Neosartorya takakii, a new species from soil in Brazil

Among the isolates from soil of grassland in Roraima State, Brazil, a new species ofNeosartorya, N. takakii is described and illustrated.Neosartorya takakii differs from the other known species of the genus in having lenticular ascospores with two distinct equatorial crests and with roughly circularly arranged projections on the convex walls. A comparative SEM view of ascospores from six relatedNeosartorya species is also provided.     

Phylogenetic analysis of newly described Neosartorya species

Isolates representing newly described Neosartorya species, and isolates with abnormal morphologies from Aspergillus section Fumigati were examined by phylogenetic analysis of sequences of part of their -tubulin gene. Phylogenetic analyses supported the earlier suggestions that heterothallism is a derived character, and that sexuality was lost several times during the evolution of Aspergillus section Fumigati. The heterothallic N. fennelliae and N. udagawae strains were found to be closely related to the homothallic Neosartorya sp. NRRL 4179 and N. aureola, respectively. Aspergillus sp. FRR 1266, which was earlier described as a variant of A. fumigatus, was found to be closely related to A. viridinutans. Another abnormal asexual isolate was found to be closely related to A. fumigatus and N. fischeri. Phylogenetic relationships among newly described Neosartorya species and other taxa were successfully established based on phylogenetic analysis of -tubulin sequences.     

New taxa of Neosartorya and Aspergillus in Aspergillus section Fumigati

Three new species of Neosartorya and one new Aspergillus of section Fumigati are proposed using a polyphasic approach based on morphology, extrolite production and partial β-tubulin, calmodulin, and actin gene sequences. The phylogenetic analyses using the three genes clearly show that the taxa grouped separately from the known species and confirmed the phenotypic differences. Neosartorya denticulata is characterized by its unique denticulate ascospores with a prominent equatorial furrow; N. assulata by well developed flaps on the convex surface of the ascospores which in addition have two distinct equatorial crests and N. galapagensis by a funiculose colony morphology, short and narrow conidiophores and ascospores with two wide equatorial crests with a microtuberculate convex surface. Aspergillus turcosus can be distinguished by velvety, gray turquoise colonies and short, loosely columnar conidial heads. The four new taxa also have unique extrolite profiles, which contain the mycotoxins gliotoxin and viriditoxin in N. denticulate; apolar compounds provisionally named NEPS in N. assulata and gregatins in N. galapagensis. A. turcosus produced kotanins. N. denticulata sp. nov., N. assulata sp. nov., N. galapagensis sp. nov., and A. turcosus sp. nov. are described and illustrated. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neosartorya</Emphasis> from Amazonian soil,Brazil

Neosartorya indohii and N. tsurutae, two new Neosartorya species isolated from tropical rainforest soil in the Amazonian area, Brazil, are described and illustrated. Neosartorya indohii is characterized by its spreading growth on Czapeks and malt extract agars, light yellow cleistothecia, broadly lenticular ascospores with two conspicuously serrate-incised equatorial crests and tuberculate convex surfaces, and globose to subglobose conidia with a smooth wall. Neosartorya tsurutae is characterized by its spreading growth on Czapeks and malt extract agars, white cleistothecia, broadly lenticular ascospores with four equatorial crests and rugulose-ruminate convex surfaces, and ovoid to broadly ellipsoidal conidia with a smooth wall.     

Botryozyma nematodophila gen. nov., spec. nov. (Candidaceae)

The new genusBotryozyma with a single species,B. nematodophila is proposed for two isolates from nematodes (Panagrellus zymosiphilus) occurring in grapes with sour-rot. The new genus has typical ascomycetous characteristics and, being unable to produce ascospores, is placed in the family Candidaceae.     

Identification of house-dust mites

The term house-dust mite usually refers to those species of the mite family Pyroglyphidae, that are known to commonly occur, although sometimes regionally, in the dust of human dwellings. These species belong to five genera:Dermatophagoides, Euroglyphus, Hirstia, andMalayoglyphus. Related species ofDermatophagoides have the most world-wide occurrence, the commonest being:D. farinae, D. microceras, andD. pteronyssinus. A correct taxonomic identification of house-dust mites is very important, not only from a biological stand point, but also regarding the consequences of their respective allergenical properties. Several immuno-chemical studies revealed differences between the products of two hard to distinguish sibling species. A preliminary practical taxonomic key for the most common and important house-dust mites is presented.     

