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Penicillium species were commonly isolated during a fungal survey of bat hibernacula in New Brunswick and Quebec, Canada. Strains were isolated from arthropods, bats, rodents (i.e. the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus), their dung, and cave walls. Hundreds of fungal strains were recovered, of which Penicillium represented a major component of the...
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... of the major chaetoglobosins produced by these isolates is a newly described natural product, tetrahydrochaetoglobosin (Walsh et al. 2018). In addition to these extrolites, a series of cyclic and linear tetrapeptides, composed of combinations of valine, phenylalanine, leucine/isoleucine, tyrosine and tryptophan were consistently detected across all tested strains (Table 2). These peptides could be putatively characterized by de novo sequencing and are likely similar to the series of linear and cyclic tetra peptides previously identified in cultures of P. chrysogenum, including fungisporin; cyclo(D-Phe-L-Phe-D-Val-LVal) (Ali et al. 2014). ...Similar publications
A Penicillium species isolated during a 1960s study on the ecology of fungi infecting Pinus radiata timber,and subsequently held in an in-house collection in Rotorua, New Zealand, was found to differ morphologically and in growth rate from two closely related Penicillium species. Phylogenetic analysis of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS),...
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... However, there is a gap in our knowledge regarding the richness of cultivable fungi associated with bat flies. In our study, we found fungal species commonly isolated from air samples, substrates found in caves, and bat bodies [33,34,79,81,82]. ...
... 130-400(460) × (75)120-370 μm in A. anatiae vs. 65-75(120) × (49)61-65(82) μm in A. brasiliensis). Conidia in A. anatiae are larger than those found in A. brasiliensis (3.5-5.5 × 2-3 μm in A. anatiae vs. (1.8)3-3.5(4.5) ...
Bat flies are obligate ectoparasitic dipterans that are highly specialised to bats and have apomorphic characteristics, such as absent or reduced wings, and specialised legs and claws, which contribute to their survival. They are often associated with fungi and harbour a fungal diversity that is still poorly understood. Fungi were found in association with the bat flies in a cave of the Caatinga dry forest in Brazil. In total, 43% of the captured bat flies were associated with fungi. Seventy-six flies were collected. DNA sequence analyses of 39 isolates showed that the isolates belonged to 13 species within nine genera, with 38 isolates belonging to Ascomycota and one isolate to Basidiomycota, and Aspergillus was the most frequently isolated genus. Most of the genera found have also been isolated from bat bodies and other substrates/hosts in caves in different regions of the world. Based on morphological and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, two new species of Ascomycota were described: Allophoma brasiliensis sp. nov. and Pyrenochaetopsis cecavii sp. nov.
... In Europe, the highest species diversity can be observed in the Mediterranean region however, due to mild winters and the overall rise in annual temperature, many species have begun to expand their ranges to the north [17][18][19][20][21][22]. The range expansion may lead to transmission of microorganisms previously unobserved in colder regions of Europe including fungi with pathogenic potential [23][24][25][26][27]. Despite the common occurrence of bats in Europe, many aspects of biology and ecology remain insufficiently studied. ...
Bats play important functions in ecosystems and many of them are threatened with extinction. Thus, the monitoring of the health status and prevention of diseases seem to be important aspects of welfare and conservation of these mammals. The main goal of the study was the identification of culturable fungal species colonizing the wing membranes of female greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) during spring emergence from the “Nietoperek” underground hibernation site by the use of genetic and phenotypic analyses. The study site is situated in Western Poland (52°25′ N, 15°32′ E) and is ranked within the top 10 largest hibernation sites in the European Union. The number of hibernating bats in the winter exceeds 39,000 individuals of 12 species, with M. myotis being the most common one. The wing membranes of M. myotis were sampled using sterile swabs wetted in physiological saline (0.85% NaCl). Potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates were incubated in the dark at 8, 24 and 36 ± 1 °C for 3 up to 42 days. All fungi isolated from the surface of wing membranes were assigned to 17 distinct fungal isolates belonging to 17 fungal species. Penicillium chrysogenum was the most frequently isolated species. Some of these fungal species might have a pathogenic potential for bats and other mammals. However, taking into account habitat preferences and the life cycle of bats, it can be assumed that some fungi were accidentally obtained from the surface of vegetation during early spring activity. Moreover, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd)—the causative agent of the White Nose Syndrome (WNS)—was not found during testing, despite it was found very often in M. myotis during previous studies in this same location.
