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The association of severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-COV-2) with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (API) is called CAPA.Clinicaltreatmentprotocols arenot described in the world or national literature resulting in low efficacy and high mortality. The objective was to associate the manifestations of SARS-COV-2 and API, in relation to the diagnostic methods,pulmonary dysfunctionand clinical outcome. The systematic literature review was based on Pubmed, with English descriptors: “aspergilosis”, “covid”, “histology”, boolean "and", withfilters:human and published from 2019. 31 articles were identified and 10 were included. The diagnosis for API included research of the Aspergillus galactomannan antigen in serum or sputum, Aspergillus PCR in tracheal aspirate and culture of respiratory samples. The highlighted respiratory compromises are ground-glass opacities, nodular consolidations, bilateral interstitial pulmonary infiltrate, with death as one of the common outcome.CAPA is a co-infection process, future clinical trials are necessary to developintegrated diagnosis, to improve the clinical outcome and minimize mortality. La asociación del síndrome respiratorio agudo severo 2 (SARS-COV-2) con aspergilosis pulmonar invasiva (API) se denomina CAPA. No cuenta con protocolos clínicos globales y/o nacionales, resultando en un manejo y tratamiento de baja eficacia y alta mortalidad. El objetivo fue asociar las manifestaciones de SARS-COV-2 y API, en relación a métodos de investigación diagnóstica, compromisos respiratorios y desenlace clínico. La revisión sistemática de la literatura se basó en Pubmed, adoptó los descriptores en inglés: “aspergilosis”, “covid”, “histology”, boolean y human filter, publicados a partir de 2019. Se identificaron 31 artículos, de los cuales se incluyeron 10. El diagnóstico de API incluyó principalmente la investigación del antígeno de galactomanano de Aspergillus en suero o esputo, PCR de Aspergillus en aspirado traqueal y cultivo de muestras respiratorias. Los compromisos respiratorios destacados son las imágenes en vidrio deslustrado, las consolidaciones nodulares, la enfermedad pulmonar intersticial bilateral, cuyo desenlace predominante es la muerte. Finalmente, se destacó que en CAPA ocurre una coinfección, proponiendo estudios que busquen la unificación de su diagnóstico, para mejorar el desenlace clínico y minimizar la mortalidad. A associação da síndrome respiratória aguda grave 2 (SARS-COV-2) com a aspergilose pulmonar invasiva (API), denomina-se CAPA. Não possui protocolos clínicos mundiais e/ou nacionais, resultando em manejo e tratamento de baixa eficácia e alta mortalidade. Objetivou-se associar as manifestações de SARS-COV-2 e API, em relação aos métodos de investigação diagnóstica, comprometimentos respiratórios e desfecho clínico. A revisão sistemática da literatura teve como base de dados a Pubmed, adotou descritores em inglês: “aspergilosis”, “covid”, “histology”, booleano and e filtro humans, publicadas a partir de 2019. Foram identificados 31 artigos, destes 10 foram inclusos. O diagnóstico para API incluiu, principalmente, pesquisa do antígeno galactomanana do Aspergillus em soro ou escarro, PCR de Aspergillus em aspirado traqueal e cultura de amostras respiratórias. Os comprometimentos respiratórios destacados são imagens em vidro fosco, consolidações nodulares, pneumopatia intersticial bilateral, cujo desfecho predominante é o óbito. Por fim, destacou-se que na CAPA ocorre uma coinfecção, propondo estudos que busquem uma unificação do seu diagnóstico, para melhorar o desfecho clínico e minimizar a mortalidade.

Resumen Antecedentes La onicomicosis afecta a entre el 2 y el 30% de la poblacion mundial; la biopsia ungueal facilita el diagnostico y diferencia invasion de colonizacion. Objetivos Evaluar la utilidad diagnostica de la biopsia ungueal con coloracion de PAS en las onicomicosis frente al examen directo con KOH, el cultivo y su combinacion en un laboratorio de referencia de Colombia. Metodos Se incluyo a 66 pacientes, a quienes se les realizo lectura ciega e independiente de las tres pruebas; la utilidad se definio a partir de los resultados de validez (sensibilidad, especificidad, indice de Youden, cocientes de probabilidad), desempeno (valores predictores), eficiencia (proporcion de pacientes correctamente diagnosticados) y reproducibilidad (indice kappa). Resultados La edad media de los pacientes fue 55 ± 16 anos, el 76% fueron mujeres y el 66,7% (n = 44) de los examenes directos con KOH resultaron positivos; para el cultivo, el 62,1% (n = 41) de las muestras fueron positivas y con la biopsia lo fueron el 56,1% (n = 37). Los principales agentes causales fueron mohos no dermatofitos en un 36,4% (n = 24) y las especies con la mayor frecuencia fueron Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (n = 11), Trichophyton rubrum (n = 11) y Candida parapsilosis (n = 13). La sensibilidad de la biopsia ungueal frente al KOH o el cultivo fue del 71%, la especificidad del 83%, el indice de Youden 0,54, el cociente de probabilidad positivo de 4,25, el cociente de probabilidad negativo de 0,35, el valor predictivo positivo el 92%, el valor predictivo negativo el 52%, la eficiencia el 74% y el coeficiente kappa 0,45. Al evaluar la biopsia solo en pacientes con onicolisis de la lamina ungueal superior al 50%, aumentaron todos los parametros de utilidad diagnostica. Conclusiones La utilidad global de la biopsia fue moderada para pacientes con mayor sintomatologia, por lo que se recomienda su uso en presencia de onicolisis extensa y en los casos en los que se requiera discriminar colonizacion de invasion.

This study reported methylene blue (MB) dye decolorization by using mixed consortium culture, brown-rot fungus (BRF) Gloeophyllum trabeum which is known as degradative fungus with bacterium Bacillus subtilis addition. B. subtilis were added into G. trabeum cultures at variation 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mL and incubated statically (1 mL = 9.47 × 108 CFU). All of mixed cultures had ability to decolorize MB (100 mg/L) in potato dextrose broth (PDB) medium during incubation process at 30 °C for 7 days. The addition of 10 mL B. subtilis in fungus culture showed the highest of MB decolorized, approximately 82%, while using G. trabeum culture only was approximately 11%. The metabolites of MB biodecolorization were identified and characterized by LC-TOF/MS, which were N-(7-(dimethylamino)-1-hydroxy-3H-phenothiazin-3-ylidene)-N-methylmethanaminium; 2-amino-5-(dimethylamino)-3-((3-(dimethylamino) phenyl) sulfinyl) phenol; and N-7-(7-(dimethylamino)-1,4,6,9-tetrahydroxy-3H-phenothiazin-3-ylidene)-N-methylmethanaminium. Those results could indicate that the mixed consortium culture of BRF G. trabeum with B. subtilis addition were efficient for dye wastewater treatment.

