Ubiquinone system of the form-genusChrysosporium

The ubiquinone (coenzyme Q: Q) system of 17 strains of the form-genusChrysosporium was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and found to show a heterogeneous distribution of the major ubiquinone. Q-9, Q-10 or Q-10(H₂) was found to be the major ubiquinone in 3, 9 and 5 strains, respectively. It was further demonstrated that the teleomorphs of the species characterized by Q-9 and Q-10 could be classified into two separate families, Arthrodermataceae (Q-9) and Onygenaceae (Q-10), which were defined within the revised order Onygenales by Currah. Teleomorphs ofChrysosporium species having Q-10(H₂) have not been found. This paper also includes the ubiquinone system of dermatophytes which relate to the form-genusChrysosporium morphologically.     

Ecology of dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi in swimming pools and polluted and unpolluted streams

The biodiversity and richness of keratinophilic fungal communities including dermatophytes were assessed in three stream sites and three swimming pools in the Nablus district in Palestine, using hair baiting (HBT) and surface dilution plate (SDP) techniques, over 8- and 6-month periods, respectively. The effect of waste water effluent and selected ecological factors on these fungi in relation to species diversity and population densities were also considered. Fifty keratinophilic fungal species were recovered from the aquatic habitats studied, of which 42 were recovered from stream sites and 22 from swimming pools. Of these fungi 6 were either dermatophytes (Microsporum gypseum, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes) or dermatophyte related species (Chrysosporium merdarium, Ch. tropicum, Ch. keratinophilum and T. terrestre). The most frequently isolated species in the three pools were Acremonium strictum and Cladosporium cladosporioides, using Sabouraud dextrose agar medium (SDA). The most abundant species were Acr. strictum, and Aspergillus flavus. However, only 4 species were isolated using the SDA medium amended with 5-flurocytosine (5-FC). The most frequent and abundant species in the three stream sites using SDA medium were Geotricum candidum, and Penicillium chrysogenum. The most frequent species in the three sites using the 5-FC medium, was Paecilomyces lilacinus. Using HBT, the most abundant and frequent species in the three stream sites were G. candidum, and Pa. lilacinus, on SDA medium, and Pa. lilacinus, and Gliocladium nigrovirens on the 5-FC medium. The 5-FC medium was more suitable for the isolation of dermatophytes and closely related species than the SDA medium; 6 were recovered on 5-FC, whereas only one on the SDA medium. Variation in the levels of keratinophilic fungal populations from the three stream sites sampled 5 times over an 8-month period, followed comparable fluctuation patterns. Waste water affected fungal population densities with the highest levels in the un-polluted stream sites, and lowest in the heavily polluted sites. Swimming pools, polluted and un-polluted stream sites were found to be rich in pathogenic and potentially pathogenic fungi.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Prevalence of Dermatophytic Fungal Infections in Children: A Recent Study in Anambra State,Nigeria

We conducted a recent survey of dermatological fungal infections amongst children in both urban and rural parts of Anambra State in the south-east geographical flank of Nigeria during the period January 2003 to December 2003. Samples were collected from 1624 children with clinically suggestive lesions and also between the ages of 4 and 16. Young children aged 7–11 and 4– 6 years had significantly higher incidences (P < 0.05) than their older colleagues aged 12–16 years among samples proved to be mycologically positive by microscopy, culture or both. There was a significant difference in the incidence of dermatophytoses amongst children in urban and rural areas investigated (P < 0.05). Tinea capitis was the predominant clinical type. Trichophyton tonsurans was the most prevalent etiological agent while Microsporum audouinii was the least in occurrence. We compared our result with a recent study in the northern geographical zone and observed that although incidence of dermatophytoses is higher in northern Nigeria, tinea capitis was the predominant clinical type in both regions. In addition, the etiological agents appear to vary from time to time in their occurrence and the reasons for these observations are discussed. A regular surveillance and assessment of the etiologic agent and its prevalence by medical mycologists is strongly recommended to facilitate monitoring, reduce/prevent transmission and spread of dermatophytes in countries like Nigeria where they constitute a public health problem.     