Phylogenetic relationships among species ofWilliopsis andSaturnospora gen. nov. as determined from partial rRNA sequences

Phylogenetic relationships among those yeast species that form saturn-shaped ascospores and which are assigned to the generaWilliopsis andPichia were estimated from their extent of nucleotide sequence divergence in three regions of ribosomal RNA. ThePichia species (P. dispora, P. saitoi, P. zaruensis andP. sp. nov.) are a closely clustered group only distantly related toWilliopsis, and it is proposed that they be reassigned toSaturnospora gen. nov. The extent of divergence amongWilliopsis species (W. californica, W. mucosa, W. pratensis, W. saturnus andW. sp. nov.) is greater than that previously observed within other ascomycetous yeast genera.     

Oxidation of amines by yeasts grown on 1-aminoalkanes or putrescine as the sole source of carbon,nitrogen and energy

The maximum growth rate of Trichosporon cutaneum CBS 8111 in chemostat cultures was 0.185 h^-1 on ethylamine and 0.21 h^-1 on butylamine, that of Candida famata CBS 8109 was 0.32 h^-1 on putrescine.The amine oxidation pattern of the ascomycetous strains studied, viz. Candida famata CBS 8109, Stephanoascus ciferrii CBS 4856 and Trichosporon adeninovorans CBS 8244 was independent of the amine that had been used as the growth substrate. It resembled that of benzylamine/putrescine oxidase found in other ascomycetous yeasts. However, differences in pH optimum and substrate specificity were observed between the amine-oxidizing systems of these three species.The amine oxidation pattern of cell-free extracts of Trichosporon cutaneum CBS 8111 varied with the amine that was used as growth substrate. The enzyme system produced by Cryptococcus laurentii CBS 7140 failed to oxidize isobutylamine and benzylamine, and showed a high pH optimum.The synthesis of amine oxidase in the four yeast strains studied was not repressed by ammonium chloride and was weakly repressed by glucose but was strongly repressed if both compounds were present in the growth medium.     

Coal Dust Pollution Effects on Wetland Tree Species in Richards Bay,South Africa

In this study, the effects of coal dust on four, sympatric, wetland tree species in Richards Bay Harbour were investigated. We tested the hypothesis that leaf micromorphology influenced dust accumulation and that coal dust occluded stomata and reduced photosynthetic performance of three mangroves, Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Rhizophora mucronata, and a mangrove associate, Hibiscus tiliaceus. To investigate leaf micromorphology, leaf blade material of the four species was prepared following standard procedures and viewed under scanning electron microscopy. Gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were made at saturating light (>1000 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) and high temperature (>25 °C) on leaves that were either covered or uncovered with coal dust. There was no evidence of occlusion of stomata by dust. Dust accumulation in A. marina and H. tiliaceus was exacerbated by the presence of a dense mat of trichomes on the undersurface of the leaves, as well as by the sticky brine secreted by salt glands in the former species.Coal dust significantly reduced CO₂ exchange, Photosystem II (PS II) quantum yield and electron transport rate (ETR) through PS II in A. marina and H. tiliaceus but not in the other two mangroves. Reduction in photosynthetic performance was attributed to reduction in light energy incident on the photosynthetic tissues.     

Dynamics of Mycoplasmal Conjunctivitis in the Native and Introduced Range of the Host

In 1994, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a common bacterial poultry pathogen, caused an epidemic in house finches in the eastern part of their North American range where the species had been introduced in the 1940s. Birds with mycoplasmal conjunctivitis were reported across the entire eastern United States within 3–4 years. Here we track the course of the Mycoplasma gallisepticum epidemic as it reached native, western North American populations of the house finch. In 2002, Mycoplasma gallisepticum was first observed in a native house finch population in Missoula, MT, where it gradually increased in prevalence during the next 2 years. Concurrently, house finches with conjunctivitis were reported with increasing number in the Pacific Northwest. In native populations of the host, the epidemic expanded more slowly, and reached lower levels of prevalence than in the eastern, introduced range of the species. Maximal prevalence was about half in the Missoula population than in local populations in the East. Although many factors can contribute to these differences, we argue that it is most likely the higher genetic heterogeneity in western than in eastern populations caused the lower impact of the pathogen.     