En trabajos previos se desarrolló un método para la diferenciación a nivel foliar de la resistencia de cultivares de banano a la marchitez por Fusarium. El presente estudio se realizó con el objetivo de evaluar el método para la diferenciación rápida a la enfermedad mediante la utilización del filtrado del cultivo de Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense raza 1 GCV [01210] y raza 2 GCV [0124/125]. Se procedió a la obtención de filtrados del cultivo del hongo durante el crecimiento in vitro del patógeno. Se determinó la respuesta de cultivares de Musa spp., a la aplicación de filtrados del hongo para ambas razas. Los filtrados del cultivo del hongo de 15 y 29 días obtenidos a partir de las cepas de las razas 1 y 2, lograron diferenciar más del 93% de los individuos con una respuesta conocida al patógeno in vivo. Los resultados obtenidos demostraron que la resistencia o susceptibilidad del banano a Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense puede diferenciarse a nivel foliar con el uso de filtrados del cultivo del hongo para diferentes poblaciones del patógeno; lo cual podría ser aplicable en los programas de mejoramiento genético de musáceas tanto convencional como biotecnológicas.

Purpose: The present article describes retrospectively a case of a patient with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) who presented recurrent Candida albicans infection since he was 6 months old. We obtained 16 isolates recovered during a 4-year period. Our purpose was to determinate the susceptibility, genotyping, and the pathogenicity profile in all the isolates. Methods: Sixteen C. albicans were isolated from a 25-year-old male with several recurrent fungal infections admitted to Hospital. The isolates were recovered during 4 years from a different anatomical origin. We typified them by multilocus sequence typing, also we evaluated susceptibility to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, isavuconazole, caspofungin, and amphotericin B by microdilution method and we also test the pathogenic capacity in the Galleria mellonella model. Results: Genotyping of all clinical isolates showed the persistence of the same diploid sequence type (DST). Isolates changed their susceptibility profile over time, but there were no significant statistical differences in pathogenicity. Conclusion: Herein, a persistent clonal isolates of C. albicans (DST 918) in a patient with CMC, showed changes in its susceptibility profile after several antifungal treatments acquiring gradual resistance to the azole drugs, which did not affect their pathogenicity. © 2020 Journal of Global Infectious Diseases

Aphelenchus avenae was isolated from the wheat crown in Summel distract- Duhok, Kurdistan region-Iraq infected by a crown rot disease which is caused by Fusarium spp; wheat's crown culturing on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and incubating at 25°C A. avenae was found associated with fungal culture which meant that fungal nematode was parasitic on crown rot fungi on wheat crown, this species was described for the first time in Iraq. Fungal Nematode incubated with Fusarium graminearum, F. oxysporum and Verticillium dahliae reproduce in both solid and liquid media, best results of nematode reproduction were recorded on F. graminearum followed by F. oxysporum and V. dahlia respectively. The nematode A. avenae did not reproduce on the liquid media of these fungi.

Natural products from fungi, especially Ascomycota, play a major role in therapy and drug discovery. Fungal strains originating from marine habitats offer a new avenue for finding unusual molecular skeletons. Here, the marine-derived fungus Epicoccum nigrum (strain 749) was found to produce the azaphilonoid compounds acetosellin and 5′,6′-dihydroxyacetosellin. The latter is a new natural product. The biosynthesis of these polyketide-type compounds is intriguing, since two polyketide chains are assembled to the final product. Here we performed 13 C labeling studies on solid cultures to prove this hypothesis for acetosellin biosynthesis. © 2017 Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart. New York.

The diagnosis of fungal Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) is primarily based on initial visual recognition of a suspected case followed by confirmatory laboratory testing, which is often limited to specialized facilities. Although molecular and serodiagnostic tools have advanced, a substantial gap remains between the desirable and the practical in endemic settings. To explore this issue further, we conducted a survey of subject matter experts on the optimal diagnostic methods sufficient to initiate treatment in well-equipped versus basic healthcare settings, as well as optimal sampling methods, for three fungal NTDs: mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, and sporotrichosis. A survey of 23 centres found consensus on the key role of semi-invasive sampling methods such as biopsy diagnosis as compared with swabs or impression smears, and on the importance of histopathology, direct microscopy, and culture for mycetoma and chromoblastomycosis confirmation in well-equipped laboratories. In basic healthcare settings, direct microscopy combined with clinical signs were reported to be the most useful diagnostic indicators to prompt referral for treatment. The survey identified that the diagnosis of sporotrichosis is the most problematic with poor sensitivity across the most widely available laboratory tests except fungal culture, highlighting the need to improve mycological diagnostic capacity and to develop innovative diagnostic solutions. Fungal microscopy and culture are now recognized as WHO essential diagnostic tests and better training in their application will help improve the situation. For mycetoma and sporotrichosis, in particular, advances in identifying specific marker antigens or genomic sequences may pave the way for new laboratory-based or point-of-care tests, although this is a formidable task given the large number of different organisms that can cause fungal NTDs. © 2019 by the authors.

White piedra of the hair is a rare superficial fungal infection caused by several Trichosporon spp. It typically manifests as white to light brown hard nodules, firmly attached to frontal, occipital and parietal scalp hair. The incidence of white piedra varies from country to country, and men and women of all ages are affected. In Latin America, children and women appear to be the most affected with white piedra of the hair. Given the variability of causative agents and the paucity of literature, very little is known about the geographical distribution of white piedra of the hair in American continent countries to help understand its epidemiology and aid in its diagnosis and treatment. In this report, we describe a case of white piedra of the hair in a Peruvian woman...

