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Mucor species are a group of common soil-borne fungi, known to cause infections on humans and animals, interfere in food production, and act as useful agents in biotechnological applications. This study reports one new Mucor species, M. yunnanensis, which was found to be fungicolous on an Armillaria sp. from southwest China. Further, M. circinelloides on Phlebopus sp., M. hiemalis on Ramaria sp. and Boletus sp., M. irregularis on Pleurotus sp., M. nederlandicus on Russula sp., and M. yunnanensis on Boletus sp. are reported as new host records. Mucor yunnanensis and M. hiemalis have been collected from Yunnan Province in China, whereas M. circinelloides, M. irregularis, and M. nederlandicus have been collected from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai Provinces in Thailand. All the Mucor taxa reported herein were identified based on both morphology and phylogenetic analyses of a combined nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS) and partial nuc 28S rDNA (28S) sequence matrix. Comprehensive descriptions, illustrations, and a phylogenetic tree are provided for all the taxa reported in the study to show the placements of taxa, and the new taxon is compared with its sister taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Bradysia odoriphaga Yang and Zhang (Diptera: Sciaridae), the Chinese chive root maggot, is a destructive pest of Allium vegetables and flowers that causes severe losses in northern China. Novel biological control technologies are needed for controlling this pest. We identified a new entomopathogenic fungus isolated from infected B. odoriphaga larvae and evaluated the susceptibility of the biological stages of B. odoriphaga and the effects of temperature on fungus growth and pathogenicity. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny, the fungus was identified as Mucor hiemalis BO-1 (Mucorales: Mucorales). This fungus had the strongest virulence to B. odoriphaga larvae followed by eggs and pupae, while B. odoriphaga adults were not susceptible. A temperature range of 18–28°C was optimum for the growth and sporulation of M. hiemalis BO-1 and virulence to B. odoriphaga larvae. At 3 and 5 d after inoculation with 105 spores/ml at 23°C, the survival rates were 24.8% and 4.8% (2nd instar larvae), respectively, and 49.6% and 12.8% (4th instar larvae), respectively. The potted plant trials confirmed that M. hiemalis BO-1 exerted excellent control efficiency against B. odoriphaga larvae, and the control exceeded 80% within 5 d when the spore concentration applied exceeded 107 spores/ml. In conclusion, these findings supported the hypotheses that this fungus could serve as an effective control agent against B. odoriphaga larvae and is worth being further tested to determine its full potential as a biocontrol agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two strains of a new mucoralean fungus (M1 and R1) were harvested from the moist walls of Sufu workshop in Liaocheng city, Shandong province, China. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the large subunit (LSU) rDNA region D1/D2 domain-based phylogenetic analysis, along with phenotypic characteristics, revealed that the strains belonged to a new genus in the Mucor category. This new category belongs to Mucor flavus complex. However, unlike M. flavus CBS 234.25 (the type species of the complex), the novel species could grow well at 25 °C and not grow at 28 °C. Moreover, the ITS rDNA sequence similarity of the two species was only 96%. Here, we present the new category Mucor rongii sp. nov. Its holotype is HMAS 248,091, the ex-type culture is M1T (= CICC 41725T), and the other culture examined was R1 (= CICC 41,726). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salvia miltiorrhiza is one of the most commonly used medicinal materials in China. In recent years, the quality of S. miltiorrhiza has attracted much attention. Biotic and abiotic elicitors are widely used in cultivation to improve the quality of medicinal plants. We isolated an endophytic fungus, Mucor fragilis, from S. miltiorrhiza. We compared the effects of endophytic fungal elicitors with those of yeast extract together with silver ion, widely used together as effective elicitors, on S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots. Seventeen primary metabolites (amino acids and fatty acids) and five secondary metabolites (diterpenoids and phenolic acids) were analyzed after elicitor treatment. The mycelium extract promoted the accumulation of salvianolic acid B, rosmarinic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid in S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots. Additionally, qPCR revealed that elicitors affect the accumulation of primary and secondary metabolites by regulating the expression of key genes (SmAACT , SmGGPPS , and SmPAL). This is the first detection of both the primary and secondary metabolites of S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots, and the results of this work should help guide the quality control of S. miltiorrhiza. In addition, the findings confirm that Mucor fragilis functions as an effective endophytic fungal elicitor with excellent application prospect for cultivation of medicinal plants. • 5 primary metabolites, 17 secondary metabolites, and 3 key genes were simultaneously detected in S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots. • A