Penicillium Mycobiota in Arctic Subglacial Ice

Fungi have been only rarely isolated from glacial ice in extremely cold polar regions and were in these cases considered as random, long-term preserved Aeolian deposits. Fungal presence has so far not been investigated in polar subglacial ice, a recently discovered extreme habitat reported to be inhabited exclusively by heterotrophic bacteria. In this study we report on the very high occurrence (up to 9000 CFU L⁻¹) and diversity of filamentous Penicillium spp. in the sediment-rich subglacial ice of three different polythermal Arctic glaciers (Svalbard, Norway). The dominant species was P. crustosum, representing on the average half of all isolated strains from all three glaciers. The other most frequently isolated species were P. bialowiezense, P. chrysogenum, P. thomii, P. solitum, P. palitans, P. echinulatum, P. polonicum, P. commune, P. discolor, P. expansum, and new Penicillium species (sp. 1). Twelve more Penicillium species were occasionally isolated. The fungi isolated produced consistent profiles of secondary metabolites, not different from the same Penicillium species from other habitats. This is the first report on the presence of large populations of Penicillium spp. in subglacial sediment-rich ice.     

A New record of four <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium</Emphasis> species isolated from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agarum clathratum</Emphasis> in Korea

Agarum clathratum, brown algae, play important ecological roles in marine ecosystem, but can cause secondary environment pollution when they pile up on the beach. In order to resolve the environment problem by A. clathratum, we focus to isolate and identify Penicillium because many species are well known to produce extracellular enzymes. A total of 32 Penicillium strains were isolated from A. clathratum samples that collected from 13 sites along the mid-east coast of Korea in summer. They were identified based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analysis using β-tubulin DNA sequences as well as a combined dataset of β-tubulin and calmodulin. A total of 32 strains were isolated and they were identified to 13 Penicillium species. The commonly isolated species were Penicillium citrinum, P. roseomaculatum, and Penicillium sp. Among 13 Penicillium species, four species – P. bilaiae, P. cremeogriseum, P. madriti, and P. roseomaculatum – have not been previously recorded in Korea. For these four new species records to Korea, we provide morphological characteristics of each strain.     

Penicillium andAspergillus species in the habitats of allergy patients in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area

Penicillium andAspergillus have been recognized as important aeroallergens for more than 30 years, and are especially significant in indoor environments. There are over 400 species ofPenicillium andAspergillus combined, but there is little information on which species occur most frequently in the environment, or if each exhibits unique allergenic properties. A preliminary study showed no overlap between those species isolated from an outdoor site in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the species used in immunotherapy at allergy clinics in the Tulsa area. Pursuing this line of research, air samples were collected as three seasonal samples (over a 6 month period) in the homes or offices of ten allergy patients known to be allergic toPenicillium and/orAspergillus. Twenty three species ofPenicillium and 12 species ofAspergillus were identified from these samples through isolation, macroscopic, and microscopic examination.Penicillium corylophilum, P. glabrum, Aspergillus niger, andA. flavipes were the most abundant species isolated, supporting the data obtained in a preliminary study. At least in the Tulsa area, it appears that atopic patients are being tested and treated with extracts ofPenicillium andAspergillus species that are either not present or not abundant in the local indoor or outdoor environments. Additional research is necessary to determine if the environmental isolates share allergens with those species used in immunotherapy.     

Production of xylanase from a newly isolated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium</Emphasis> sp. ZH-30

A new strain of Penicillium sp. ZH-30 that produces xylanase was isolated from soil. According to the morphology and comparison of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA gene sequence, the strain Penicillium sp. ZH-30 was identified as a strain of Penicillium oxalicum. When xylan or wheat bran was used as substrate at 30°C for 3 days under submerged cultivation, xylanase production was 5.3 and 13.3 U ml⁻¹, respectively. The temperature and pH for optimum activity were 50°C and 5.0–6.0, respectively.     

Isolation and identification of endophytic fungus SX01, a red pigment producer from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ginkgo biloba</Emphasis> L

Fungal pigments are a potential resource as natural food colorant. Endophytic fungus SX01, which is able to produce abundant soluble red pigments, was isolated from the twigs of Ginkgo biloba L. For further research and utilization of this strain and its secondary metabolites, morphological and molecular characteristics of SX01 was identified. Morphological identification which employed light microscope and scanning electron microscope showed that SX01 was a species of genera Penicillium. ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and 18S rRNA gene were then cloned, and the molecular phylogeny of these two sequences proved that strain SX01 was Penicillium purpurogenum.     