Bu araştırma Muğla ilinin Fethiye İlçesinde yetişen yenilebilir yabani mantarları tespit etmek ve gastronomik açıdan önemini belirlemek amacıyla planlanmış ve yürütülmüştür. Araştırma teorik ve uygulama olmak üzere iki bölümden oluşmaktadır. Araştırmanın uygulama bölümünde nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada Muğla ili Fethiye ilçesinde yaşayan yerel halkın, o bölgede yetişen yenilebilir yabani mantarlar hakkındaki bilgileri ve kullanım amaçları araştırılmıştır. Araştırmaya bağlı olarak yapılan literatür incelemesi sonucu hazırlanan sorular, araştırmacı tarafından birebir görüşme sağlamak suretiyle yapılmış, köylülere ve pazarcılık yapan kişilere yöneltilmiştir. Görüşmeler esnasında katılımcıların verdiği cevaplar not tutmak ve ses kaydına almak suretiyle değerlendirilmiştir.Araştırma bölgesinde doğal olarak yetişen mantarlar incelendiğinde yörede toplanan ve tüketilen 14 mantar türü tespit edilmiştir. Bu 14 mantarın 12'si yiyecek amaçlı kullanılmakta olup, 3'ünün tıbbi amaçlı, 9'unun ticari amaçlı, 7'sinin turizm amaçlı kullanıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Yörede, mantara son derece önem verilmektedir. Toplanan mantarların yöre mutfağında genellikle kızartması ve kavurmasının yapıldığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Yörede özellikle `Çıntar` olarak bilinen Lactarius spp. türleri, `Kuzugöbeği, Göbek` olarak bilinen morchella spp. türleri yöre halkı tarafından çok iyi tanınmakta, yöre pazarlarında ve yol kenarlarında satıldığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. This research was planned and carried out in order to determine edible wild mushrooms grown in Fethiye province of Muğla province and to determine the importance of gastronomy. The research consists of two parts: theoretical and practical. In the application section of the research, semi-structured interview technique was used from qualitative research methods. In the research, the local people living in Fethiye district of Muğla province, the information about edible wild mushrooms grown in that region and their use purposes were investigated. The questions, prepared as a result of the literature review, were made by providing one-to-one interviews by the researcher and directed to the villagers and the people engaged in the negotiations. During the interviews, the participants ' responses were evaluated by taking notes and recording audio. When the fungi grown naturally in the research area were examined, 14 species of fungi that were collected and consumed in the region were identified. 12 of these 14 fungi used for food purposes and it was determined that 3 of them were used for medical purposes, 9 were used for commercial purposes, 7 were used for tourism purposes. In the region, the mushroom is very important. It was concluded that the collected mushrooms were usually fried and roasted in the local cuisine. Lactarius spp, especially known as `Çintar` in the region. types, morchella spp, known as `Lambs navel.` the species are very well known by the local people, and it has been concluded that they were sold in the local markets and on the side of the road. 102

Microbial lipases are prominent biocatalysts able to catalyze a wide variety of reactions in aqueous and nonaqueous media. In this work, filamentous fungi isolated from leaves decomposed in an aquatic environment were screened for lipase production with hydrolytic activity and esterification. Agar plates with Tween 20 and Rhodamine B were used for selection, while submerged cultures with olive oil were subsequently used to select 38 filamentous fungi. Trichoderma harzianum, Fusarium solani, Trichoderma harzianum F5, and Penicillium sp. F36 were grown in six different culture media. F. solani presented the highest lipase production (2.37 U/mL) with esterification activity of 0.07 U/mL using medium composed of (g.L−1) KH2PO4 1.00, MgSO4 H2O 1.123, and CuSO4 0.06. Supplementation of this culture medium with organic nitrogen sources increased lipase production by 461.3% using tryptone and by 419.4% using yeast extract. Among the vegetable oils from the Amazon region, degummed cotton oil induced lipase production up to 8.14 U/mL. The lipase produced by F. solani F61 has great potential to application in conventional processes and biodiesel production by transesterification of vegetable oils, as well as food industries in the production of fatty acid esters by hydrolysis and esterification.

Many fungal metabolites are salicylaldehyde containing polyketide natural products and are often isolated from the fungus culture broth. These metabolites commonly exhibit phytotoxicity, however, some compounds exerted other biological activities including immunosuppressive activity. We have developed a unified synthetic strategy that provides easy access to ent-pyriculol, ent-epipyriculol, ent-dihydropyriculol, ent-epidihydropyriculol, trans-sordariol, trans-sordarial, 12-methoxy sordariol and agropyrenol.

A previously unreported chromene derivative, 1-hydroxy-12-methoxycitromycin (1c), and four previously undescribed chromone derivatives, including pyanochromone (3b), spirofuranochromone (4), 7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-4-oxo-3-[(1E)-3-oxobut-1-en-1-yl]-4H-chromene-5-carboxylic acid (5), a pyranochromone dimer (6) were isolated, together with thirteen known compounds: &beta, sitostenone, ergosterol 5,8-endoperoxide, citromycin (1a), 12-methoxycitromycin (1b), myxotrichin D (1d), 12-methoxycitromycetin (1e), anhydrofulvic acid (2a), myxotrichin C (2b), penialidin D (2c), penialidin F (3a), SPF-3059-30 (7), GKK1032B (8) and secalonic acid A (9), from cultures of the marine sponge- associated fungus Penicillium erubescens KUFA0220. Compounds 1a&ndash, e, 2a, 3a, 4, 7&ndash, 9, were tested for their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative reference and multidrug-resistant strains isolated from the environment. Only 8 exhibited an in vitro growth inhibition of all Gram-positive bacteria whereas 9 showed growth inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphyllococus aureus (MRSA). None of the compounds were active against Gram-negative bacteria tested.

Biosurfactants are surface-active compounds that have sparked interest in recent years because of their environmental advantages over conventional surfactants. The aim of this study was to investigate the production of biosurfactants by soil fungi isolated from the Amazon forest. Fungi colonies were isolated from soil samples and screened for biosurfactant production in submerged fermentation. In addition, the influences of bioprocess factors (carbon source, nitrogen source, pH, and fermentation time) were investigated. Finally, the biosurfactant produced was semipurified and submitted to stability tests. One hundred fungal cultures were obtained from the soil samples, identified by micromorphology, and submitted to screening for biosurfactant production. Sixty-one strains produced biosurfactants. The strainPenicillium8CC2 showed the highest emulsification index (54.2%). The optimized bioprocess conditions for biosurfactant production byPenicillium8CC2 were as follows: soybean oil, 20 g/L; yeast extract, 30 g/L; pH 9; duration of 9 days. The semipurified biosurfactant showed stability after heating at 100°C for 60 min and after the addition of 30% NaCl (w/v). Tween 80 (0.2% w/v), a conventional surfactant, was used as the control.

