-
Studies in Mycology Jun 2013Alternaria is a ubiquitous fungal genus that includes saprobic, endophytic and pathogenic species associated with a wide variety of substrates. In recent years,...
UNLABELLED
Alternaria is a ubiquitous fungal genus that includes saprobic, endophytic and pathogenic species associated with a wide variety of substrates. In recent years, DNA-based studies revealed multiple non-monophyletic genera within the Alternaria complex, and Alternaria species clades that do not always correlate to species-groups based on morphological characteristics. The Alternaria complex currently comprises nine genera and eight Alternaria sections. The aim of this study was to delineate phylogenetic lineages within Alternaria and allied genera based on nucleotide sequence data of parts of the 18S nrDNA, 28S nrDNA, ITS, GAPDH, RPB2 and TEF1-alpha gene regions. Our data reveal a Pleospora/Stemphylium clade sister to Embellisia annulata, and a well-supported Alternaria clade. The Alternaria clade contains 24 internal clades and six monotypic lineages, the assemblage of which we recognise as Alternaria. This puts the genera Allewia, Brachycladium, Chalastospora, Chmelia, Crivellia, Embellisia, Lewia, Nimbya, Sinomyces, Teretispora, Ulocladium, Undifilum and Ybotromyces in synonymy with Alternaria. In this study, we treat the 24 internal clades in the Alternaria complex as sections, which is a continuation of a recent proposal for the taxonomic treatment of lineages in Alternaria. Embellisia annulata is synonymised with Dendryphiella salina, and together with Dendryphiella arenariae, are placed in the new genus Paradendryphiella. The sexual genera Clathrospora and Comoclathris, which were previously associated with Alternaria, cluster within the Pleosporaceae, outside Alternaria s. str., whereas Alternariaster, a genus formerly seen as part of Alternaria, clusters within the Leptosphaeriaceae. Paradendryphiella is newly described, the generic circumscription of Alternaria is emended, and 32 new combinations and 10 new names are proposed. A further 10 names are resurrected, while descriptions are provided for 16 new Alternaria sections.
TAXONOMIC NOVELTIES
New combinations - Alternaria abundans (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria alternariae (Cooke) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria atra (Preuss) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria bornmuelleri (Magnus) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria botrytis (Preuss) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria caespitosa (de Hoog & C. Rubio) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria cantlous (Yong Wang bis & X.G. Zhang) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria caricis (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria cinerea (Baucom & Creamer) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria didymospora (Munt.-Cvetk.) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria fulva (Baucom & Creamer) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria hyacinthi (de Hoog & P.J. Mull. bis) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria indefessa (E.G. Simmons) Woudenberg & Crous, Alternaria leptinellae (E.G. Simmons & C.F. Hill) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria lolii (E.G. Simmons & C.F. Hill) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria multiformis (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria obclavata (Crous & U. Braun) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria obovoidea (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria oudemansii (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria oxytropis (Q. Wang, Nagao & Kakish.) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria penicillata (Corda) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria planifunda (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria proteae (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria scirpinfestans (E.G. Simmons & D.A. Johnson) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria scirpivora (E.G. Simmons & D.A. Johnson) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria septospora (Preuss) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria slovaca (Svob.-Pol., L. Chmel & Bojan.) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria subcucurbitae (Yong Wang bis & X.G. Zhang) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria tellustris (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria tumida (E.G. Simmons) Woudenb. & Crous, Paradendryphiella salina (G.K. Sutherl.) Woudenb. & Crous, Paradendryphiella arenariae (Nicot) Woudenb. & Crous. New names - Alternaria aspera Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria botryospora Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria brassicae-pekinensis Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria breviramosa Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria chlamydosporigena Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria concatenata Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria embellisia Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria heterospora Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria papavericola Woudenb. & Crous, Alternaria terricola Woudenb. & Crous. Resurrected names - Alternaria cetera E.G. Simmons, Alternaria chartarum Preuss, Alternaria consortialis (Thüm.) J.W. Groves & S. Hughes, Alternaria cucurbitae Letendre & Roum., Alternaria dennisii M.B. Ellis, Alternaria eureka E.G. Simmons, Alternaria gomphrenae Togashi, Alternaria malorum (Ruehle) U. Braun, Crous & Dugan, Alternaria phragmospora Emden, Alternaria scirpicola (Fuckel) Sivan. New sections, all in Alternaria - sect. Chalastospora Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Cheiranthus Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Crivellia Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Dianthicola Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Embellisia Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Embellisioides Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Eureka Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Infectoriae Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Japonicae Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Nimbya Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Phragmosporae Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Pseudoulocladium Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Teretispora Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Ulocladioides Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Ulocladium Woudenb. & Crous, sect. Undifilum Woudenb. & Crous. New genus - Paradendryphiella Woudenb. & Crous.
