Endophytic fungus strain 28 isolated from Houttuynia cordata possesses wide-spectrum antifungal activity

Abstract The aim of this paper is to identify and investigate an endophytic fungus (strain 28) that was isolated from Houttuynia cordata Thunb, a famous and widely-used Traditional Chinese Medicine. Based on morphological methods and a phylogenetic analysis of ITS sequences, this strain was identified as Chaetomium globosum. An antifungal activity bioassay demonstrated that the crude ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts of strain 28 had a wide antifungal spectrum and strong antimicrobial activity, particularly against Exserohilum turcicum (Pass.) Leonard et Suggs, Botrytis cinerea persoon and Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr. Furthermore, the fermentation conditions, extraction method and the heat stability of antifungal substances from strain 28 were also studied. The results showed that optimal antifungal activity can be obtained with the following parameters: using potato dextrose broth (PDB) as the base culture medium, fermentation for 4–8 d (initial pH: 7.5), followed by extraction with EtOAc. The extract was stable at temperatures up to 80 °C. This is the first report on the isolation of endophytic C. globosum from H. cordata to identify potential alternative biocontrol agents that could provide new opportunities for practical applications involving H. cordata.

Isolamento de Chaetomium spp. em lesões subcutâneas de um cão: relato de caso / Isolation of Chaetomium spp. on subcutaneous lesions of a dog: case report

Caracterizou-se clinicamente a infecção pelo Chaetomium spp. em um cão, e descreveu-se seu isolamento e identificação. Ao exame dermatológico foram observadas pápulas nas orelhas, no tronco lateral e nos membros pélvicos. Ao rompimento de uma dessas pápulas, fluiu um líquido serosanguinolento com consequente úlcera no local. Foi colhido material para isolamento micológico, por meio de raspado das pápulas da orelha e da cauda. O diagnóstico foi micose subcutânea por Chaetomium spp.

This work aimed to clinically characterize the infection by Chaetomium spp. in a dog, as well as describe its isolation and identification. Upon dermatological exam, papules on ears, lateral trunk and pelvic members were noticed. After the disruption of these papules there was serosanguineous secretion flowed by consequent ulcer in the region. Material for mycological isolation was picked, and a scraping of papules from ear and tail was done. The diagnosis was subcutaneous mycosis caused by Chaetomium spp.

Damping-off disease of maize caused by pythium deliense meurs in El-Minia, Egypt and its possible control by some antagonistic soil fungi

Pythium deliense was isolated from rhizosphere soil and rhizoplane of healthy and infected corn roots. Rhizosphere and rhizoplane mycoflora isolated from the same sites were tested for their antagonism toward Pythium deliense in agar plates. Among the isolated fungi, Aspergillus terreus, Chaetomium globosum and Myrothecium verrucaria were chosen according to their antagonism on agar plates for experimentation to test their effectiveness for the biological control in either autoclaved or non-sterilized soil. Coating maize grains and roots with spores and mycelia of these three antagonists gave the germinating seeds and seedlings a very good protection from root-rot and pre-and post-emergence damping-off caused by P. Deliense. Applying these biocontrol agents to autoclaved and non-sterilized soil infested with P. deliense provided an excellent way of protection

Los alergenos del ambiente tabacalero / Allergens of tobacco environment

Se halló 16 a 60 esporos fúngicos/litro aire y de 100 a 100.000 esporos de actinomicetos termófilos/g polvo del piso en los secaderos de tabaco. Los hongos eran Alternaria sp (21 por ciento), Aspergillus sp (15 por ciento), Asp. fumigatus (7 por ciento), Asp. glaucus (5,5 por ciento), Asp. nidulans (13,3 por ciento), Chaetomiun sp (2,3 por ciento), Chrysosporium spp (5,5 por ciento), Cladosporium sp (3,1 por ciento), Curvularia sp (0,8 por ciento), Dactylaria sp (3,1 por ciento), Nogrospora sp (5,5 por ciento), Penicillium spp (11,7 por ciento), Talaromyces sp (2,3 por ciento) y no identificado (3,9 por ciento). Los Thermoactinomyces eran Tha. thalpophilus (66,6 por ciento), Tha. sacchari (6,7 por ciento), Tha. vulgaris (6,7 por ciento) y otros Tha. spp (20 por ciento). También el humo de cigarrillos contenía esporos viables de Thermoactinomyces. El 7 ñ 3,3 por ciento de los trabajadores tenían anticuerpos anti-Tha. thalpophilus demostrados por doble inmunodifusión

Cellulolytic fungi isolated from an alluvial soil in a semi-arid area of the northeast of Brazil

Fungos foram isolados de um solo aluvial numa zona semi-árida (caatinga) do Estado de Pernambuco, em área sem vegetaçäo, anteriormente coberta por espécies de caatinga. O solo foi caracterizado como álico quartzo-arenoso com níveis relativamente altos de Al+++ e pH ácido. Durante a estaçäo seca a umidade do solo é muito baixa e a temperatura na superfície pode chegar a 70oC. Um dos métodos para determinar a retençäo de água pelo solo inclui o uso de um disco de papel de filtro colocado sobre um suporte, dentro de um recipiente plástico contendo solo úmido. Fungos do solo que crescem e destroem o papel de filtro foram isolados e identificados. A capacidade dessas espécies para atacar o papel indica a sua atividade celulolítica. Duas das espécies isoladas (Curvularia brachyspora e Penicillium pinophilum constituem novas referências para o Estado de Pernambuco