Background To examine the accuracy of Rapid Diagnosis of Talaromyces marneffei (RDTM) in order to improve diagnosis and treatment for clinical measures and reduce the mortality due to associated infections. Methods In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we screened PubMed, Ovid (Cochrane library) and Web of Science, Chinese database CNKI and Wanfang for articles published between 1956 and December, 2017. Data were taken from cross-sectional studies as well as from baseline measurements in longitudinal studies with clinical follow-up. Articles were excluded if they did not contain a cohort with T. marneffei and a control cohort or a cohort with standard fungus culture. Data were extracted by two authors and checked by three for accuracy. For quality assessment, modified QUADAS-2 criteria were used. Results The 26 included diagnostic studies enrolled 5,594 objectives in 632 patients with T. marneffei infections and 2,612 negative controls between 1996 and 2017 in Thailand, Vietnam and China. The total combined sensitivity and specificity of rapid diagnosis of T. marneffei was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.68–0.90) and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98–1.00). According to the experimental method, the included studies can be divided into three subgroups, including PCR-based, ELISA-based and others. The results showed these three subgroups had a highly pooled specificity of 1.00 (95% CI: 0.99–1.00), 0.99 (0.98–1.00) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.91–1.00), respectively, while combined sensitivity was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.37–0.98), 0.82 (95% CI: 0.64–0.92) and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.54–0.91), respectively. Conclusions Although serological methods with a high specificity is essential for potential rapid diagnostic, false-negative results can be obtained in the serum samples, there is no suitable rapid serological test to refer to as is the case with TM infection.

Fungal biofilm is known to promote the excretion of secondary metabolites in accordance with solid-state-related physiological mechanisms. This work is based on the comparative analysis of classical submerged fermentation with a fungal biofilm reactor for the production of a Gla::green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein by Aspergillus oryzae. The biofilm reactor comprises a metal structured packing allowing the attachment of the fungal biomass. Since the production of the target protein is under the control of the promoter glaB, specifically induced in solid-state fermentation, the biofilm mode of culture is expected to enhance the global productivity. Although production of the target protein was enhanced by using the biofilm mode of culture, we also found that fusion protein production is also significant when the submerged mode of culture is used. This result is related to high shear stress leading to biomass autolysis and leakage of intracellular fusion protein into the extracellular medium. Moreover, 2-D gel electrophoresis highlights the preservation of fusion protein integrity produced in biofilm conditions. Two fungal biofilm reactor designs were then investigated further, i.e. with full immersion of the packing or with medium recirculation on the packing, and the scale-up potentialities were evaluated. In this context, it has been shown that full immersion of the metal packing in the liquid medium during cultivation allows for a uniform colonization of the packing by the fungal biomass and leads to a better quality of the fusion protein.

Tolerance to Polycyclic Hydrocarbons Aromatic (PAHs) is considered an important characteristic when assessing the bioremediation potential of microorganisms. Given this, the objective of this research was to assay filamentous fungi from the Amazon region, isolated from sediments with differents levels of contamination by PAHs, for tolerance to phenanthrene and pyrene. To achieve this, fungal cultures plugs (5 mm), obtained after 7 days growth, were transferred to petri dishes containing 20% Sabouraud dextrose agar medium, after surface innoculation with phenanthrene and pyrene crystals, separately. Radial mycelial growth was evaluated after 10 days at five different concentration levels for each contaminant and control group, all in triplicate for each treatment. Fungal growth and growth inhibition rates were calculated. The average growth of the colonies in each treatment was compared with one-way ANOVA, followed by a Tukey Test (p < 0,05). All fungi showed tolerant to phenanthrene and pyrene. However, Hypoxylon sp. showed the lowest growth inhibition rate and average growth rates significantly different of the other six tested species. Hypoxylon sp. has been shown to be a promising genetic resource for use in new studies of PAHs degradation. © 2017, Eduem - Editora da Universidade Estadual de Maringa. All rights reserved.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T16:51:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2017-09-01 Dianfenthiuron is a pre-insecticide that can be activated by photolysis, and may be a promising formicide. This study evaluated the effect of diafenthiuron after photolysis in colonies of Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel, 1908. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with five treatments and five replications: control (no active ingredient), sulfluramid (standard formicide), diafenthiuron (no exposure to UV), diafenthiuron (2h exposure to UV) and diafenthiuron (6h exposure to UV). Toxic baits were applied at a rate of 0.5 g per colony, and we observed the transport and incorporation of the baits into the colonies. A grading scale was used (0 to 4) to measure the cutting of Acalypha L. (Euphorbiaceae) leaves by workers at 2, 7, 14 and 21 days after application (DAA) and we also measured the garden mass (fungus + adult + brood) at 21 DAA in order to check for growth of the fungus culture. Total loading and incorporation occurred one hour after application of the baits. Colonies that received sulfluramid did not transport leaves at 2 DAA. Workers that received baits with D2h showed an average of 20% transport and 55% incorporation of leaves at 21 DAA. The grading scale indicated that treatments D2h and D6h had the lowest averages, 0.80 and 2.00, respectively. The treatments D2h and D6h reduced cutting of leaves and fungus garden mass, but did not kill the colonies of A. sexdens rubropilosa. Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL) Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA/UNESP) Universidade Federal de São Carlos (CCA/UFSCar) Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA/UNESP)

Objective: G test [(1-3) -β-D-glucan assay] was a novel texting method for invasive fungal infection (IFI). The study evaluated the diagnostic value of G test for IFI by comparing G test with fungal culture method，and analyze the guiding significance of G test and fungal culture in clinical medication. Methods: 373 inpatients with suspected IFI in the first affiliated hospital of Jinan university from January to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. G test and fungal culture results were collected, and their positive rate, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated. The value and rationality of G test for clinical diagnosis of IFI was evaluated by taking the relief and cure of infection symptoms of patients as clinical effective criteria. Results: Among 373 suspected IFI patients, the positive rate of G experiment was 39.95%, higher than that of fungus culture (28.95%, P

Introduction In vitro bioassays were performed to access the larvicidal activity of crude extracts from the endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis virgulata (Melanconiales, Amphisphaeriaceae) and the saprophytic fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus (Basidiomycetes, Polyporaceae) against the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Anopheles nuneztovari. Methods The extracts were tested at concentrations of 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500ppm. Ethyl acetate mycelia (EAM) extracts and liquid culture media (LCM) from Pe. virgulata and Py. sanguineus were tested against third instar larvae of Ae. aegypti and An. nuneztovari. Results The larvicidal activity of the EAM extracts from Pe. virgulata against Ae. aegypti had an LC50=101.8ppm, and the extract from the basidiomycete fungus Py. sanguineus had an LC50=156.8ppm against the Ae. aegypti larvae. The Pe. virgulata extract had an LC50=16.3ppm against the An. nuneztovari larvae, and the Py. sanguineus extract had an LC50=87.2ppm against these larvae. Conclusions These results highlight the larvicidal effect of EAM extracts from the endophyte Pe. virgulata against the two larval mosquitoes tested. Thus, Pe. virgulata and Py. sanguineus have the potential for the production of bioactive substances against larvae of these two tropical disease vectors, with An. nuneztovari being more susceptible to these extracts.