Ecological health Food production a b s t r a c t In modern research, biomanufacturing and environmental sustainability are widely explored areas considering their roles in the production of chemicals, materials and energy , as well as practices that underpin societal growth and well-being. Penicillium is one of the most diverse microbial groups found in the natural environment. Occurring in several habitats including soil, air, endophytic tissues of plants, insect guts, animal intestines and the extremophiles, the Penicillium genus is considered as a versatile microbial group comprising species that synthesize a wide array of bioactive secondary metabolites with wide range of environmental applications. The in-depth explorations of the biosyn-thetic and/or degradative machinery of Penicillium species offer excellent opportunities to augment the synthesis of desirable products that facilitate the removal of soilewater pollutants and improve the overall health of the environment (i.e., plant, soil, animal and human health) at low costs. This review discusses the current state of knowledge and challenges relating to the biotechnological application of Penicillium species in bioremedia-tion, biofuel production and food fermentation, as well as some recommendations for future research directions.
Bats are widespread mammals that play key roles in ecosystems as pollinators and insectivores. However, there is a paucity of information about bat-associated microbes, in particular their fungal communities, despite the important role microbes play in host health and overall host function. The emerging fungal disease, white-nose syndrome, presents a potential challenge to the bat microbiome and understanding healthy bat-associated taxa will provide valuable information about potential microbiome-pathogen interactions. To address this knowledge gap, we collected 174 bat fur/skin swabs from 14 species of bats captured in five locations in New Mexico and Arizona and used high-throughput sequencing of the fungal internal transcribed (ITS) region to characterize bat-associated fungal communities. Our results revealed a highly heterogeneous bat mycobiome that was structured by geography and bat species. Furthermore, our data suggest that bat-associated fungal communities are affected by bat foraging, indicating the bat skin microbiota is dynamic on short time scales. Finally, despite the strong effects of site and species, we found widespread and abundant taxa from several taxonomic groups including the genera Alternaria and Metschnikowia that have the potential to be inhibitory towards fungal and bacterial pathogens.
Phedimus aizoon is native to east Asian countries that including China, Siberia, Korea, Mongolia, and Japan. In China, the plant is highly valued for use in folk medicine, for detoxification and analgesia, blood pressure, hemostasis, and used as an ornamental. In August 2021, a leaf spot and blight disease were observed on P. aizoon in a 120-ha field in Pizhou, Jiangsu Province, China where disease incidence reached 90%, and almost every leaf was withered. Early symptoms appeared as dark brown lesions on leaf margins that enlarged and coalesced to form large necrotic areas. In efforts to determine the cause of the disease, ten symptomatic leaves were randomly collected from ten different plants at the site. Diseased leaf pieces that measured 5 mm2 were disinfected in 75% ethyl alcohol for 30 s and 7% NaOCl for 60 s, rinsed three times in sterile distilled water, and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Ten fungal isolates obtained by single-spore isolations were selected for further study. These isolates produced colonies that measured 70 to 82 mm in diameter after 7 days growth on PDA. Colonies were black to brown in color with gray-white aerial hyphae on their surfaces. The isolates produced conidia that were ovate to pear-shaped, brown to black in color, with 1 to 4 transverse septa and 0 to 1 oblique septa, smooth surfaced, parietal cells extending into the beak, and measured 10 to 35.5 × 5.0 to 12.5 μm. Conidiophores were brown, erect or curved, branched, with pronounced spore marks, and measured 7.5 to 37.5 × 2.5 to 5.0 μm. All ten fungal isolates were morphologically similar to Alternaria alternata (Simmons 2007). Two representative isolates FC01 and FC02 were used for molecular identification. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, RNA polymerase second largest subunit (RPB2), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1), and Alternaria major allergen (Alt a 1) were amplified with the primers ITS4/ITS5, RPB2-5F2/RPB2-7CR (Khodaei and Arzanlou 2013), gpd1/gpd2, EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Nishikawa and Nakashima 2020) and Alt-for/Alt-rev (Woudenberg et al. 2015). The resulting sequences were deposited in GenBank (ITS, ON584560, ON564492; RPB2, ON729984, ON703241; GAPDH, ON652866, ON652867; TEF1, ON652868, ON652869; Alta1, ON652870, ON652871). Phylogenetic analyses showed 100% identity between FC01 and FC02 and the type strain CBS 916.96. Thus, the fungus was identified as A. alternata based on morphology and molecular analysis. Pathogenicity tests were done by spraying conidial suspensions containing 106 conidia per ml of A. alternata isolates FC01 and FC02 on leaves of five healthy P. aizoon plants, separately. Five control plants were sprayed with distilled water and both sets of plants covered with plastic bags and placed in a greenhouse maintained at 25⁰ C. Plastic bags were removed from plants after 48 h. Dark brown lesions developed on inoculated plants after 16 days and control plants remained symptomless. The pathogenicity tests were conducted three times. A. alternata was reisolated and identified based on morphological and molecular traits, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. alternata causing leaf blight on P. aizoon in China and worldwide. Based on the plant's medicinal value, further studies should be directed toward control of this disease.
