Investigations on organic fungicides

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - The antimicrobial spectrum of the antifungal substance tetramethylthiuram disulphide (t.m.t.d.) was determined. The substance in general possessed antifungal rather than...     

In vitro methods for antifungal susceptibility testing of Trichophyton spp.

In general, methods to test the susceptibility of fungi to antifungal drugs require standardized techniques, but so far there is no methodology that is widely applicable to dermatophytes. Here we introduced modifications to the protocols from documents of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (CLSI) M38-A and the Antifungal Susceptibility Testing Subcommittee of the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) that are usually applied to moulds and fermentative yeasts, in order to adjust the conditions for the growth of dermatophytes. The modifications included: growth on potato dextrose agar supplemented with 2 % in-house rice flour to encourage sporulation, the addition of 2 % glucose to the culture media (RPMI-1640), and an incubation temperature of 28 °C. In addition, the incubation period was 7 d, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was defined as 80 % growth inhibition endpoints for azole agents, and the inocula only contained microconidia. Results obtained by both tested methodologies were very similar to the ones reported by other researchers. MIC₉₀ (MIC at which 90% of isolates tested were inhibited) values were identical for four out of five antifungal drugs tested and there was only a difference of one or two dilutions when MIC₅₀ values were compared. Although the modifications introduced did not interfere with the results, more studies are necessary to establish a standard technique to test susceptibility of dermatophytes to antifungal drugs.     

拮抗链霉菌S24抗菌物质的提取及其部分理化性质

拮抗链霉菌S24对黄曲霉、赭曲霉、黑曲霉等粮食和饲料中常见的曲霉菌具有广谱抗性,本试验通过牛津杯法测定抗菌物质的效价,研究了大孔吸附树脂对链霉菌S24产生的抗菌物质的吸附、解吸性能,筛选了解吸剂,并研究了抗菌物质的部分理化性质。结果表明,大孔吸附树脂AB-8对抗菌物质的吸附及解吸性能最好,其饱和吸附量为7.0822×104μg/g,最佳解吸剂为85%丙酮,以85%丙酮进行动态解吸,解吸率达93.82%。该抗菌物质对热稳定,对紫外线敏感,对有机溶剂不敏感,对酸敏感,对碱稳定,紫外全波长扫描发现该抗菌物质为多烯大环内酯类抗生素。     

Broad and complex antifungal activity among environmental isolates of lactic acid bacteria

More than 1200 isolates of lactic acid bacteria isolated from different environments were screened for antifungal activity in a dual-culture agar plate assay. Approximately 10% of the isolates showed inhibitory activity and 4% showed strong activity against the indicator mould Aspergillus fumigatus. The antifungal spectra for 37 isolates with strong activity and five isolates with low or no activity were determined. Several of the strains showed strong inhibitory activity against the moulds A. fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, Penicillium commune and Fusarium sporotrichioides, and also against the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Penicillium roqueforti and the yeasts Pichia anomala and Kluyveromyces marxianus were not inhibited. Several isolates showed reduced antifungal activity after storage and handling. The majority of the fungal inhibitory isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as Lactobacillus coryniformis. Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus were also frequently identified among the active isolates. The degree of fungal inhibition was not only related to production of lactic or acetic acid. In addition, antifungal cyclic dipeptides were identified after HPLC separation and several other active fractions were found suggesting a highly complex nature of the antifungal activity.     

Some Characteristics of Red Light-induced Substance(s) against Botrytis cinerea Produced in Broad Bean Leaflets

The red light-induced antifungal substance(s) produced in broad bean was of relatively high molecular weight, water soluble, heat stable and fungi specific. Cellulose thin layer chromatography (TLC) of infection droplets of Botrytis cinerea or water droplets without spores of B. cinerea, recovered from inoculated broad bean leaflets kept under red light for 48 h, displayed inhibition zones at approximate Rf values of 0.0 and 0.6. Inhibition zones observed in cellulose TLC of water droplets were relatively faint compared to those of infection droplets. In a time-course study of accumulation of the antifungal substance(s), antifungal activity in both water and infection droplets recovered from red light irradiated broad bean leaflets occurred after 24 h irradiation. However, the antifungal activity in infection droplets was significantly higher than in water droplets. The antifungal substance(s) was less active against Botrytis fabae than B. cinerea.     