Low occurrence of patulin‐ and citrinin‐producing species isolated from grapes

Aims: To assess the ability of fungi isolated from grapes to produce patulin and citrinin. Methods and Results: A total of 446 Aspergillus isolates belonging to 20 species and 101 Penicillium isolates were inoculated in Czapek yeast extract agar and yeast extract sucrose agar and incubated for 7 days at 25°C. Extracts were analysed for patulin and citrinin by thin‐layer chromatography. None of the isolates of Aspergillus spp. produced either patulin or citrinin. Patulin was produced by three isolates of Penicillium expansum and two of Penicillium griseofulvum. Citrinin was produced by five isolates of P. expansum, two of Penicillium citrinum and one of Penicillium verrucosum. Conclusions: Our results show that the Aspergillus and Penicillium species commonly isolated from grapes are not a source of the mycotoxins, patulin and citrinin. Significance and Impact of the Study: The possibility of co‐occurrence of patulin and citrinin with ochratoxin A in grapes and grape products remain low, owing to the low frequency of isolation of potentially producing species.     

The sequence of the isoepoxydon dehydrogenase gene of the patulin biosynthetic pathway in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium</Emphasis> species

Interest in species of the genus Penicillium is related to their ability to produce the mycotoxin patulin and to cause spoilage of fruit products worldwide. The sequence of the isoepoxydon dehydrogenase (idh) gene, a gene in the patulin biosynthetic pathway, was determined for 28 strains representing 12 different Penicillium species known to produce the mycotoxin patulin. Isolates of Penicillium carneum, Penicillium clavigerum, Penicillium concentricum, Penicillium coprobium, Penicillium dipodomyicola, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium gladioli, Penicillium glandicola, Penicillium griseofulvum, Penicillium paneum, Penicillium sclerotigenum and Penicillium vulpinum were compared. Primer pairs for DNA amplification and sequencing were designed from the P. griseofulvum idh gene (GenBank AF006680). The two introns present were removed from the nucleotide sequences, which were translated to produce the IDH sequences of the 12 species for comparison. Phylogenetic relationships among the species were determined from rDNA (ITS1, 5.8 S, ITS2 and partial sequence of 28S rDNA) and from the idh nucleotide sequences minus the two introns. Maximum parsimony analysis showed trees based on rDNA and idh sequences to be congruent. It is anticipated that the genetic information obtained in the present study will aid in the design of probes, specific for patulin biosynthetic pathway genes, to identify the presence of these mycotoxigenic fungi. The U.S. Government's right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium viticola</Emphasis>, a new species isolated from a grape in Japan

A new monoverticillate Penicillium species (subgenus Aspergilloides Dierckx), Penicillium viticola, was isolated from a grape cultivated in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Morphologically, P. viticola is characterized by the production of slightly roughened conidia, slightly roughened stipes, and rapid growth on 25% glycerol nitrate agar (G25N). This species is phylogenetically close to Penicillium angulare S.W. Peterson, E.M. Bayer & Wicklow, but differs with respect to colonial characteristics and conidia and penicilli morphology.     

Fungal flora of the digestive tract of 5 species of triatomines vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi,Chagas 1909

A study of the mycobiota in the digestive tract of 5 important species of triatomines, Triatoma brasiliensis, T. infestans, T. sordida, T. pseudomaculata and T. vitticeps, was made. The digestive tracts of 164 adults and 535 nymphs of those triatomines were studied and 393 fungal strains were isolated.The genera with the greatest number of species were Penicillium (19 species), Aspergillus (17 species) and Acremonium (5 species) and the most frequent species, in decreasing order, were Penicillium corylophilum, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium fellutanum, Cladosporium herbarum, Penicillium waksmanii, Aspergillus awamori and Paecilomyces variotii. Among the isolated fungi, we found species that are recognized as entomopathogenic and pathogenic for humans and animals.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of carbon and nitrogen sources on ochratoxin A production by two species of Penicillium isolated from poultry feeds