PubMed: 24014900
DOI: 10.3114/sim0015 -
Current Medical Mycology Dec 2021Due to the fact that fungal species, such as and produce carcinogenic and mutagenic aflatoxins and have the potential to produce fungal secondary metabolites, fungal...
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Due to the fact that fungal species, such as and produce carcinogenic and mutagenic aflatoxins and have the potential to produce fungal secondary metabolites, fungal contamination should be avoided. This study was conducted using the HPLC method and aimed to examine the fungal contamination of Isfahan hazelnuts in order to identify the presence of Aflatoxins.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In total, 100 samples of hazelnuts were randomly collected from supermarkets in Isfahan. The samples were then cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar media and analyzed to determine fungal contaminations. The aflatoxin analysis was carried out using the HPLC method.
RESULTS
It was discovered that nine genera of fungi, namely , , , , , , , , and were identified in 78% of the samples. Samples contaminated with (22 samples) were studied to determine the presence of aflatoxin. The results showed that 16 (72.72%) of the samples were contaminated with AFB1, AFB2, and AFG2 and the mean concentrations were 0.926, 0.563, and 0.155 ng/g, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Some parameters that affect mycotoxin production are temperature, food substrate, the strain of the mold, and other environmental factors. Due to the toxigenic quality of some of these fungi and their hazard to human health, it is crucial that fungal contamination and aflatoxin identification tests are carried out before certain products are made available to the mass market.
PubMed: 35747731
DOI: 10.18502/cmm.7.4.8404 -
Allergy Oct 2021
Topics: Air Pollution, Indoor; Allergens; Alternaria; Humans; Hypersensitivity
PubMed: 34216490
DOI: 10.1111/all.14999 -
Molecular Plant-microbe Interactions :... Jul 2021Species of (phylum Ascomycota, family Pleosporaceae) are known as serious plant pathogens, causing major losses on a wide range of crops. (previously known as ) can...
Species of (phylum Ascomycota, family Pleosporaceae) are known as serious plant pathogens, causing major losses on a wide range of crops. (previously known as ) can grow as a saprophyte on many hosts and causes Ulocladium blight on potato. It has been reported that it can also be used as a biocontrol agent against . Here, we present a scaffold-level reference genome assembly for The assembly contains 43 scaffolds with a total length of 39.62 Mbp, with scaffold N of 3,893,166 bp, L of 4, and the longest 10 scaffolds containing 89.9% of the assembled data. RNAsequencing-guided gene prediction using BRAKER resulted in 12,173 protein-coding genes with their functional annotation. This first high-quality reference genome assembly and annotation for can be used as a resource for studying evolution in the highly complicated genus and might help in understanding the mechanisms defining its role as pathogen or biocontrol agent.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.
Topics: Alternaria; Ascomycota; Botrytis; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Solanum tuberosum
PubMed: 33779266
DOI: 10.1094/MPMI-01-21-0016-A -
MicrobiologyOpen Oct 2017Urban life has created man-made extreme environments like carwashes. These environments have, however, not been sufficiently explored for mycobiota that can be sources...
Urban life has created man-made extreme environments like carwashes. These environments have, however, not been sufficiently explored for mycobiota that can be sources of biotechnologically useful products, as has been the case with natural extreme environments. Using a combination of culture and molecular techniques, fungi from carwash effluents was characterized for production of lipase and cellulase enzymes, nonpolar and polar biotechnologically relevant secondary metabolites and hydrocarbon utilization. The isolated fungal strains belonged to the genera Alternaria, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Peyronellaea, Rhizopus, Spegazzinia, Trichoderma, Ulocladium and Yarrowia. Sixty-six percent (66%) of the fungal isolates were found to be able to metabolize naphthalene and benzanthracene, showing potential for application in bioremediation of hydrocarbon polluted sites. Lipase production by the isolates Penicillium sp. BPS3 (2.61 U/ml), Trichoderma sp. BPS9 (2.01 U/ml), Rhizopus sp. CAL1 (2.05 U/ml), Penicillium sp. PCW1 (2.99 U/ml) and Penicillium sp. SAS1 (2.16 U/ml) compared well with previously recorded lipase production levels by other fungi. The highest producers of cellulase were Penicillium sp. SAS1 (12.10 U/ml), Peyronella sp. CAW5 (4.49 U/ml) and Cladosporium sp. SAS3 (4.07 U/ml), although these activities were lower than previously reported levels. GC-MS analysis of the fungal secondary metabolites resulted in identification of 572 compounds, including azulene, methanamine, N-pentylidene, metoclopramide, and mepivacaine while compounds determined by UHPLC-MS included 10-undecen-1-ol, piquerol A, 10-undecyn-1-ol, cyclo(leucylprolyl) and rac-etomidate. These compounds were previously determined to have various activities including anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, antihypertensive, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties. The study demonstrated that fungi from carwash effluents are natural sources of some biotechnologically important products.