Blue mold, caused by Penicillium spp., is one of the most economically important postharvest diseases of pome fruits, globally. Pome fruits, in particular apple, is the most widely grown pome fruit in Serbia, and the distribution of Penicillium spp. responsible for postharvest decay is unknown. A two-year survey was conducted in 2014 and 2015, where four pome fruits (apple, pear, quince, and medlar) with blue mold symptoms were collected from 20 storage locations throughout Serbia. Detailed morphological characterization, analysis of virulence in three apple cultivars, and multilocus phylogeny revealed three main Penicillium spp. in order of abundance: P. expansum, P. crustosum, and P. solitum. Interestingly, P. expansum split into two distinct clades with strong statistical support that coincided with several morphological observations. Findings from this study are significant and showed previously undocumented diversity in blue mold fungi responsible for postharvest decay including the first finding of P. crustosum, and P. solitum as postharvest pathogens of quince and P. crustosum of medlar fruit in the world, and P. expansum of quince in Serbia. Data from this study provide timely information regarding phenotypic, morphological and genotypic plasticity in P. expansum that will impact the design of species-specific detection tools and guide the development of blue mold management strategies.
A fungal survey of the Gcwihaba Cave from Botswana found Aspergillus to be one of the more common fungal genera isolated. The 81 Aspergillus strains were identified using CaM sequences and comparing these to a curated reference dataset. Nineteen species were identified representing eight sections (sections Candidi , Circumdati , Flavi , Flavipedes , Nidulantes , Nigri , Terrei and Usti ). One strain could not be identified. Morphological characterisation and multigene phylogenetic analyses confirmed it as a new species in section Flavipedes and we introduce it below as A. okavangoensis . The new species is most similar to A. iizukae , both producing conidiophores with vesicles typically wider than 20 µm. The new species, however, does not produce Hülle cells and its colonies grow slower than those of A. iizukae on CYA at 37 °C (14–15 vs 18–21 mm) and CREA (15–16 vs 23–41mm).
Penicillium costaricense was isolated in air samples from a surgery center in a public hospital in Brazil. The only published data on the occurrence of this species is from caterpillar intestine of Rothschildia lebeau in Costa Rica. The isolate was identified by morphology together with the molecular markers β-tubulin and calmodulin. This report is a warning call to understand the pathogenicity of this species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. costaricense in South American and the second in the world.
Karst caves are characterized by darkness, low temperature, high humidity, and oligotrophic organisms due to its relatively closed and strongly zonal environments. Up to now, 1626 species in 644 genera of fungi have been reported from caves and mines worldwide. In this study, we investigated the culturable mycobiota in karst caves in southwest China. In total, 251 samples from thirteen caves were collected and 2344 fungal strains were isolated using dilution plate method. Preliminary ITS analyses showed that these strains belonged to 610 species in 253 genera. Among these species, 88.0% belonged to Ascomycota, 8.0% Basidiomycota, 1.9% Mortierellomycota, 1.9% Mucoromycota, and 0.2% Glomeromycota. The majority of these species have been previously known from other environments, and some of them are known as mycorrhizal or pathogenic fungi. About 52.8% of these species were discovered for the first time in karst caves. Based on morphological and phylogenetic distinctions, 33 new species were identified and described in this paper. Meanwhile, one new genus of Cordycipitaceae, Gamszarea, and five new combinations are established. This work further demonstrated that Karst caves encompass a high fungal diversity, including a number of previously unknown species.
Taxonomic novelties: New genus: Gamszarea Z.F. Zhang & L. Cai; Novel species: Amphichorda cavernicola, Aspergillus limoniformis, Aspergillus phialiformis, Aspergillus phialosimplex, Auxarthron chinense, Auxarthron guangxiense, Auxarthronopsis globiasca, Auxarthronopsis pedicellaris, Auxarthronopsis pulverea, Auxarthronopsis stercicola, Chrysosporium pallidum, Gamszarea humicola, Gamszarea lunata, Gamszarea microspora, Gymnoascus flavus, Jattaea reniformis, Lecanicillium magnisporum, Microascus collaris, Microascus levis, Microascus sparsimycelialis, Microascus superficialis, Microascus trigonus, Nigrospora globosa, Paracremonium apiculatum, Paracremonium ellipsoideum, Paraphaeosphaeria hydei, Pseudoscopulariopsis asperispora, Setophaeosphaeria microspora, Simplicillium album, Simplicillium humicola, Wardomycopsis dolichi, Wardomycopsis ellipsoconidiophora, Wardomycopsis fusca; New combinations: Gamszarea indonesiaca (Kurihara & Sukarno) Z.F. Zhang & L. Cai, Gamszarea kalimantanensis (Kurihara & Sukarno) Z.F. Zhang & L. Cai, Gamszarea restricta (Hubka, Kubátová, Nonaka, Čmoková & Řehulka) Z.F. Zhang & L. Cai, Gamszarea testudinea (Hubka, Kubátová, Nonaka, Čmoková & Řehulka) Z.F. Zhang & L. Cai, Gamszarea wallacei (H.C. Evans) Z.F. Zhang & L. Cai.
