-withdrawing substituents remarkably enhance the activity while electron-donating substituents cause a decrease of the activity. In most cases, ortha- and para-halogenated isomers were more active than the corresponding m-halogenated isomers. Thus, the title compounds emerged as promising lead compounds for the development of novel biomimetic antifungal agrochemicals. Compounds 8 and 2 should have great potential as new broad spectrum antifungal agents for plant protection.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Benzophenanthridines; Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Mitosporic Fungi; Plant Diseases; Structure-Activity Relationship
PubMed: 23994968
DOI: 10.3390/molecules180910413