Topics: Biodegradation, Environmental; Biotechnology; Biotransformation; DNA, Intergenic; Environmental Microbiology; Fungi; Metabolomics; Microbiota; Motor Vehicles; Phylogeny; Secondary Metabolism
PubMed: 28714266
DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.498 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Jun 2011Fungal growth in damp or water-damaged buildings worldwide is an increasing problem, which has adverse effects on both the occupants and the buildings. Air sampling...
Fungal growth in damp or water-damaged buildings worldwide is an increasing problem, which has adverse effects on both the occupants and the buildings. Air sampling alone in moldy buildings does not reveal the full diversity of fungal species growing on building materials. One aim of this study was to estimate the qualitative and quantitative diversity of fungi growing on damp or water-damaged building materials. Another was to determine if associations exist between the most commonly found fungal species and different types of materials. More than 5,300 surface samples were taken by means of V8 contact plates from materials with visible fungal growth. Fungal identifications and information on building material components were analyzed using multivariate statistic methods to determine associations between fungi and material components. The results confirmed that Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus versicolor are the most common fungal species in water-damaged buildings. The results also showed Chaetomium spp., Acremonium spp., and Ulocladium spp. to be very common on damp building materials. Analyses show that associated mycobiotas exist on different building materials. Associations were found between (i) Acremonium spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys spp., Ulocladium spp., and gypsum and wallpaper, (ii) Arthrinium phaeospermum, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium herbarum, Trichoderma spp., yeasts, and different types of wood and plywood, and (iii) Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus melleus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, Chaetomium spp., Mucor racemosus, Mucor spinosus, and concrete and other floor-related materials. These results can be used to develop new and resistant building materials and relevant allergen extracts and to help focus research on relevant mycotoxins, microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), and microparticles released into the indoor environment.
Topics: Biodiversity; Colony Count, Microbial; Environmental Microbiology; Fungi; Housing
PubMed: 21531835
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02513-10 -
Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology... Apr 2023Any reliable allergy diagnosis depends on the quality of the testing material. In the case of fungal allergy, fungal extracts, typically used as test solutions, exhibit...
BACKGROUND
Any reliable allergy diagnosis depends on the quality of the testing material. In the case of fungal allergy, fungal extracts, typically used as test solutions, exhibit considerable differences in their allergenicity. Better knowledge of fungal allergen expression would enable the production of diagnostic fungal extracts of higher quality and, thus, improve the specificity and sensitivity of fungal allergy diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE
Our study aimed to find optimal cultivation conditions for the highest expression of fungal allergens.
METHODS
Fungal species (Alternaria alternata, Ulocladium chartarum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladosporium herbarum, and Paecilomyces variotii) were cultivated under different conditions, and extracts were prepared from fungal material. To detect the expression of the homologous major allergens Alt a 1 and Ulo c 1 and of different fungal enolases, Western blots with allergen-specific antibodies were carried out.
RESULTS
Western blots performed with antibodies directed against Alt a 1 and enolases showed that the expression of fungal allergens is highly species-dependent. Even allergens of closely related fungal species and highly conserved, cross-reactive allergens display different expression patterns.
CONCLUSION
This study exhibits the impact of different environmental conditions on the expression of the fungal allergens Alt a 1, Ulo c 1, and different fungal enolases. Furthermore, it broadens the knowledge regarding the expression pattern of the major fungal allergens Alt a 1 and Ulo c 1. Information obtained in this study will help to optimize fungal cultivation to produce diagnostic fungal extracts of high quality and, therefore, improve diagnostic specificity and sensitivity.