Two new pentaketides, including a new benzofuran-1-one derivative (1) and a new isochromen-1-one (5), and seven new benzoic acid derivatives, including two new benzopyran derivatives (2a, b), a new benzoxepine derivative (3), two new chromen-4-one derivatives (4b, 7) and two new benzofuran derivatives (6a, b), were isolated, together with the previously reported 2,3-dihydro-6-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one (4a), from the culture of the marine sponge-associated fungus Neosartorya quadricincta KUFA 0081. The structures of the new compounds were established based on 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis, and in the case of compounds 1, 2a, 4b, 5, 6a and 7, the absolute configurations of their stereogenic carbons were determined by an X-ray crystallographic analysis. None of the isolated compounds were active in the tests for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as multidrug-resistant isolates from the environment (MIC > 256 μg/mL), antifungal activity against yeast (Candida albicans ATTC 10231), filamentous fungus (Aspergillus fumigatus ATTC 46645) and dermatophyte (Trichophyton rubrum FF5) (MIC > 512 μg/mL) and in vitro growth inhibitory activity against the MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer) and A375-C5 (melanoma) cell lines (GI50 > 150 μM) by the protein binding dye SRB method. © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI. This work was developed in the Natural Products Research Laboratory of the Department of Chemistry, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), of the University of Porto and partially supported through national funds provided by FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and COMPETE, under the projects PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2013, PTDC/MAR-BIO/4694/2014, as well as by the project INNOVMAR (Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources) (Reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035, within Research Line NOVELMAR/INSEAFOOD/ECOSERVICES), supported by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). We thank Mrs. Júlia Bessa and Sara Cravo for technical support.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp cubense (Foc), the causal agent of Panama disease, is responsible for economic losses in banana crops worldwide. The identification of genes that effectively act on pathogenicity and/or virulence may contribute to the development of different strategies for disease control and the production of resistant plants. The objective of the current study was to analyze the importance of SGE1 gene expression in Foc virulence through post-transcriptional silencing using a double-stranded RNA hairpin. Thirteen transformants were selected based on different morphological characteristics, and sporulation in these transformants was significantly reduced by approximately 95% (P < 0.05) compared to that of the wild-type strain. The relative SGE1 expression levels in the transformant strains were reduced by 27 to 47% compared to those in the wild-type strain. A pathogenicity analysis revealed that the transformants were able to reach the rhizomes and pseudostems of the inoculated banana plants. However, the transformants induced initial disease symptoms in the banana plants approximately 10 days later than that by the wild-type Foc, and initial disease symptoms persisted even at 45 days after inoculation. These results indicate that the SGE1 gene is directly involved in the virulence of Foc. Therefore, SGE1 may be a potential candidate for host-induced gene silencing in banana plants. © FUNPEC-RP.

A 48-year old woman with a recent diagnosis of Graves' disease arrived at the emergency room with fever, palpitations, and a sore throat. Her regular treatment included methimazole. On admission, laboratory results showed suppressed TSH, elevated free thyroxine, and neutropenia. She was admitted and started on antibiotics and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (gm-csf). After ten days, the patient developed leukocytosis, fever, and hemoptysis. Chest CT scan showed a lung cavity with multiple nodules in the upper right lobe. Cultures from a lung biopsy were positive for Aspergillus Fumigatus and Aspergillus Flavus. Amphotericin B was started but then switched to voriconazole, with both treatments failing to result in clinical improvement. The patient died of multi-organ failure. Se reporta el caso de una paciente de 48 años de edad con diagnóstico reciente de enfermedad de Graves, quien acudió a emergencia por presentar fiebre, palpitaciones y dolor faríngeo. Su tratamiento regular incluía metimazol. Al ingreso, los análisis mostraron TSH suprimido, T4 libre elevado y neutropenia. La paciente fue hospitalizada, se administraron antibióticos y factor estimulante de colonia. Después de diez días de tratamiento, la paciente presentó leucocitosis, fiebre y hemoptisis. La tomografía de tórax mostró una cavidad con múltiples nódulos en el lóbulo superior derecho. Los cultivos fueron positivos a Aspergillus fumigatus y Aspergillus flavus. Se inició tratamiento con anfotericina B y luego se cambió a voriconazol, a pesar de lo cual no hubo mejoría del cuadro. La paciente falleció por falla multiorgánica.

Kombucha is a traditional beverage that is prepared by fermenting sucrose-sweetened black tea. A medium is inoculated with a cellulose pellicle (popularly known as a “tea fungus”) or fermentation brought from previous cultivation process. Our aim was to test the possibility of obtaining a Kombucha beverage using different concentration of lactose as an alternative source of C-atoms. A traditional medium sweetened with sucrose or without sugar was used as control. Without lactose-fermenting yeast strains in tea fungus, lactose is not an adequate alternative source of the C-atom for Kombucha fermentation because it is not possible to obtain Kombucha with an appropriate acidity during a seven-day fermentation. Compared with the traditional medium, fermentation is significantly slower with high differences in acid content. In unsweetened tea inoculated with the beverage obtained from a previous traditional process, Kombucha fermentation processes and produces a beverage without sugar and alcohol. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31044]