Phylogenetic relationships among species of the genus Issatchenkia Kudriavzev

The phylogenetic relatedness of Issatchenkia spp. was estimated from partial rRNA sequences in two regions of the large subunit and one region of the small subunit. I. terricola was the most divergent species of the genus, differing from other members by 18% nucleotide differences in the highly variable 25S-635 region. These data indicate Issatchenkia to be the most divergent ascomycetous yeast genus presently known.     

Activity of pupal parasitoids of the stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans and prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi in the stable fly and the house fly Musca domestica in Denmark

A survey was conducted on confined dairy cattle farms and a pig farm from May–October in 1999 to determine the activity and relative abundance of pupal parasitoids and the prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi in populations of the haematophagous stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae), in Denmark. Four species of pteromalids were found with Spalangia cameroni as the predominant. The other parasitoids were S. nigripes, S. nigra and Phygadeuon fumator (Ichneumonidae). Peak activity of the parasitoids was observed to be late in the summer and the beginning of autumn (August–September) when approximately 10% of the collected stable fly pupae were parasitised. Adult stable flies were infected with four species of entomopathogenic fungi: Entomophthora muscae, E. schizophorae, Beauveria bassiana and Verticillium lecanii. All fungi occurred in low percentages (max. 4%) and remained at this level throughout the sampling period. Likewise, adult house flies were infected with B. bassiana and V. lecanii,but Metarhizium anisopliae, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus and V. fusisporum were also recorded. The overall hyphomycete prevalence in house flies was 0.3%, and single species rarely exceeded 0.1%. The prevalence remained low in spite of increasing house fly numbers in August–September.     

Biodiversity of yeasts isolated from the indigenous forest of Argan <Emphasis Type="Italic">(Argania spinosa</Emphasis> (L.) Skeels) in Morocco

In this study we have isolated and characterized yeasts from the soil, leaves and fruits of the indigenous Moroccan Argan tree (Argania spinosa) in two locations: the coastal city of Essaouira and a drier, more stressed environment in Taroudant city. Factorial and classification analyses of the metabolic profiles showed that the yeasts from the soil and those from the fruit seemed to form distinctive groups while those from the leaves were common to the two groups. Associating the profiles with yeast species, the soil isolates seemed to be dominated by profiles associated with basidiomycetous yeasts (Bullera variabilis, association to Filobasidium capsuligenum, and Rhodotorula glutinis) while those of the fruits were associated with ascomycetous yeasts (Pichia angusta and Zygoascus hellenicus). Most profile groups were shared between the leaves and one of the other biotopes owing to the semi-deciduous character of the Argan leaves that dominate in the rhizospheric soil and to the fibrous and low flesh fruits of Argan. Although most metabolic profile groups were represented in both sampling locations, certain groups were encountered only in Taroudant samples among which a group of four yeasts that grew at 44 °C. The Taroudant samples also presented the two most osmo-tolerant yeasts capable of growing at 15% NaCl and 125% sucrose. Some of the yeast strains showed very promising activities of polygalacturonase (0.40 units/g protein) without any pectinesterase activity while others strongly inhibited the gray rot mould Botrytis cinerea, and could be good candidates for the post-harvest control of this mould on fruits.     

A new species ofChaetomium from house dust

A new species ofChaetomium, C. umbratile, is described from Japan. The species is based on three specimens isolated from house dust samples in asthmatic patients' dwellings. It is characterized by long, wavy and irregularly branched terminal hairs, which are intermingled with short straight hairs, and nearly globose to broadly ellipsoidal ascospores with a slightly subapical or sometimes lateral germ pore.     

Effect of certain socio-ecological factors on the population density of house dust mites in mattress-dust of asthmatic patients of Calcutta, India

Allergy to house dust mites, particularly tothe genus Dermatophagoides is a fairlycommon problem in Calcutta and its adjoiningareas since last two decades. Both the commonspecies of the genus Dermatophagoidesi.e. D. farinae and D.pteronyssinus are found to be abundant in thedust samples collected from beds of patientssuffering from nasobronchial allergic disordes.The presence of these mites in quite a goodnumber in the patients' beds are clinicallycorrelated with the aetiopathology of variousallergic manifestations like bronchial asthma.Dermatophagoides mites may occupydifferent niches in the homes of asthmatics andare more common in beds than elsewhere in thehouse, however, the distribution and abundanceof these mites are influenced by somesocio-ecological factors. The aim and objectiveof the present study is to assess the impact ofsome common socio-ecological managementpractices like the age of house, age ofmattress, type of mattress, frequency ofcleaning of the mattress and even the economicstatus of the patients on the growth,multiplication and finally accumulation ofthese mites in the patients' surroundings.Proper identification of offending allergensand subsequent reduction of load of these miteallergens from the patient's environment may behelpful for the prophylactic management ofthese diseases in Calcutta metropolis.     

