Onychomycosis with greenish-black discolorations and recurrent onycholysis caused by .

() has become a common pathogen, especially in immunocompromised hosts. Here, we present an immunocompetent adult with greenish-black discoloration of the right first finger nail in combination with recurrent onycholysis. was isolated from the right first finger nail and was confirmed by morphological characteristics as well as by DNA molecular analysis.

Disseminated Mycosis by Arthrocladium fulminans Jeopardizing a Patient with GATA2 Deficiency.

GATA2 deficiency is characterized by monocytopenia, deficiency of dendritic cells, and a variable degree of lymphocytopenia affecting B cells and NK cells, leading to an enhanced risk of mycobacterial, viral, and fungal infections. Here we present a patient with a heterozygous intronic GATA2 mutation who acquired a fatal disseminated mycosis due to the black yeast-like fungus Arthrocladium fulminans following an infection with Mycobacterium sherrisii. This case illustrates that in patients with severe uncommon infections, immunodeficiency syndromes must be ruled out.

Physiological background of the remarkably high Cd tolerance of the Aspergillus fumigatus Af293 strain.

The physiological background of the unusually high cadmium tolerance (MIC  > 2 mM) of Aspergillus fumigatus Af293 was investigated. The cadmium tolerance of the tested environmental and clinical A. fumigatus strains varied over a wide range (0.

Airborne transmission of invasive fusariosis in patients with hematologic malignancies.

From 2006 to 2013, an increasing incidence of fusariosis was observed in the hematologic patients of our University Hospital. We suspected of an environmental source, and the indoor hospital air was investigated as a potential source of the fungemia. Air samplings were performed in the hematology and bone marrow transplant (BMT) wards using an air sampler with pre-defined air volumes.

Riding with the ants.

Isolates of have frequently been found in the integument of attine ants, proving to be common and diverse in this microenvironment. The LSU phylogeny of the ant-isolated strains studied revealed that they cluster in two main lineages. The first was associated with the genus whereas the other represented two ant-isolated lineages sister to the taxa and , which are allocated to the new genus .

Biodiversity and human-pathogenicity of and relatives in .

as defined by its type species is a genus of , and a member of the group known as 'black yeasts and relatives'. has been reported from mutilating human infections such as chromoblastomycosis, disseminated phaeohyphomycosis and mycetoma, while morphologically similar fungi are rather commonly isolated from the environment. Phenotypes are insufficient for correct species identification, and molecular data have revealed significant genetic variation within the complex of species currently identified as or .

Comparative Genomics of Sibling Species of Associated with Human Chromoblastomycosis.

and are genera of black yeast-like fungi harboring agents of a mutilating implantation disease in humans, along with strictly environmental species. The current hypothesis suggests that those species reside in somewhat adverse microhabitats, and pathogenic siblings share virulence factors enabling survival in mammal tissue after coincidental inoculation driven by pathogenic adaptation. A comparative genomic analysis of environmental and pathogenic siblings of and was undertaken, including assembly of from plant material.

The fungal composition of natural biofinishes on oil-treated wood.

Background: Biofinished wood is considered to be a decorative and protective material for outdoor constructions, showing advantages compared to traditional treated wood in terms of sustainability and self-repair. Natural dark wood staining fungi are essential to biofinish formation on wood. Although all sorts of outdoor situated timber are subjected to fungal staining, the homogenous dark staining called biofinish has only been detected on specific vegetable oil-treated substrates.

Current challenges of research on filamentous fungi in relation to human welfare and a sustainable bio-economy: a white paper.

The EUROFUNG network is a virtual centre of multidisciplinary expertise in the field of fungal biotechnology. The first academic-industry Think Tank was hosted by EUROFUNG to summarise the state of the art and future challenges in fungal biology and biotechnology in the coming decade. Currently, fungal cell factories are important for bulk manufacturing of organic acids, proteins, enzymes, secondary metabolites and active pharmaceutical ingredients in white and red biotechnology.

First report of urease activity in the novel systemic fungal pathogen Emergomyces africanus: a comparison with the neurotrope Cryptococcus neoformans.

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for the AIDS-defining illness, cryptococcal meningitis. During the disease process, entry of cryptococcal cells into the brain is facilitated by virulence factors that include urease enzyme activity. A novel species of an Emmonsia-like fungus, recently named Emergomyces africanus, was identified as a cause of disseminated mycosis in HIV-infected persons in South Africa.

Putting the waste out: a proposed mechanism for transmission of the mycoparasite between leafcutter ant colonies.

The attine ant system is a remarkable example of symbiosis. An antagonistic partner within this system is the fungal parasite , a genus specific to the fungal gardens of the Attini. parasitizes the symbiont that leaf-cutting ants (, ) have been farming over the past 8-12 Myr.

Characterisation of three fungal glucuronoyl esterases on glucuronic acid ester model compounds.