p27 is an antigenic protein produced by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the etiologic agent of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). Despite its unknown function, it has been suggested as a putative virulence factor, proposed as a suitable target for the design of diagnostic tools and vaccines, and considered as an enhancer in antifungal treatment of PCM. We evaluated sequence polymorphisms of PbP27 gene sequence among isolates, finding some polymorphisms associated with the isolates' phylogenetic origin. In order to determine if there was a differential expression pattern between morphological states and among isolates, we also evaluated PbP27 expression, at transcriptional and translational levels, in mycelia and yeast cultures in 14 isolates belonging to the P. brasiliensis species complex (S1, PS2, PS3, and 'Pb01-like', proposed to be named Paracoccidioides lutzii) by two techniques, real time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) and protein dot blot. For the latter, four protein extracts from different cell localizations (SDS or ?-mercaptoethanol, cytoplasmic and extracellular proteins) were analyzed for each isolate. p27 was present in the four extracts evaluated, mainly in the SDS extract, corresponding to an extract containing proteins loosely attached to the cell wall. This information correlates with immunohistochemical analysis, where positive staining of the yeasts' cell wall was observed. We found that p27 was present in all isolates, mainly in the yeast form. This pattern was corroborated by RT-qPCR results, with higher expression levels found in the yeast form for most of the isolates. The results provide new insights into the expression patterns of this protein, and further characterize it in view of potential uses as a diagnostic and/or therapeutic tool. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.

У промислових умовах проведено дослідження біосинтетичних процесів гриба-продуцента β-каротину Blakeslea trispora при різних технологічних режимах аерації культуральної рідини. Показано, що збільшення ступеня аерації стимулює накопичення біомаси та каротиноутворення. Рекомендовано до використання технологічний режим, який передбачає подачу максимальної кількості повітря на аерацію з 10-ї години біосинтезу.

Biosorption of copper (II) and cadmium (II) by live Phanerochaete chrysosporium immobilized by growing onto polyurethane foam material in individual packed bed columns over two successive cycles of sorption-desorption were investigated in this study. Initial pH and concentrations of the metals in their respective solutions were set optimum to each of those: 4.6 and 35 mg�l-1 in case of copper and 5.3 and 11 mg�l-1 for cadmium. The breakthrough curves obtained for the two metals during sorption in both the cycles exhibited a constant pattern at various bed depths in the columns. The maximum yield of the columns in removing these metals were found to be, respectively, 57% and 43% for copper and cadmium indicating that copper biosorption by the immobilized fungus in its column was better than for cadmium. Recovery values of the sorbed copper and cadmium metals from the respective loaded columns by using 0.1 N HCl as eluant was observed to be quite high at more than 65% and 75%, respectively, at the end of desorption in both the cycles. Breakthrough models of bed-depth service time, Adams-Bohart, Wolborska, and Clark were fitted to the experimental data on sorption of copper and cadmium in the columns, and only the Clark model could fit the sorption performance of the columns well over the entire range of ratios of concentrations of effluent to influent, i.e., C/C 0 for both copper and cadmium biosorption. The kinetic coefficients of mass transfer and other suitable parameters in the system were determined by applying the experimental data at C/C 0 ratios lower than 0.5 to the other three models. � 2008 Humana Press.

Bu çalışma, 17-20 Haziran 2014 tarihlerinde Krakow[Polonya]'da düzenlenen 10. Congress of the European Confederation of Medical Mycology'da bildiri olarak sunulmuştur. We present the cases of two patients with cryptococcal meningitis who were predisposed to fungal infection because of diabetes mellitus (Case 1) and systemic lupus erythematosus (Case 2). Both patients were tested negative for anti-HIV antibodies.

International audience; Hydrostatic pressure plays a significant role in the distribution of life in the biosphere. Knowledge of deep-sea piezotolerant and (hyper)piezophilic bacteria and archaea diversity has been well documented, along with their specific adaptations to cope with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). Recent investigations of deep-sea microbial community compositions have shown unexpected micro-eukaryotic communities, mainly dominated by fungi. Molecular methods such as next-generation sequencing have been used for SSU rRNA gene sequencing to reveal fungal taxa. Currently, a difficult but fascinating challenge for marine mycologists is to create deep-sea marine fungus culture collections and assess their ability to cope with pressure. Indeed, although there is no universal genetic marker for piezoresistance, physiological analyses provide concrete relevant data for estimating their adaptations and understanding the role of fungal communities in the abyss. The present study investigated morphological and physiological responses of fungi to HHP using a collection of deep-sea yeasts as a model. The aim was to determine whether deep-sea yeasts were able to tolerate different HHP and if they were metabolically active. Here we report an unexpected taxonomic-based dichotomic response to pressure with piezosensitve ascomycetes and piezotolerant basidiomycetes, and distinct morphological switches triggered by pressure for certain strains.

Fungal biofilm is known to promote the excretion of secondary metabolites in accordance with solid-staterelated physiological mechanisms. This work is based on the comparative analysis of classical submerged fermentation with a fungal biofilmreactor for the production of a Gla::green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein by Aspergillus oryzae. The biofilmreactor comprises a metal structured packing allowing the attachment of the fungal biomass. Since the production of the target protein is under the control of the promoter glaB, specifically induced in solid-state fermentation, the biofilm mode of culture is expected to enhance the global productivity. Although production of the target protein was enhanced by using the biofilm mode of culture, we also found that fusion protein production is also significant when the submerged mode of culture is used. This result is related to high shear stress leading to biomass autolysis and leakage of intracellular fusion protein into the extracellular medium. Moreover, 2-D gel electrophoresis highlights the preservation of fusion protein integrity produced in biofilm conditions. Two fungal biofilm reactor designs were then investigated further, i.e.with full immersion of the packing or with medium recirculation on the packing, and the scale-up potentialities were evaluated. In this context, it has been shown that full immersion of the metal packing in the liquid medium during cultivation allows for a uniformcolonization of the packing by the fungal biomass and leads to a better quality of the fusion protein.

