Multilocus DNA Sequence Comparisons Rapidly Identify Pathogenic Molds

Multilocus DNA sequence comparisons rapidly identify pathogenic molds.

The increasing incidence of opportunistic fungal infections necessitates rapid and accurate identification of the associated fungi to facilitate optimal patient treatment. Traditional phenotype-based identification methods utilized in clinical laboratories rely on the production and recognition of reproductive structures, making identification difficult or impossible when these structures are n...

Multilocus sequence typing of pathogenic Candida species.

Typing strains within a microbial species on the basis of DNA sequences at multiple loci has greatly advanced study of the epidemiology and evolutionary phylogenetics of many bacterial (9, 40, 60, 72) and fungal (26, 68) pathogens. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) schemes have now been published for five of the opportunistically pathogenic Candida species: C. albicans (6, 7), C. dubliniensis (...

Close sequence comparisons are sufficient to identify

Multilocus sequence typing of the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.

A multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme was devised for Aspergillus fumigatus. The system involved sequencing seven gene fragments and was applied to a panel of 100 isolates of A. fumigatus from diverse sources. Thirty different sequence types were found among the 100 isolates, and 93% of the isolates differed from the other isolates by only one allele sequence, forming a single clonal clust...

From DNA sequence to improved functionality: using protein sequence comparisons to rapidly design a thermostable consensus phytase.

Naturally-occurring phytases having the required level of thermostability for application in animal feeding have not been found in nature thus far. We decided to de novo construct consensus phytases using primary protein sequence comparisons. A consensus enzyme based on 13 fungal phytase sequences had normal catalytic properties, but showed an unexpected 15-22 degrees C increase in unfolding te...