Coenzyme Q systems in ascomycetous black yeasts

72 Strains belonging to 44 species of ascomycetous black yeasts were analyzed for their coenzyme Q systems. Prevalent were Q-10 and dihydrogenated Q-10 systems. Members of the Dothidealean suborder Dothideineae have Q-10 (H₂), while those belonging to the suborder Pseudosphaeriineae mostly have Q-10. The anamorph genus Exophiala Carmichael and the teleomorph genus Capronia Sacc. seem to be heterogenous.     

House-dust mite sensitivity among rural and urban asthmatics of West Bengal, India: a comparison

House-dust mite allergy is a fairly common problem in West Bengal among individuals sensitive to dust inhalation. House-dust mites belonging to the genusDermatophagoides are abundant in the homes of asthmatic patients residing in urban as well as rural areas of West Bengal. The frequency of positive skin reaction to different dust-related allergens tested was higher (χ²=5.4777, df = 1;P < 0.05) among patients of urban areas compared with that among the patients of rural areas. Urban patients showed more frequent skin reaction towards cockroach allergen, while rural patients are more sensitive to hay-dust allergen and these are very much related to their local environmental conditions. Analysis of radioallergosorbent test (RAST) results against house dust (HD) and mites reveal that 73 and 90% patients of both urban and rural areas responded positively towardsDermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) andDermatophagoides farinae (DF) antigens, respectively. The present study indicates no significant difference in house-dust mite sensitivity and mite levels in homes among the rural and urban asthmatics of West Bengal, India as evidenced from the results of analysis of dust samples, allergy skin test and detection of mite-specific IgE antibodies by RAST.     

Keratinophilic fungi inhabiting floor dusts of student houses at the South Valley University in Egypt

Keratinophilic fungi include true fungi that vigorously degrade keratin as well as a number of important human pathogenic dermatophytes. We identified 41 species and one variety belonging to 19 genera in 50 floor dust samples following culture on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar medium at 28°C. Dermatophytes and closely related fungi were represented by six species—Aphanoascus fulvescens, Aphanoascus sp., Arthroderma cuniculi, Chrysosporium lucknowense, Gymnoascus uncinatus and Trichophyton rubrum. There were 35 species and one variety of other fungal species, with members of Aspergillus and Penicllium being the most prevalent. Twenty-seven species and 1 variety belonging to 14 genera were identified from 24 dust samples gathered at 2-week intervals from male student housing at El-Kenose during January–December 2005 that had been cultured on Sabauraud’s dextrose agar at 28°C. The monthly counts of keratinophilic fungi showed irregular fluctuations, with a peak in April and the lowest point in November. Dermatophytes and closely related fungi were represented by Aphanoascus fulvescens, Aphanoascus sp., Chrysosporium lucknowense, Gymnoascus uncinatus, and Trichophyton rubrum. In conclusion, the study reports the incidences of some dermatophytes found in the floor dust of student houses of South Valley University, Egypt.     

Phylogenesis of fission yeasts. Contradictions surrounding the origin of a century old genus

The phylogenesis of fungi is controversial due to their simple morphology and poor fossilization. Traditional classification supported by morphological studies and physiological traits placed the fission yeasts in one group with ascomycetous yeasts. The rRNA sequence comparisions, however, revealed an enormous evolutionary gap betweenSaccharomyces andSchizosaccharomyces. As shown in this review, the protein sequences also show a large gap which is almost as large as that separatingSchizosaccharomyces from higher animals. Since the two yeasts share features (both cytological and molecular) in common which are also characteristic of ascomycetous fungi, their separation must have taken place later than the sequence differences may suggest. Possible reasons for the paradox are discussed. The sequence data also suggest a slower evolutionary rate in theSchizosaccharomyces lineage than in theSaccharomyces branch. In the fission yeast lineage two ramifications can be supposed. FirstS. japonicus (Hasegawaea japonica) branched off, thenS. octosporus (Octosporomyces octosporus) separated fromS. pombe.