Bu çalışmada, değişik lignoselülozik maddelerin Pleurotus ostreatus mantarı yetiştiriciliğinde kullanım olanaklarının araştırılması yapılmış, verimlilik ve kimyasal bileşimi üzerine etkisi incelenmiştir. Pleurotus ostreatus mantarının tohumluk miselleri kavak talaşı, Antep fıstığı kabuğu, ceviz kabuğu ve badem kabuğu ortamlarına ve bunların belirli kombinasyonlarına aşılanmıştır. Ortamlara katkı olarak nohut unu eklenmiştir.Ortamlar üzerine aşılı Pleurotus ostreatus mantarının misel gelişme süresi, mantar eldesi süresi, toplam verim, biyolojik etkinlik oranı, mantar kalite özellikleri, makro ve mikro besin elementi içeriği belirlenmiştir. Farklı ortamlarda yetiştirilen Pleurotus ostreatus mantarının, yağ asidi içeriği, mimoza kondanse tanen miktarı ve DPPH giderme aktivitesi belirlenmiştir.Çalışmanın sonucuna göre, Pleurotus ostreatus aşılı ortamlar içerisinde en hızlı misel gelişimi %100 badem kabuğu ortamından, en kısa sürede mantar eldesi ve hasat süresi %75 kavak talaşı + %25 Antep fısığı kabuğu ortamından elde edilmiştir. En yüksek toplam verim ve biyolojik etkinlik oranı, %70 kavak talaşı + %20 badem kabuğu + %10 nohut unu ortamından, en düşük toplam verim ve biyolojik etkinlik oranı %45 kavak talaşı + %45 ceviz kabuğu + %10 nohut unu ortamından elde edilmiştir. Yağ asidi içeriğinde farklılığın olmadığı sadece içeriğinin % miktarlarında farklılık gösterdiği belirlenmiştir. Pleurotus ostreatus mantarları içerisinde yağ asidi olarak en çok linoleik asit, oleik asit ve palmitik asit saptanmıştır. Ortamların kondanse tanen miktarı 7.18 ppm ile 3.93 ppm arasında olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ortamların 1,1-diphenil-2picrylhydrazil (DPPH) giderme aktivitesi de %55 ile %80 arasında belirlenmiştir. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using different lignoselulosic substances in cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus and to determine its effects on chemical composition and yield. The spawns of Pleurotus ostreatus were inoculated on poplar sawdust, pistachio shell, walnut shell, almond shell medias and their spesific combinations. Chickpea flour was used as an additive material.The mycelium growing time of Pleurotus ostreatus the fastest mushrooms obtaining time, total yield, biological efficiency, morphological characteristics of Pleurotus ostreatus which was inoculated on the media and macro and micro nutrient contents were determined. The content of fatty acid, the amount of condensed tannins and DPPH scavening activity were determined.According to the results, the fastest mycelium growing time was obtained from 100% almond shell, the fastest mushroom obtaining time was obtained from 75% poplar sawdust + 25% pistachio shell inoculated with Pleurotus ostreatus. On the other hand, the highest total yield and biological efficiency were for 70% poplar sawdust + 20% almond shell + 10% chickpea flour and the lowest total yield, and biological efficiency were obtained from 50% poplar sawdust + 50% walnut shell. There were no differences amongst the growing media studied here in the content of fatty acids but it was determined that there was difference in the percentage value of the fatty acid content. The fatty acids, e.g., linoleic, oleic and palmitic, were most commonly found in Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms. The amount of condensed tannins was determined to be between 7.18 ppm and 3.93 ppm. The amount of 1,1-diphenil-2picrylhydrazil (DPPH) scavening activity was between 55% and 80%. 114

The pathogens of onychomycosis have implications in choosing therapy. We aimed to survey the pathogens of onychomycosis in Taiwan and further analyse the distribution of pathogens in various conditions. We also compared the distribution of pathogens in Taiwan with those in various countries. This study included 182 cases of onychomycosis who attended our clinic between January and December 2001. Histopathologic examination and fungus culture of the nail specimens were performed to confirm the diagnosis and identify the pathogens. The pathogens were dermatophytes in 101 patients (55.5%), Candida in 66 (36.3%), and non-dermatophyte moulds in 16 (8.2%). Candida was more frequently seen in patients older than 60 years (40.9%), females with fingernail onychomycosis (66.7%) or combined fingernail and toenail onychomycosis (58.3%), and presence of paronychia (57.9%). Dermatophytes are the predominant pathogens in temperate Western countries; meanwhile, Candida and non-dermatophyte moulds are prevailing in Mediterranean and tropical countries including Taiwan. Clinicians should appreciate that the pathogens of onychomycosis may vary in different patient groups and geographical locations, and choose optimal antifungal agents accordingly.

PCR using panfungal gene primers is a more sensitive method for fungus detection than fungus culture, both in patients with chronic sinusitis and in normal controls. The presence of fungi alone, however, was insufficient to implicate them as pathogens in chronic sinusitis.Previous findings have suggested that polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods are more sensitive and reliable than conventional culture methods for the detection of fungal DNA. We therefore compared these methods in 82 patients with chronic sinusitis and 40 normal controls.The noses of the subjects were irrigated with sterile saline, and the samples collected. The sediment from each irrigation was used for fungus culture and PCR analysis.PCR analysis using panfungal gene primers showed that 76/82 (92.5%) patients with chronic sinusitis and 39/40 (97.5%) normal controls were positive. In contrast, fungus cultures were positive in 19/82 (23.2%) patients with chronic sinusitis and 12/40 (30.0%) normal controls. We observed no significant between-group differences in the prevalence of fungus or in the fungal species detected.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) affects approximately 15 % of the adult population in industrialized countries. Fungi have been recognized as important pathogens in CRS in the immunocompromised host. Recently, fungi have been detected in more than 90 % of nasal lavages (NLs) in immunocompetent patients with CRS. Employing NLs of immunocompetent patients with CRS in the present study, the detection rates for fungi by culture techniques were compared with the results of different fungus-specific PCR assays. Standard fungal cultures were performed on NLs from 77 patients with CRS. NLs were also tested for the presence of fungal DNA by a panfungal assay with and without specific probes for Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp./Penicillium spp., and an Aspergillus-specific nested PCR assay. Nineteen of the 77 samples (25 %) grew fungi. Fungus-specific DNA was detected in 34 of 77 NLs (44 %). Twelve samples were positive for both culture and panfungal PCR, whereas seven specimens grew fungi in culture, but were negative in panfungal PCR, and an additional seven samples were positive in panfungal PCR, but negative in culture. The combination of culture and all employed PCR assays detected fungi in 39 patients (50 %). This study demonstrated that PCR and conventional culture techniques could be complementary diagnostic techniques to detect fungi in nasal specimens from CRS patients.