Antifungal activity of lactobacilli isolated from salami

Sixty-five strains of lactobacilli isolated from salami were tested for their antifungal activity in early and late phases of growth. Ten strains showed inhibitory activity in the early phase of growth towards moulds such as Aspergillus and Penicillium. The active compounds identified were phenyl-lactate and hydroxy-phenyl-lactate. All strains tested had activity in the late phase, after autolysis. The compounds released were peptidic and showed antifungal activity.     

HNO_2诱变选育链霉菌702菌株

以链霉菌702-20为出发菌株,经HNO2诱变处理,获得高产突变株。实验结果表明:HNO2处理20 m in对菌株的致死率可达83.10%,突变率高达14.13%,经过摇瓶筛选获得高产突变株20-29-148,产链霉素能力达到1.404 mg/mL,比出发菌株提高了37.65%。经传代培养考察,该突变菌株具有良好的遗传稳定性。     

生防枯草芽孢杆菌B29菌株抗菌物质的初步研究

通过检测生防枯草芽孢杆菌除菌上清液对黄瓜枯萎病菌Fusarium oxysporium f．cumerinum菌丝生长和分生孢子萌发的抑制作用,初步研究了生防枯草芽孢杆菌B29菌株抗菌物质的活性。结果表明,枯草芽孢杆菌B29菌株分泌的抗菌物质不仅抑制病原菌的生长;并可抑制尖孢镰刀菌孢子的萌发,使分生孢子萌发畸形。研究确定了该菌株抗菌物质产生的最佳条件：培养温度30℃;培养基初始pH值7.5;装液量为250ml三角瓶装液75ml培养基;培养时间120h。经30%~70%硫酸铵沉淀获得的抗菌粗提物对60℃处理具有稳定性（活性达97.8%）;对蛋白酶K具有部分耐受性,对胰蛋白酶和胃蛋白酶较敏感。     

Antifungal activity of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil and thymol against moulds from damp dwellings

AIMS: To characterize antifungal activities of essential oil of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and pure thymol, as comparative substance, on different mould species isolated from damp dwellings. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty samples of wall scrapes were collected from damp dwellings in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. The members of the following mould genera were recovered from the samples: Aspergillus (44%), Penicillium (18%) Alternaria, Ulocladium, Absidia and Mucor (8%) Cladosporium, Trichoderma and Rhizopus (6%), and Chaetomium (2%). Two strains of Stachybotrys chartarum were isolated from damp dwellings in Slovakia. Antifungal activities of the thyme essential oil, which contains p-cymene (36.5%), thymol (33.0%) and 1,8-cineole (11.3%) as main components, and pure thymol were determined by the dilution method and exposure to vaporous phase of the oil. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of both thymol and essential oil were bellow 20 microg ml(-1), except for Mucor spp. (50.20 microg ml(-1)). Thymol exhibited approximately three-times stronger inhibition than essential oil of thyme. The vaporous phase of the thyme essential oil (82 microg l(-1)) in glass chambers strongly suppressed the sporulation of moulds during 60 days of exposure. CONCLUSION: The thyme essential oil possesses a wide range spectrum of fungicidal activity. The vaporous phase of the oil exhibited long-lasting suppressive activity on moulds from damp dwellings. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Essential oil of thyme and thymol could be used for disinfection of mouldy walls in the dwellings in low concentration.     