novel endophytic fungal elicitor derived from S. miltiorrhiza was isolated and prepared. • The fungal elicitor exhibited a similar effect with YE + Ag+ when up-regulating C16:0, C18:0, and C18:1 contents. • The effects of elicitors on primary and secondary metabolite accumulations in S. miltiorrhiza were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infected yellow catfish ( Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) were sent from Niushan Lake Fishery, Hubei Province, China, to our laboratory for diagnosis. Macroscopic daffodil yellow mold was observed on the heads and fins of the fish and one Mucor species was isolated. Based on the morphological and molecular analysis, the species was identified as Mucor circinelloides. Its optimum growth temperature was 30 °C and it could not grow at 40 °C. The infectivity results showed wound infection could cause 100% cumulative mortalities at all experimental CFU (106, 107 and 108). The cumulative mortalities of the intraperitoneal infection increased along with the sporangiospore concentrations; the highest mortality was 90% with 108 CFU. Histopathological studies showed M. circinelloides could cause a series of pathological changes in the host tissues and they disseminated in different viscera, perhaps by the blood. This is the first report of M. circinelloides infection in yellow catfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aroma compounds and the microbial community of oil furu, a specific fermented soybean curd, during fermentation were investigated using HS-SPME-GC/MS and high-throughput sequencing, respectively, and their correlations and the predicted functional roles of the microbiota in oil furu were analyzed. Twenty two volatile flavor compounds (relative odor activity value ≥1) were identified that contributed to the aroma profile, which were mainly associated with the aroma attributes. Lactobacillales, Trichosporon and Mucor racemosus were the predominant genera during pre-fermentation, while Candida and Tetragenococcus were predominant during ripening. Correlation analysis showed significant correlation between the microbiota and aroma profiles, and Candida, Empedobacter, Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Trichosporon and Mucor racemosus were significantly and strongly correlated with the characteristic volatile aroma compounds of oil furu (P < 0.05, r > 0.6). Functional analysis showed that metabolic pathways showed higher activity in oil furu, which mainly included amino acid, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. The results allowed identification of the important aroma compounds and understanding the contribution of the microbiota, and would be useful for designing starter cultures to produce oil furu with desirable aroma properties and understanding its aroma formation pathways., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Deficiency of caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 9 (CARD9) is an autosomal recessive primary immunodeficiency disorder, which typically predisposes immunocompetent individuals to single fungal infections and multiple fungal infections are very rare. We study an otherwise healthy 48-year-old man, who had been admitted to our hospital diagnosed with deep dermatophytosis caused by Trichophyton rubrum for three times at 29, 33 and 48 years old, respectively. At the age of 39 years, he suffered from cutaneous mucormycosis due to Mucor irregularis. Moreover, he had a long history of superficial fungal diseases and occasional oral candidiasis. Whole-exome sequencing revealed two compound heterozygous splicing variants in CARD9 gene, c. 184 + 5 G > T and c. 951G > A, confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Patients with recurrent fungal infections especially invasive fungal infections in the absence of known immunodeficiencies should be tested for CARD9 mutations.

While the important roles of microbial communities in oceanic hypoxic zones were beginning to be understood, little is known about microbial community associated with this phenomenon in shallow lakes. To address this deficit, both the bacterial and microbial eukaryotic communities of an ephemeral hypoxic area of Taihu Lake were characterized. The hypoxia provided nutritional niches for various bacteria, which results in high abundance and diversity. Specific bacterial groups, such as vadinBC27 subgroup of Bacteroidetes, Burkholderiales, Rhodocyclales, Pseudomonas, and Parcubacteria, were dominated in hypoxic sites and relevant to the fermentation, denitrification, nitrification, and sulfur metabolism. Conversely, most of microbial eukaryotes disappeared along with the decline of DO. An unexpected dominance of fungi was observed during hypoxia, which partly explained by the accumulation of toxic algae. Mucor was the single dominant genus in the hypoxic zone. We proposed that this group might cooperate with bacterial communities in the anaerobic degradation of algal biomass and woody materials. Generally, the hypoxic microbiome in shallow lakes is mainly involved in fermentative metabolism depending on phytodetritus and is potentially influenced by terrestrial sources. This study provided new insights into the unique microbiome in short-term hypoxia in shallow lakes and lays the foundation for studies that will enhance our understanding of the microbial players associated with hypoxia and their adaption strategy on the global scale.