Shed Light in the DaRk LineagES of the Fungal Tree of Life-STRES.

The polyphyletic group of black fungi within the Ascomycota (Arthoniomycetes, Dothideomycetes, and Eurotiomycetes) is ubiquitous in natural and anthropogenic habitats. Partly because of their dark, melanin-based pigmentation, black fungi are resistant to stresses including UV- and ionizing-radiation, heat and desiccation, toxic metals, and organic pollutants. Consequently, they are amongst the most stunning extremophiles and poly-extreme-tolerant organisms on Earth. Even though ca. 60 black fungal genomes have been sequenced to date, [mostly in the family Herpotrichiellaceae (Eurotiomycetes)], the class Dothideomycetes that hosts the largest majority of extremophiles has only been sparsely sampled. By sequencing up to 92 species that will become reference genomes, the "Shed light in The daRk lineagES of the fungal tree of life" (STRES) project will cover a broad collection of black fungal diversity spread throughout the Fungal Tree of Life. Interestingly, the STRES project will focus on mostly unsampled genera that display different ecologies and life-styles (e.g., ant- and lichen-associated fungi, rock-inhabiting fungi, etc.). With a resequencing strategy of 10- to 15-fold depth coverage of up to ~550 strains, numerous new reference genomes will be established. To identify metabolites and functional processes, these new genomic resources will be enriched with metabolomics analyses coupled with transcriptomics experiments on selected species under various stress conditions (salinity, dryness, UV radiation, oligotrophy). The data acquired will serve as a reference and foundation for establishing an encyclopedic database for fungal metagenomics as well as the biology, evolution, and ecology of the fungi in extreme environments.

A new species of Gloeandromyces from Ecuador and Panama revealed by morphology and phylogenetic reconstruction, with a discussion of secondary barcodes in Laboulbeniomycetes taxonomy.

This paper describes and illustrates a new species of Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniomycetes) recovered from Mastoptera guimaraesi bat flies (Diptera, Streblidae) in Ecuador and Panama. Bat fly-associated Laboulbeniales are still unexplored in the Neotropics, with only four described species of Gloeandromyces and one species of Nycteromyces known. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses support placement of the new taxon in Gloeandromyces and its recognition as an undescribed species. Gloeandromyces hilleri sp. nov. is easily recognized by 2-3 longitudinal rows of undulations at its perithecial venter. Phylogenetic reconstructions of the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA and the translation elongation factor 1α (TEF1) both resolve G. hilleri and G. nycteribiidarum as sister species. We discuss the utility of LSU and TEF1 as secondary barcodes in Laboulbeniomycetes taxonomy.

Birth of an order: Comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study excludes Herpomyces (Fungi, Laboulbeniomycetes) from Laboulbeniales.

The class Laboulbeniomycetes comprises biotrophic parasites associated with arthropods and fungi. Two orders are currently recognized, Pyxidiophorales and Laboulbeniales. Herpomyces is an isolated genus of Laboulbeniales, with species that exclusively parasitize cockroaches (Blattodea). Here, we evaluate 39 taxa of Laboulbeniomycetes with a three-locus phylogeny (nrSSU, ITS, nrLSU) and propose a new order in this class. Herpomycetales accommodates a single genus, Herpomyces, with currently 26 species, one of which is described here based on morphological and molecular data. Herpomyces shelfordellae is found on Shelfordella lateralis cockroaches from Hungary, Poland, and the USA. We also build on the six-locus dataset from the Ascomycota Tree of Life paper (Schoch and colleagues, 2009) to confirm that Laboulbeniomycetes and Sordariomycetes are sister classes, and we apply laboulbeniomyceta as a rankless taxon for the now well-resolved node that describes the most recent common ancestor of both classes.

Adverse Effects, Transformation and Channeling of Aflatoxins Into Food Raw Materials in Livestock.