离子注入选育高效植物病原真菌拮抗菌JA

Bacillus subtitles JA能够对多种植物病原菌如小麦赤霉菌、西瓜枯萎病菌、黄瓜黑星、油菜菌核、小麦白粉等有良好的抑制效果,本文利用离子注入诱变筛选高效植物病原真菌拮抗菌并且对JA菌株的发酵特性作了进一步的研究,获得了两株高效拮抗菌。其发酵水平的抑菌圈直径从16.62mm提高到21.23mm,经传代实验表明,其遗传性较为稳定。     

In vitro antifungal activity of voriconazole: New data after the first years of clinical experience

Voriconazole has been developed to meet the increasing need for new and useful antifungal agents for the treatment of invasive mycoses. This review describes the spectrum of voriconazole antifungal activity based on data from in vitro studies published during the last three years. This survey demonstrates that voriconazole has a broad antifungal spectrum against the most common fungal pathogens being its action fungistatic for Candida and fungicidal for Aspergillus and other filamentous fungi. Overall, more than 95% of all Candida isolates tested are susceptible to voriconazole and less than 3% are resistant. Similar or even better activity rates have been described for Aspergillus, Cryptococcus and most of yeasts and moulds of medical importance. We also discuss the limitations related to the azole cross-resistance observed in some Candida glabrata isolates, the poor activity of voriconazole against Scedosporium prolificans, its activity against fungal biofilms and the great potential usefulness of combination of voriconazole with other antifungal drugs.     

Isolation and anti-oomycete activity of nyasol from Anemarrhena asphodeloides rhizomes

The methanol extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides rhizomes exhibited strong antifungal activity against the plant pathogenic fungi Magnaphothe grisea, Rhizoctonia solani, and the plant pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora capsici. The antifungal substance isolated from the rhizomes of A. asphodeloides was identified to be nyasol, (Z)-1,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4-pentadiene by NMR and mass spectral analysis. Nyasol effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of Colletotrichum orbiculare, P. capsici, Pythium ultimum, R. solani, and Cladosporium cucumerinum in a range of 1-50 mug/ml, but did not affect the growth of bacteria and yeast. In a greenhouse test, treatment with the antifungal compound nyasol was significantly effective in suppressing the Phytophthora blight on pepper plants.     

A potent feed preservative candidate produced by Calcarisporium sp., an endophyte residing in stargrass (Cynodon dactylon)

AIMS: The cultures of an endophytic fungus Calcarisporium sp. were screened for inhibitors on the growth of feed-associated moulds and on the aflatoxin biosynthesis to find a safe and effective feed preservative. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eight test fungi were isolated from the spoiled poultry feed. The endophytic fungus Calcarisporium sp. was separated from the Chinese coastal grass Cynodon dactylon. The antifungal action concerning the endophytic culture extract (ECE) was performed with propionic acid (PPA) as the corresponding reference. The ECE had a similar antifungal efficacy to PPA in a concentration-dependent manner. The susceptibility order of the ECE to the test fungi was found to be Fusarium sp. > Aspergillus spp. > Penicillium spp. Furthermore, the application of the ECE in pelleted-layer duck feed as a preservative was carried out at a humidity of 10, 15 and 20%. It has been discerned that mould growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis could be co-inhibited almost completely by ECE at concentrations higher than 1.0% (w/w). The LD50 of the ECE on mice was shown to be higher than 28 g kg-1. CONCLUSIONS: The ECE can be selected as an inhibitor to preserve poultry feed on inhibiting the growth of mould and aflatoxin biosynthesis during feed storage. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The ECE may be an effective and biosafe antifungal ingredient for poultry feed and holds a potential market prospect in feed industry.     

Antifungal cyclopeptolide from fungal saprophytic antagonist Ulocladium atrum

The saprophytic fungus Ulocladium atrum Preuss is a promising biological control agent for Botrytis cinerea in greenhouse- and field-grown crops. However, despite its known potent antifungal activity, no antifungal substance has yet been reported. In an effort to characterize the antifungal substance from U atrum, we isolated an antibiotic peptide. Based on extensive spectroscopic analyses, its structure was established as a cyclopeptolide with a high portion of N-methylated amino acids, and its 1H and 13C chemical shifts were completely assigned based on extensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments. Compound 1 exhibited potent antifungal activity against the plant pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea and moderate activity against Alternaria alternate and Magnaporthe grisea.     