Mycotoxins are natural, secondary metabolites produced by fungi on agricultural commodities in the field and during storage under a wide range of climatic conditions. The ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin produced by several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. In this study, the influence of carbon and nitrogen sources on ochratoxigenic Penicillium species was assessed. The ochratoxigenic Penicillium species were isolated from poultry feed samples of Andhra Pradesh, India. The isolated ochratoxigenic Penicillium species were identified, screened and characterised as OTA producers by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This experiment was carried out using Czapak yeast Autolysate (CYA) medium with different carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sources at pH 6.5 and incubated at 25 ± 2°C under dark condition. Maximum OTA production was recorded in the presence of D-glucose followed by D-galactose and D-lactose as carbon sources. Similarly, the maximum amount of OTA production was observed in thiourea followed by potassium nitrate as nitrogen source. However, OTA production, final pH of the medium, and mycelial yield and OTA production of both the species of Penicillium varied with C and N present in the medium. The kinetics of the both species of Penicillium was observed for 30 days at an interval of three days. The maximum amount of OTA was detected by 12 and 15 days incubation periods for Penicillium nordicum and Penicillium verrucosum, respectively.     

Diversity and enzyme activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium</Emphasis> species associated with macroalgae in Jeju Island

A total of 28 strains of 19 Penicillium species were isolated in a survey of extracellular enzyme-producing fungi from macroalgae along the coast of Jeju Island of Korea. Penicillium species were identified based on morphological and β-tubulin sequence analyses. In addition, the halo-tolerance and enzyme activity of all strains were evaluated. The diversity of Penicillium strains isolated from brown algae was higher than the diversity of strains isolated from green and red algae. The commonly isolated species were Penicillium antarcticum, P. bialowiezense, P. brevicompactum, P. crustosum, P. oxalicum, P. rubens, P. sumatrense, and P. terrigenum. While many strains showed endoglucanase, β-glucosidase, and protease activity, no alginase activity was detected. There was a positive correlation between halo-tolerance and endoglucanase activity within Penicillium species. Among 19 Penicillium species, three species–P. kongii, P. olsonii, and P. viticola–have not been previously recorded in Korea.     

A new species of Penicillium isolated from soil at the Kruger National Park in South Africa

A new species of Penicillium Link ex Fries is described and illustrated. It is represented by twenty six isolates recovered from soil at twenty six different locations at the southern part of the Paul Kruger National Park in South Africa. It clearly differs from all species of the genus described so far among the Biverticillata-Symmetrica Section, and it is therefore described and proposed as a new taxon: Penicillium krugerii sp. nov.     

Penicillium aurantiogriseum Dierckx produces chaetoglobosin A toxic to embryonic chickens

Several strains of the genusPenicillium isolated from swabs from uranium miners working environment were screened for production of known mycotoxins; and embryotoxicity of chloroform extracts from the isolates was investigated in chick embryos.Penicillium aurantiogriseum was found to produce chaetoglobosin A. ED₅₀ of this mycotoxin for 2-, 3- and 4-day-old chick embryos was found 0.040 (0.031–0.052), 0.074 (0.051–0.107), and 0.180 (0.113–0.229) µg/embryo, respectively. The effect was purely embryolethal with no signs of teratogenicity recorded. This is the first report on the isolation of chaetoglobosin A from the genusPenicillium.     

Four new species of Penicillium isolated from the air

Four new species of Penicillium Link ex Fries are described and illustrated. All of them but one have been isolated from the atmosphere in Madrid, Spain. They clearly differ from all species of the genus described so far and are, therefore, described and proposed as new taxa: Penicillium aurantio-flammiferum sp. nov., Penicillium gallaicum sp. nov., Penicillium granatense sp. nov., and Penicillium ilerdanum sp. nov.     

Three new species of penicillium

Three new species of microfungi belonging to the genus Penicillium Link ex Fries are described and illustrated. All but one have been isolated from the atmosphere of las Palmas, capital city of the island of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). They clearly differ from all species of the genus described so far and are, therefore, described and proposed as new species: Penicillium hispanicum sp. nov., Penicillium grancanariae sp. nov., and Penicillium palmensis sp. nov.     

