The occurrence of fungi in hospital and community potable waters

The prevalence of fungi was investigated in 126 potable water samples (84 hospital and 42 community samples), in parallel with the standard pollution indicator micro-organisms. Filamentous fungi were isolated from 104 of 126 (82.5%) samples and yeasts from 14 (11.1%), whereas their mean counts were 36.6 and 4.4, respectively. Fungi were isolated from 95.2% of community and 76.2% of hospital water samples, with the difference being statistically significant (P < 0.05), while yeasts were isolated from 9.5 and 11.9%, respectively. Prevailing genera were Penicillium spp., isolated from 64, Aspergillus spp., from 53, and Candida, from nine of the examined samples. Colony-forming units of yeasts were significantly correlated with those of total and faecal coliforms, whereas the counts of filamentous fungi were significantly correlated with total heterotrophic bacteria counts. These results suggest that tap water is a potential transmission route for fungi both in hospitals and the community in the examined region and may pose a health hazard mainly for the immunocompromised host.     

医院室内外空气中真菌的曝皿培养调查

真菌是医院感染性疾病重要的病原菌之一,空气传播是导致真菌外源性感染的重要途径,不但引起感染性疾病,还可引起过敏、中毒和致癌。为了调查本地区医院工作环境中真菌的种类、数量及分布情况,我们于2008年1月～2008年12月进行了空气真菌曝皿调查,以指导真菌感染及过敏患者的诊断和预防[1-3]。     

The occurrence of keratinophilic fungi in queensland

Summary Keratinophilic fungi have been isolated and identified in soil samples from 233 sites in Queensland and 12 from the Northern Territory. Total numbers of the fungi isolated are given, together with their occurrence in various broad types of locality.It is noted that populated localities produced a higher incidence of keratinophilic fungi than remote areas. Exceptions to this were found in beach sand, 17 samples of which produced only two growths ofChrysosporium species and no potentially pathogenic fungi.Culture technique, and the method of examination of colonies are discussed, and the morphological features of several of the more commonly occurring species are described.Isolates ofChrysosporium tropicum were made from two samples, one from Alice Springs and one from Brisbane. This is the first time this fungus has been reported in Australia.     

The occurrence of fungi in activated sludge

The population of a biological system in a sewage treatment plant is formed of a fortuitous assemblage of microorganisms, members of which are continually dropped out while additional members are recruited. Many of these organisms are active throughout the year. Fewer yeasts than filamentous fungi are found by the plating technique. The population is about evenly divided between species producing their spores in dry states and in wet states. The fungus population includes species which under certain circumstances are able to use a wide variety of substrates from simple sugars to complex carbohydrates and hydrocarbons.

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Zusammenfassung Die Population eines biologischen Systems in einem Kloakenwasser-Behandlungs-werk ist durch ein zufälliges Zusammentreffen von Mikroorganismen geformt, deren Mitglieder fortwährend ausfallen, während andere hinzukommen. Viele dieser Mikroorganismen sind während des ganzen Jahres aktiv. Weniger Hefen denn Fadenpilze sind mit der Plattentechnique gefunden. Die Population ist ungefähr gleichmäßig unter den Arten verteilt, die die Sporen in trockenem wie in feuchtem Zustand produzieren. Die Pilzpopulation umfaßt Arten, die unter gewissen Umständen fähig sind, eine große Varietät von Nährmaterial, von einfachen wie auch komplexen Kohlenstoffhydraten und Kohlenstoffhydraten zu benutzen.

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Much of the material included here was Presented at the 23rd Industrial Waste Conference Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana May 7–9, 1968     

The occurrence of thermophilic cellulolytic fungi in a pasture land soil

Previous studies on the isolation of thermophilic fungi from soil have indicated their relative rarity. In the present investigation, however, many of the confirmed thermophilic fungi have been isolated from one pasture land, using soil enrichment methods and selective isolation media. These results point towards a wide distribution of thermophiles in soil and the cellulolytic activity of many of them.     

House-dust mites and mold fungi as a source of indoor allergens

In this work information on the biology and ecology of synanthropic mites and mold fungi, proved to be the sources of indoor allergens in different premises, is presented. The authors propose the algorithm of the ecological monitoring of dwellings, developed on the basis their investigations. The types of dwellings, the time and situations when ecological monitoring should be carried out are analyzed. Grounds for the necessity of controlling the number of mites and the concentration of Micromyces spores, as well as their elimination from the environment, are given.     

The occurrence of keratinophilic fungi in texas soil

Summary A total of 137 soils, 27 coming from caves and 110 from outdoor lands of Texas, were examined for the presence of keratinophilic fungi by the use of the ToKaVa hairbaiting technique. Twenty three and 69 fungal isolates, respectively, were recovered from these areas. Microsporon gypseum was the most common isolate, followed byTrichophyton mentagrophytes, andT. terrestre. M. gypseum was recovered from caves in a very high frequency (67 %), in comparison to its presence in the outdoor soils (10 %).Fifteen strains ofChrysosporium, belonging to four species, were isolated. Fourteen of these isolates were recovered from shady areas under trees. None of these had been isolated from Texas soil before.     