Characterization of antifungal glycoprotein in red-light-irradiated broadbean leaflets

 Red-light treatment of broadbean leaflets resulted in the production of antifungal substance(s) against Botrytis cinerea. The antifungal substance(s) was positively charged, as the antifungal constituent was removed by the cation exchanger CM cellulose. Treatment of infection droplets with glycosidases (α-mannosidase, β-galactosidase, β-glucosidase), glycol-specific reagent periodate (NaIO₄), and proteinase K completely eliminated antifungal activity, suggesting that both protein and carbohydrate are active components. The protein content of infection droplets was 0.148 mg/ml. The HPLC gel column analysis of infection droplets resulted in four fractions; all the fractions showed antifungal activity. Received: June 14, 2002 / Accepted: August 12, 2002 Correspondence to:Y. Honda     

Comparison of an Improved Rose Bengal-Chlortetracycline Agar with Other Media for the Selective Isolation and Enumeration of Moulds and Yeasts in Foods

S ummary . A modification of the medium (RBC) of Overcast & Weakley (1969) containing 50 p/m of rose bengal and 10 p/m of chlortetracycline was compared with the oxytetracycline-glucose-yeast extract medium (OGY) of Mossel, Visser & Mengerink (1962) and with acidified (pH 4·5) malt extract agar for the selective isolation and enumeration of moulds and yeasts in foods. The results obtained from several foods confirm earlier observations that media containing antibacterial agents are superior to acidified ones for isolating moulds from foods. Little difference in counts was observed for yeasts on the 3 media and there was no significant difference in the counts of moulds or the incidence of recovery of moulds on the RBC or OGY. Both media suppressed growth of bacteria but the RBC medium restricted the diameter of mould colonies thereby aiding counting and preventing overgrowth of slowly growing strains by more luxuriant species such as occurs on OGY.     

Robusta coffee beans post-harvest microflora: Lactobacillus plantarum sp. as potential antagonist of Aspergillus carbonarius

Coffee contamination by ochratoxigenic fungi affects both coffee quality as well as coffee price with harmful consequences on the economy of the coffee exporting countries for whom which is their main source of income. Fungal strains were isolated from coffee beans and identified as black Aspergilli. Ochratoxigenic moulds like Aspergillus carbonarius were screened and selected for detailed studies. Also lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from silage coffee pulp and their antifungal activity was tested on dual-culture agar plate. Ten of the isolated LAB demonstrated antifungal effect against A. carbonarius. API 50 CH and APIZYM were used to perform phenotypic identification. 16S rDNA sequencing was made to confirm the results.     

A Selective Method for Cultivating Heat Resistant Moulds, particularly those of the Genus Byssochlamys, and their Presence in Dutch Soil

S ummary : Heat resistant moulds of the genera Byssochlamys, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Paecilomyces can be cultivated selectively in the presence of Bacillus spp. when at least 10 p/m of chloramphenicol or chlortetracycline is added to the growth medium. The inhibitory agents sulphafurazole, penicillin, streptomycin, oxytetracycline and furazolidone, do not give completely selective and optimal growth of these moulds. Selective cultivation of heat resistant moulds from 200 samples of Dutch soil showed that Byssochlamys nivea occurs more frequently than was expected, whereas Byss. fulva occurs by way of exception. Other heat resistant moulds observed in soil are, in order of frequency, species of the genera Aspergillus, Paecilomyces and Penicillium .     

Seasonal variations in the production of antifungal substances by some dictyotales (brown algae) from the french mediterranean coast

Hexane extracts of some algae belonging to the Dictyotales collected over a 12 month period were tested for their antifungal activity using human pathogenic fungi (yeasts, moulds and dermatophytes) and phytopathogenic fungi responsible for diseases in Mediterranean plants and trees. The three algal species tested (Dictyota dichotoma, Dictyota dichotoma var. implexa, Dilophus spiralis) exhibited a wide spectrum of antifungal activity which varied during the seasons.