A report on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium</Emphasis> in the intramural and extramural air of residential areas of Nagpur city (India)

Prevalence of different species of Penicillium and their concentrations per cubic meter of air were evaluated with the use of Hi-Air sampler system Mark II (Hi-Media Laboratories Ltd., India) in the air of homes (bed-rooms) at four different sites in Nagpur. At each of these sites, air sampling was done fortnightly in triplicate for 2 years duration from June 2000 to May 2002. The sampling was also done in triplicate for the outdoor air in the vicinity of each home on the same day immediately after the indoor sampling was over. The mean concentration of Penicillium colony forming units at four different sites in the indoor air was 32, 46.9, 35 and 35.4 CFU/m³, respectively, whereas in the outdoor air at these same four sites, the mean concentration was 24, 28, 25 and 25.8 CFU/m³ respectively. The Penicillium concentration in the indoor air was found to be higher in winter than in other seasons (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Concentration of Penicillium spp. in intramural environment was always higher than that in extramural environment. Statistically significant difference existed between intramural and extramural environments at all the sites, with maximum difference at a site, which is old crowded area of the city. During the 2-years investigations, 11 species of Penicillium were isolated from the indoor air while nine species were isolated from the air outside the homes. The dominant species of Penicillium in indoor as well as outdoor air were P. citrinum (33.78 and 32.81), P. oxalicum (19.70 and 22.60), and P. chrysogenum (17.64 and 14.50). The percentage of the Penicillium in the indoor air was 10.70 while it was 8.36 in outdoor air. Indoor air showed the presence of P. glaber and P. sclerotiorum, which were absent in the outdoor air.     

Some new species of Penicillium recovered from the atmosphere in Madrid and from other substrata

Six new species ofPenicillium Linkex Fries are described and illustrated. Four of them have been recovered from the atmosphere in Madrid, Spain, the other two species were isolated from must and from soil respectively. They clearly differ from all species of the genus described so far and are, therefore described and proposed as new taxa:Penicillium gerundense sp. nov.,Penicillium valentinum sp. nov.,Penicillium alicantinum sp. nov.,Penicillium malacaense sp. nov.,Penicillium tarraconense sp. nov., andPenicillium vasconiae sp. nov.     

Penicillium flavido-stipitatum sp. nov.

An undescribed species of Penicillium was isolated in August 1982 from sand dunes located at the Arches National Monument, Utah, USA. It clearly differs from all species of the genus described so far and is, therefore, described and proposed as a new taxon: Penicillium flavido-stipitatum sp. nov.     

New <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Talaromyces</Emphasis> species from honey,pollen and nests of stingless bees

Penicillium and Talaromyces species have a worldwide distribution and are isolated from various materials and hosts, including insects and their substrates. The aim of this study was to characterize the Penicillium and Talaromyces species obtained during a survey of honey, pollen and the inside of nests of Melipona scutellaris. A total of 100 isolates were obtained during the survey and 82% of those strains belonged to Penicillium and 18% to Talaromyces. Identification of these isolates was performed based on phenotypic characters and β-tubulin and ITS sequencing. Twenty-one species were identified in Penicillium and six in Talaromyces, including seven new species. These new species were studied in detail using a polyphasic approach combining phenotypic, molecular and extrolite data. The four new Penicillium species belong to sections Sclerotiora (Penicillium fernandesiae sp. nov., Penicillium mellis sp. nov., Penicillium meliponae sp. nov.) and Gracilenta (Penicillium apimei sp. nov.) and the three new Talaromyces species to sections Helici (Talaromyces pigmentosus sp. nov.), Talaromyces (Talaromyces mycothecae sp. nov.) and Trachyspermi (Talaromyces brasiliensis sp. nov.). The invalidly described species Penicillium echinulonalgiovense sp. nov. was also isolated during the survey and this species is validated here.     

青霉属的三个新种

本文报导青霉属的三个新种,它们不同于此属已发表的诸种.异型青霉(Penicillium heteromorphum Kong et Qi),根据帚状枝的结构和分生孢子的某些特征,近于两型孢青霉(Penicillium dimorphosporum Swart),但此种在查氏琼脂上生长很稀疏,并有两种大小的分生孢子,大分生孢子直径可达10 pm,壁光滑,在观察菌落期间,有时大分生孢子落在基质上,很快萌发生长成简单的分生孢子结构,这些特征易于与后者区分.结节青霉(Penicillium nodulum Kong et Qi)在某些方面类似纠缠青霉(Penicilliumimplicatum Biourge),此新种的菌落特征,柄顶端膨大似顶囊,呈结节状膨大的营养菌丝等特征而不同于纠缠青霉.神农架青霉(Penicillium shennong jianum Kong et Qi)和毡毛青霉(Penicillium velutinum van Heyma)相近,而新种在多种培养基上生长都局限,菌落面呈带褐的橄榄色,分生孢子壁光滑等特征可与毡毛青霉区分开来.