Lactoferrin (Lf) is a potential drug candidate for the treatment of oropharyngeal Candida infections. However, for an effective therapeutic treatment an appropriate dosage form is required. Therefore a mucoadhesive tablet for buccal application was developed. Tablets of sufficient strength could be produced on high speed tabletting machines, but they could only be obtained when the protein contained at least 7% moisture. The tablet contained sodium alginate both for its release-controlling properties as well as for its mucoadhesive properties. Furthermore, phosphate buffer was added to keep the pH of the saliva in the mouth within the range of 6.5 to 7. 5. In this pH range, Lf has shown to have its highest activity against Candida growth inhibition. The tablet formulation containing Lf had the same antifungal properties as compared with Lf alone, because in most cases identical inhibitory concentrations were observed against several clinical isolates of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata.In human volunteers the tablets, containing 250 mg Lf and placed in each pouch, were able to keep the Lf concentration in the saliva at effective levels for at least 2 hr, while the pH of the saliva remained within the desired range. We concluded that the developed mucoadhesive tablet can improve the therapeutic efficacy of Lf and that it is suitable for further clinical research.

Rhino-orbital mucormycosis is a fatal infection. Decompensated diabetes is the most common predisposing factor. Two male adults were admitted because of newly diagnosed diabetes with hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state and CT scan showed extensive pansinusitis and orbital inflammation. Treatment included surgical debridement and antifungal therapy. One patient died from a severe sepsis.

The genome of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is rich in genes encoding pectinases, a broad class of enzymes that have been extensively studied due to their use in industrial applications. The sequencing of the A. niger genome provided more knowledge concerning the individual pectinolytic genes, but little is known about the regulatory genes involved in pectin degradation. Understanding regulation of the pectinolytic genes provides a tool to optimize the production of pectinases in this industrially important fungus. This study describes the identification and characterization of one of the activators of pectinase-encoding genes, RhaR. Inactivation of the gene encoding this regulator resulted in down-regulation of genes involved in the release of L-rhamnose from the pectin substructure rhamnogalacturonan I, as well as catabolism of this monosaccharide. The rhaR disruptant was unable to grow on L-rhamnose, but only a small reduction in growth on pectin was observed. This is likely caused by the presence of a second, so far unknown regulator that responds to the presence of D-galacturonic acid. © 2014 Springer-Verlag.

Aim: Antifungal susceptibility testing may be an important aid in the treatment of patients with life threatening yeast infections. The aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility of Candida isolates obtained from clinical specimens to the antifungal agents amphotericin B and fluconazole, which are frequently used in our clinical practice. Materials and methods: Susceptibility to antifungal agents was investigated using the Etest (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) and the reference broth macrodilution susceptibility test (CLSI M27-A2). The MICs obtained with each of the methods were read after 24 h and 48 h of incubation. Results: Overall agreement rates within +/- 1 dilution between the 2 methods were 86.7% (24 h) and 94.1% (48 h) for amphotericin B, and 85.5% (24 h) and 73.3% (48 h) for fluconazole. All C. albicans, C. pelliculosa, C. glabrata, and C. kefyr isolates were inhibited by

The genome of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is rich in genes encoding pectinases, a broad class of enzymes that have been extensively studied due to their use in industrial applications. The sequencing of the A. niger genome provided more knowledge concerning the individual pectinolytic genes, but little is known about the regulatory genes involved in pectin degradation. Understanding regulation of the pectinolytic genes provides a tool to optimize the production of pectinases in this industrially important fungus. This study describes the identification and characterization of one of the activators of pectinase-encoding genes, RhaR. Inactivation of the gene encoding this regulator resulted in down-regulation of genes involved in the release of L-rhamnose from the pectin substructure rhamnogalacturonan I, as well as catabolism of this monosaccharide. The rhaR disruptant was unable to grow on L-rhamnose, but only a small reduction in growth on pectin was observed. This is likely caused by the presence of a second, so far unknown regulator that responds to the presence of D-galacturonic acid. © 2014 Springer-Verlag. Chemicals/CAS: galacturonic acid, 14982-50-4, 685-73-4; pectin, 9000-69-5; pectin lyase, 9033-35-6; polygalacturonase, 9023-92-1, 9032-75-1; rhamnose, 10485-94-6, 3615-41-6

The genome of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is rich in genes encoding pectinases, a broad class of enzymes that have been extensively studied due to their use in industrial applications. The sequencing of the A. niger genome provided more knowledge concerning the individual pectinolytic genes, but little is known about the regulatory genes involved in pectin degradation. Understanding regulation of the pectinolytic genes provides a tool to optimize the production of pectinases in this industrially important fungus. This study describes the identification and characterization of one of the activators of pectinase-encoding genes, RhaR. Inactivation of the gene encoding this regulator resulted in down-regulation of genes involved in the release of L-rhamnose from the pectin substructure rhamnogalacturonan I, as well as catabolism of this monosaccharide. The rhaR disruptant was unable to grow on L-rhamnose, but only a small reduction in growth on pectin was observed. This is likely caused by the presence of a second, so far unknown regulator that responds to the presence of D-galacturonic acid. © 2014 Springer-Verlag. Chemicals/CAS: galacturonic acid, 14982-50-4, 685-73-4; pectin, 9000-69-5; pectin lyase, 9033-35-6; polygalacturonase, 9023-92-1, 9032-75-1; rhamnose, 10485-94-6, 3615-41-6

Pyoderma vegetans (PV) is a chronic, vegetating pustular disorder characterized clinically by erythematous vesiculopustular vegetating cutaneous plaques. Marked epidermal hyperplasia, intraepidermal and subepidermal neutrophilic microabscesses and a dermal inflammatory infiltrate are the prominent histopathological findings. We describe a patient with PV associated with ulcerative colitis and mammary Paget's disease. Pustular eruptions associated with ulcerative colitis are reviewed.

Background Some occupations carry a risk for fungal infections. Objective To investigate the prevalence of onychomycosis in carpet weavers. Methods Seventy-seven weavers (the mean age ± SD = 32.97 ± 12.38) from three factories and 77 controls (the mean age ± SD = 38.32 ± 12.38) were examined for onychomycosis. Samples from nails and the carpets, which were being weaved, were taken for mycological investigations. Results Direct microscopic examination of only two controls' normal-appearing nails was positive. Fungal growth was observed in the culture of four weavers' normal-appearing nails. It was watched over that most of the weavers had polished-appearing nails and were using a glue containing cynoacrylate to restore their broken nails due to weaving. Conclusion The fungal growth observed in weavers' nails has been accepted as colonization. There is no data about the presence of fungi on normal-appearing nails. So, we thought that the weavers with fungal colonization should be followed for the development of onychomycosis. © 2009 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.