Biodiversity and concentration of airborne fungi in a hospital environment

The biodiversity and concentration of airborne fungi were monitored over a period of 6 months in a special-care unit of a hospital. Air sampling was performed in a corridor that was also accessible to visitors and in an adjacent bone-marrow transplantation (BMT) unit using an air sampler and two isolation media. Altogether, 98 fungal species could be identified, among them Aspergillus fumigatus and A. terreus as well as 48 other species reported as potential pathogens. The average contamination values of the corridor air ranged from 124 to 485 cfu m⁻³. Neither the degree of fungal air contamination nor the species composition inside the special care unit differed from those found in the corridor. By means of data obtained with a light-activated sensor, a possible influence of human activities on diurnal changes of fungal propagule concentration was shown. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

某医院皮肤科就诊患者真菌感染的流行病学调查

目的探讨延安市某医院2006—2010年皮肤科门诊患者真菌感染的菌群分布、特点及变迁情况,为临床防治真菌感染提供研究依据。方法采用回顾性调查方法,收集5年来该院皮肤科门诊患者的所有真菌检查的病例资料,对标本来源、菌群分布及菌种变迁进行调查和分析。结果5年中真菌感染阳性率为9．98％-44．05％,男性感染率高于女性,浅部真菌感染率高于深部真菌,差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．005）;60岁以上患者占38．18％,感染以白假丝酵母菌为主但所占比例5年间下降了16．86％（P〈0．05）,而其他假丝酵母菌所占比例则呈上升趋势。结论5年来该院真菌感染菌群分布发生了变迁;真菌感染以老年男性为主,儿童真菌感染亦不容忽视,临床应加强对这些真菌感染的预防和监测,防止真菌感染。     

Monitoring indoor pollen over two years

The present study monitored a private apartment for pollen that had settled on the floor. Pollen was sampled and analysed from two rooms over a period of two years. The study showed that pollen accumulations indoors are dominated by wind-pollinated species reflecting the current flowering season. The adjacent vegetation and the cleaning activities influenced the pollen content. Pollen from zoophilous plants mostly originated from ornamental plants within the flat. Similarities and differences between the two rooms and the two years were observed. These findings have implications for forensic investigations as well as allergological research.     

Frequency of occurrence of fungi on wood in Malaysian mangroves

Over one hundred fungi have been reported on mangrove wood (Hyde and Jones, 1988; Jones and Kuthubutheen, 1989; Hyde and Jones, unpublished) from tropical and subtropical locations. A variety of factors affect the frequency of occurrence of these fungi, e.g . salinity, length of exposure of substrate, wood species and location within the mangrove. Two aspects are addressed in this paper: a) Comparison of the fungi present at three mangroves in Malaysia (Morib, Kuala Selangor, Port Dickson); and b) The fungi colonising specific mangrove wood, e.g. Avecennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza. Species diversity was greatest at Port Dickson with 63 fungi recorded while species composition varied from site to site. Common fungi at Morib and Kuala Selangor were Halocyphina villosa and Leptosphaeria australiensis along with Kallichroma tethys and Lulworthia grandispora at the latter site. None of these were common at Port Dickson, the dominant species at this site were Hypoxylon oceanicum and Massarina ramunculicola. A comparison of the fungi occurring on Avicennia marina and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza indicated that Halocyphina villosa was common on both timbers. Species diversity and abundance were greatest on Avicennia with the following fungi listed as common: Eutypa sp., Kallichroma tethys, Marinosphaera mangrovei, Phoma sp. and Julelia avicenniae.     

Natural occurrence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in rice bran

Thirty four samples of rice bran, of which 9 were from raw (untreated) rice (RR) and 25 from parboiled rice (PbR) were collected from commercial rice mills in and around Madras and analysed for storage mycoflora and mycotoxins. Fungi of the Aspergillus flavus group were present in 29 of the 34 samples (8 from RR and 21 from PbR) in quantities ranging from <1–432 thousand propagules/g, though not always as the dominant mycoflora. Fungal numbers were usually higher in RR than in PbR samples.Five of the 9 RR samples and 6 of the 25 PbR samples were positive for aflatoxins. Among 29 isolates of A. flavus obtained from the bran samples, 16 isolates –6 from RR bran and 10 from PbR bran — were found to be toxigenic in vitro. Some isolates of A. candidus also seemed to produce aflatoxin and other fluorescent substances.     

Viable fungi in the air of indoor environments of the National Archive of the Republic of Cuba

The aim of this study was to analyze the viable fungi in the air of indoor environments of the National Archive of the Republic of Cuba (NARC). The samples were taken in fifteen areas (five points for the three floors) at 2 days (rainy and dry seasons) using a biocolector SAS in 3 h: 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. The fungal concentration was indicated as colony forming units per cubic meter of air (cfu/m³ of air). It was concluded that indoor air of the NARC was not polluted due to the average fungal concentration that was obtained (59 and 327 cfu/m³ of air in rainy and dry seasons, respectively). In front of the electric transformers, the fungal concentration was significantly higher than those obtained along the corridors of the lower-ground floor. A trend to the increasing of fungal concentration was observed: when the floors were increased, in dry season was higher than rainy season, where also there was biggest fungal diversity. Among the fungal genera isolated, Aspergillus had the highest relative frequency of appearance, and in dry season, it was isolated Actinobacillus sp. (Actinomycetes). Six fungal species were isolated in both samplings: Aspergillus alliaceus, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium chrysogenum and Mucor racemosus. All of fungal species isolated have high biodeteriogenic capacity, and the 61 % showed pathogenic attributes.     

The occurrence of glycogen-membrane complexes in fungi an electron microscope study

Summary Membrane-particle complexes were studied in the vegetative hyphae ofSclerotinia fructigena. The established techniques of differential staining for electron microscopy and pretreatment with ribonuclease and-amylase indicated that the particles were glycogen.The physiological significance of such structures in fungi is unknown at present, but their resemblance to similar glycogen-membrane complexes existing in animal cells is discussed.