Aflatoxins are wide-spread harmful carcinogenic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus species, which cause serious feed and food contaminations and affect farm animals deleteriously with acute or chronic manifestations of mycotoxicoses. On farm, both pre-harvest and post-harvest strategies are applied to minimize the risk of aflatoxin contaminations in feeds. The great economic losses attributable to mycotoxin contaminations have initiated a plethora of research projects to develop new, effective technologies to prevent the highly toxic effects of these secondary metabolites on domestic animals and also to block the carry-over of these mycotoxins to humans through the food chain. Among other areas, this review summarizes the latest findings on the effects of silage production technologies and silage microbiota on aflatoxins, and it also discusses the current applications of probiotic organisms and microbial products in feeding technologies. After ingesting contaminated foodstuffs, aflatoxins are metabolized and biotransformed differently in various animals depending on their inherent and acquired physiological properties. These mycotoxins may cause primary aflatoxicoses with versatile, species-specific adverse effects, which are also dependent on the susceptibility of individual animals within a species, and will be a function of the dose and duration of aflatoxin exposures. The transfer of these undesired compounds from contaminated feed into food of animal origin and the aflatoxin residues present in foods become an additional risk to human health, leading to secondary aflatoxicoses. Considering the biological transformation of aflatoxins in livestock, this review summarizes (i) the metabolism of aflatoxins in different animal species, (ii) the deleterious effects of the mycotoxins and their derivatives on the animals, and (iii) the major risks to animal health in terms of the symptoms and consequences of acute or chronic aflatoxicoses, animal welfare and productivity. Furthermore, we traced the transformation and channeling of Aspergillus-derived mycotoxins into food raw materials, particularly in the case of aflatoxin contaminated milk, which represents the major route of human exposure among animal-derived foods. The early and reliable detection of aflatoxins in feed, forage and primary commodities is an increasingly important issue and, therefore, the newly developed, easy-to-use qualitative and quantitative aflatoxin analytical methods are also summarized in the review.

Herpomyces ectoparasitic fungi (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales) are globally distributed by their invasive cockroach hosts and through the pet trade industry.

The introduction of non-native animals occasionally results in the co-introduction of their microbial symbionts or parasites. The trade of exotic pets and zoo animals has inadvertently introduced several parasitic species to countries where they are non-native. Both the presence of suitable native hosts and opportunity for dispersal determine whether these non-native species become naturalized. During our studies dealing with species of Herpomyces (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniomycetes), fungi that are exclusively ectoparasitic on cockroaches (Hexapoda, Blattodea), we make use of artificial colonies. Most of our specimens originate from pet stores and laboratory populations. Although they were originally intended for transmission studies, we discovered that some cockroaches from artificial colonies carried fruiting bodies of Herpomyces. We screened a total 292 cockroaches from 11 populations that we maintained after purchase. Sources were different pet stores, a toxicological laboratory, and a biological supply company. In eight populations, we found at least some Herpomyces-infected cockroaches. Parasite prevalence varied between 8.77% and 86.33%. Host associations were Blatta orientalis with Herpomyces stylopygae, Blattella germanica with H. ectobiae, Periplaneta americana with H. periplanetae, Phoetalia pallida with H. leurolestis, and Shelfordella lateralis with an undescribed species of Herpomyces. Apart from the new reports, host associations, and consequences for taxonomy (a new species based on morphological and molecular characters), we started to think about the geographic distributions of these fungi and how we, humans, shape them through spreading hosts and through international pet trade. We reviewed the currently known records of Herpomyces-associated cockroaches and host-parasite relationships. Based on the available data, on a global scale, at least half of the currently known species of Herpomyces are spread by globally invasive host species and through international pet trade. This indicates that the distribution and host range of these obscure and often unnoticed fungi are affected by human activities.

Commercial strain-derived clinical Saccharomyces cerevisiae can evolve new phenotypes without higher pathogenicity.

SCOPE: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most important microbes in food industry, but there is growing evidence on its potential pathogenicity as well. Its status as a member of human mycobiome is still not fully understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we characterize clinical S. cerevisiae isolates from Hungarian hospitals along with commercial baking and probiotic strains, and determine their phenotypic parameters, virulence factors, interactions with human macrophages, and pathogenicity. Four of the clinical isolates could be traced back to commercial strains based on genetic fingerprinting. Our observations indicate that the commercial-derived clinical isolates have evolved new phenotypes and show similar, or in two cases, significantly decreased pathogenicity. Furthermore, immunological experiments revealed that the variability in human primary macrophage activation after coincubation with yeasts is largely donor and not isolate dependent. CONCLUSION: Isolates in this study offer an interesting insight into the potential microevolution of probiotic and food strains in human hosts. These commensal yeasts display various changes in their phenotypes, indicating that the colonization of the host does not necessarily impose a selective pressure toward higher virulence/pathogenicity.