Topics: Humans; Allergens; Antigens, Fungal; Alternaria; Hypersensitivity; Aspergillus fumigatus; Plant Extracts; Fungal Proteins
PubMed: 36435304
DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2022.11.017 -
Annals of Agricultural and... 2007The fungi Trichoderma harzianum, T. polysporum, T. viride, Paeciliomyces fumosoroseus, P. lilacinus, Verticillium/lecanicillium lecanii, Ulocladium oudemansii, U. atrum... (Review)
Review
The fungi Trichoderma harzianum, T. polysporum, T. viride, Paeciliomyces fumosoroseus, P. lilacinus, Verticillium/lecanicillium lecanii, Ulocladium oudemansii, U. atrum and Beauveria bassiana are used or considered to be used for biocontrol of pests and plant diseases. Human exposure to these fungi in environments where they may naturally occur or are used as biocontrol agents has not been directly investigated to date. This review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge of human exposure to fungi from the relevant genera. The subject of fungal taxonomy due to the rapid development of this issue is also discussed. B. bassiana, V. lecanii, T. harzianum, T. polysporum, P. lilacinus and U. oudemansii were infrequently present in the air and thus people in general seem to be seldom exposed to these fungi. However, when V. lecanii was present, high concentrations were measured. Fungi from the genera Trichoderma, Paecilomyces and Ulocladium were rarely identified to the species level and sometimes high concentrations were reported. T. viride and U. atrum were detected frequently in different environments and sometimes with a high frequency of presence in samples. Thus, people seem to be frequently exposed to these fungi. Sequence data have led to recent revisions of fungal taxonomy, and in future studies it is important to specify the taxonomy used for identification, thus making comparisons possible.
Topics: Air Microbiology; Environmental Exposure; Fungi; Humans; Occupational Exposure; Occupational Health; Pest Control, Biological; Phylogeny; Species Specificity
PubMed: 17655172
DOI: No ID Found -
Plant Disease Sep 2020Fungal diseases are considered a major threat to plant growth and productivity. However, some beneficial fungi growing in the same environment protect plants from...
Fungal diseases are considered a major threat to plant growth and productivity. However, some beneficial fungi growing in the same environment protect plants from various pathogens, either by secreting antifungal metabolites or by stimulating the host immune defense mechanism. Date palms are susceptible to several fungal pathogens. Nevertheless, information on the pathogenic fungal distribution in date palm fields across different seasons is limited, especially that from Qatar. Therefore, the current study's aim was to evaluate the pathogenic and beneficial fungal diversity and distribution, including the endophytic fungi from the date palm tissues and root-associated soil fungi, during different seasons, for the identification of indigenous biocontrol agents. Our results showed that the highest number of fungal species was isolated in fall and spring, and pathogenic fungi were isolated mainly in spring. This is the first report that in Qatar, and cause date palm root rot disease, and cause date palm wilting, and causes diplodia disease in date palm offshoots. The combinations of the fungi that did not frequently occur together in date palm rhizosphere soil were investigated to identify indigenous biocontrol agents. Based on the results, we determined that and are effective antagonistic fungi against , , , and , qualifying them as potential biocontrol agents. Antagonistic activity of endophytic fungi against the pathogens was tested; except for , no endophytic fungi showed antagonistic activity against the tested pathogens.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.
Topics: Ascomycota; Fusarium; Phoeniceae; Plant Diseases; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32631200
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-12-19-2556-RE -
Acta Bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis Apr 2020Fungal contamination in a University building.
UNLABELLED
Fungal contamination in a University building.
BACKGROUND.
It is recognized that airborne fungi can cause illnesses in humans but data on environmental exposure are still poor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fungal airborne contamination in a university building.
METHODS.
The study was performed in February and May 2018; air samples were collected, before activity (on Monday) and during activity, (on Friday), both through active (CFU/m) and passive (Index of microbial air contamination, IMA) method. Fungi were identified by using the scotch test.
RESULTS.
In February the median fungal contamination value decreased from 14 CFU/m before activity to 7 CFU/m during activity, while IMA median remains 0. Instead in May both increased during activity (from 87 to 140 CFU/m; from 5.5 to 7.5 IMA). Overall values increased in May compared to February. spp., pp., spp. spp. were the genera most frequently isolated in both months, while in May spp. e spp. were recovered too.
CONCLUSIONS.
Seasonal trend in the levels of fungal contamination of the air was observed, with a statistically significant increase in May. This study represents the first step of a wider study aimed at enhancing knowledge about air fungal contamination.
Topics: Air Microbiology; Fungi; Humans; Italy; Universities
PubMed: 32275281
DOI: 10.23750/abm.v91i3-S.9426