The glucuronoyl esterases (GEs) that have been identified so far belong to family 15 of the carbohydrate esterases in the CAZy classification system and are presumed to target ester bonds between lignin alcohols and (4-O-methyl-)D-glucuronic acid residues of xylan. Few GEs have been cloned, expressed and characterised to date. Characterisation has been done on a variety of synthetic substrates; however, the number of commercially available substrates is very limited.

A prospective international Aspergillus terreus survey: an EFISG, ISHAM and ECMM joint study.

Objectives: A prospective international multicentre surveillance study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and amphotericin B susceptibility of Aspergillus terreus species complex infections.

Methods: A total of 370 cases from 21 countries were evaluated.

Results: The overall prevalence of A.

Characterization of Saccharomyces uvarum (Beijerinck, 1898) and related hybrids: assessment of molecular markers that predict the parent and hybrid genomes and a proposal to name yeast hybrids.

The use of the nuclear DNA reassociation technique has led taxonomists to consider Saccharomyces uvarum a synonym of S. bayanus. The latter, however, is not a species but a hybrid harbouring S.

Phylogeny and pathogenicity of Lasiodiplodia species associated with dieback of mango in Peru.

Mango, which is an important tropical fruit crop in the region of Piura (Peru), is known to be prone to a range of diseases caused by Lasiodiplodia spp. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of mango dieback in the region of Piura, and to identify the species of Lasiodiplodia associated with the disease and evaluate their pathogenicity towards mango. Mango dieback was present in all orchards surveyed but incidence varied with location.

Families, genera, and species of Botryosphaeriales.

Members of Botryosphaeriales are ecologically diverse, but most commonly associated with leaf spots, fruit and root rots, die-back or cankers of diverse woody hosts. Based on morphology and DNA sequence data, the Botryosphaeriales have to date been shown to contain eight families, with an additional two, Endomelanconiopsisaceae (Endomelanconiopsis) and Pseudofusicoccumaceae (Pseudofusicoccum) being newly described in this study. Furthermore, Oblongocollomyces is introduced as new genus, while Spencermartinsia is reduced to synonymy under Dothiorella.

Expanding the feruloyl esterase gene family of Aspergillus niger by characterization of a feruloyl esterase, FaeC.

A feruloyl esterase (FAE) from Aspergillus niger N402, FaeC was heterologously produced in Pichia pastoris X-33 in a yield of 10mg/L. FaeC was most active at pH 7.0 and 50°C, and showed broad substrate specificity and catalyzed the hydrolysis of methyl 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate, ethyl ferulate, methyl ferulate, methyl p-coumarate, ethyl coumarate, methyl sinapate, and methyl caffeate.

Isolation of Cryptococcus gattii from a Castanopsis argyrophylla tree hollow (Mai-Kaw), Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus gattii was isolated from a tree hollow of a Castanopsis argyrophylla King ex Hook.f. (Fagaceae) in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

A novel dimorphic pathogen, Emergomyces orientalis (Onygenales), agent of disseminated infection.

A novel dimorphic fungus, Emergomyces orientalis sp. nov. a close relative of systemic pathogens in the family Ajellomycetaceae (Blastomyces, Histoplasma).

Fungal Planet description sheets: 469-557.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: : on sp., on , (incl. gen.

, a new species causing wheat blast.

is a species complex that causes blast disease on more than 50 species of poaceous plants. has a worldwide distribution as a rice pathogen and in the last 30 years emerged as an important wheat pathogen in southern Brazil. We conducted phylogenetic analyses using 10 housekeeping loci for 128 isolates of sampled from sympatric populations of wheat, rice, and grasses growing in or near wheat fields.

Exploring fungal mega-diversity: from Brazil.

Although the genus has a worldwide distribution, it is especially diverse in tropical and subtropical countries. Species of this genus are associated with a wide range of plant species, including several economically relevant hosts. Preliminary studies of cercosporoid fungi from Brazil allocated most taxa to , but with the progressive refinement of the taxonomy of cercosporoid fungi, many species were relocated to or described in .

Novel fungi from an ancient niche: cercosporoid and related sexual morphs on ferns.

The fern flora of the world () has direct evolutionary links with the earliest vascular plants that appeared in the late Devonian. Knowing the mycobiota associated to this group of plants is critical for a full understanding of the Fungi. Nevertheless, perhaps because of the minor economic significance of ferns, this niche remains relatively neglected by mycologists.

Finding the missing link: Resolving the within .

Species belonging to the and parasitizing hosts were collected from different locations in South Africa and studied morphologically by light microscopy and molecularly by obtaining partial nrDNA (ITS-1/5.8S/ITS-2, 18S and 28S) gene sequences. The position of the within the was not confirmed and a new subclass, , was introduced.

Genome Sequence of the Basidiomycete White-Rot Fungus FBCC735.

Here, we report the genome sequence of the basidiomycete white-rot fungus FBCC735, isolated from Finland. The 39.67-Mb genome containing 14,451 gene models is typical among saprobic wood-rotting species.