Occurrence of keratinophilic fungi anddermatophytes on domestic birds in Nigeria

Feathers, nails and beaks of one hundred and twenty common birds in Nigeria, Chicken [50], Ducks [20], Turkeys [15] and Pigeons[35], were examined using the soil plate technique for their mycoflora.15 species of fungi were recovered and they belong to the genera Chrysosporium, Trichophyton, Microsporum, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Penicillium and Trichoderma. Microsporum gypseum was the species most frequently isolated (35% of the samples). The most common genus was Chrysosporium and C. keratinophilum was the species with the highest frequency in the genus (28.3%). The species isolated included potential pathogens and mycotoxin producing fungi (Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Fusarium oxysporum). This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Partial purification and some biochemical charactcristics of exocellular keratinase from Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei

The dermatophyte Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei isolated from patients infected with tinea cruris was cultured in Sabouraud dextrose broth, from which an exocellular kenitinase extract was obtained. The keratinase was partially purified with sephadix G-100 gel filtration. Some biochemical characteristics of the purified enzyme were examined. Its molecular weight was estimated to be 38000 dalton on sodium dodecyle sulfate polyacrylmide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The optimal pH was 5.5 and optimal temperature for the highest keratinase activity was 50°C. The enzyme activity was specifically increased against guinea pig hair and fibrous protein and inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonylfloride. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterization of the cyclophilin of Trichophyton mentagrophytes

A genetic approach to cyclophilins in a dermatophyte, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, was carried out. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the cyclophilin of T. mentagrophytes shared about 70% sequence similarity with those of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. However, the first 21 amino acid and the C-terminal amino acid regions of 188 to 226 of the T. mentagrophytes cyclophilin were distinct from those of the other fungal cyclophilins. The recombinant glutathione S-transferase (GST)-T. mentagrophytes cyclophilin fusion protein produced by Escherichia coli was purified. The protease digest of the fusion protein had a molecular weight of about 13 kDa and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPI) activity. This digest protein from T. mentagrophytes was confirmed to be cyclophilin by proving PPI activity.     

Antichemotactic and Antifungal Action of the Essential Oils from Cryptocarya aschersoniana,Schinus terebinthifolia,and Cinnamomum amoenum

The purpose of this work was to determine the chemical composition and evaluate the antichemotactic, antioxidant, and antifungal activities of the essential oil obtained from the species Cryptocarya aschersoniana Mez , Cinnamomum amoenum (Ness & Mart .) Kosterm. , and Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi , as well as the combination of C. aschersoniana essential oil and terbinafine against isolates of dermatophytes. Allo‐aromadendrene, bicyclogermacrene, and germacrene B were identified as major compounds in essential oils. The essential oil of C. aschersoniana shown 100 % inhibitory effect on leukocyte migration at the concentration of 10 μg/mL while S. terebinthifolia oil presented 80.1 % inhibitory effect at the same concentration. Only S. terebinthifolia oil possessed free‐radical‐scavenging activity which indicates its antioxidant capacity. The essential oils were also tested against fungal isolates of dermatophyte species (Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum), resulting in MIC ranging from 125 μg/mL to over 500 μg/mL. C. aschersoniana oil combined with terbinafine resulted in an additive interaction effect. In this case, the essential oil may act as a complement to conventional therapy for the topical treatment of superficial fungal infections, mainly because it is associated with an anti‐inflammatory effect.     

Biological investigation of N-methyl thiosemicarbazones as antimicrobial agents and bacterial carbonic anhydrases inhibitors

The enormous burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in economic and healthcare terms has cast a shadow on the serious threat of antimicrobial resistance, increasing the inappropriate use of antibiotics and shifting the focus of drug discovery programmes from antibacterial and antifungal fields. Thus, there is a pressing need for new antimicrobials involving innovative modes of action (MoAs) to avoid cross-resistance rise. Thiosemicarbazones (TSCs) stand out due to their easy preparation and polypharmacological application, also in infectious diseases. Recently, we reported a small library of TSCs (1–9) that emerged for their non-cytotoxic behaviour. Inspired by their multifaceted activity, we investigated the antibacterial, antifungal, and antidermatophytal profiles of derivatives 1–9, highlighting a new promising research line. Furthermore, the ability of these compounds to inhibit selected microbial and human carbonic anhydrases (CAs) was assessed, revealing their possible involvement in the MoA and a good selectivity index for some derivatives.     

Antifungal activity of some mediterranean algae

Summary The antifungal activity of 15 mediterranean algae species on some dermatophyte strains (Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes) and pathogenic yeasts (Candida albicans, C. guillermondii, C. krusei, C. tropicalis and Torulopsis glabrata) has been tested following a modification of Aubert's technique.Among the algae species studied, Falkenbergia rufolanosa is the most active in front of all the fungi tested.