Species in the filamentous fungal genus Aspergillus display a wide diversity of lifestyles and are of great importance to humans. The decoding of genome sequences from a dozen species that vary widely in their degree of evolutionary affinity has galvanized studies of the function and evolution of the Aspergillus genome in clinical, industrial, and agricultural environments. Here, we synthesize ...

The occurrence of moulds and aflatoxins in groundnut kernels are of great concern to food processors and consumers because of their ability to cause spoilage resulting to economic losses and public health problem such as aflatoxicosis. This study was aimed at determining the presence of Aspergillus species and aflatoxin levels in fresh harvested and stored groundnuts kernels from non-mechanized...

The Aspergillus Genome Database (AspGD; http://www.aspgd.org) is a freely available web-based resource that was designed for Aspergillus researchers and is also a valuable source of information for the entire fungal research community. In addition to being a repository and central point of access to genome, transcriptome and polymorphism data, AspGD hosts a comprehensive comparative genomics to...

BACKGROUND Aspergillus colonisation is frequently reported after lung transplantation. The question of whether aspergillus colonisation is related to the hospital environment is crucial to prevention. METHOD To elucidate this question, a prospective study of aspergillus colonisation after lung transplantation, along with a mycological survey of the patient environment, was performed. RESULT...

We investigated the antifungal activities of itraconazole and voriconazole on Aspergillus species by time kill studies, and the results were compared with those obtained for Candida species. Exposure of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia to varying concentrations (1.25 to 10 microg/ml) of itraconazole and voriconazole resulted in cellular death; the cytocidal effect was time and concentration depend...

The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of lucknomycin, a new polyenic derivative, were determined for 101 clinical isolates of Candida, 38 clinical or environmental strains of Aspergillus fumigatus, and 30 isolates of A. niger. The most susceptible species were Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis (mean MIC, 0.4 micrograms/ml). Aspergillus spp. were less susceptible, with mean MICs of ...

Polymerase chain reaction amplification of repetitive DNA motifs allows discrimination of Aspergillus species. In a preliminary survey, the DNA fingerprints appear to be identical when isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus are compared. When a primer deduced from a prokaryotic repeat motif is used, Aspergillus fumigatus isolates originating from different patients or different anatomical locations ...

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is typically caused by a single Aspergillus species, most frequently Aspergillus fumigatus. Here we report that a lung transplant recipient developed invasive aspergillosis due to a mixed infection caused by Aspergillus flavus and A. fumigatus. The implications for this unusual finding are discussed.

Here we investigate the extent to which different Aspergillus species release galactomannan (GM) in vitro. Marked variability was observed in GM reactivity between and within Aspergillus species, with A. terreus strains showing the highest GM indexes. The in vivo significance of these findings remains to be determined.

Infections by Aspergillus species present a particular challenge. The organism, which is ubiquitous in the environment, causes allergic disease in otherwise healthy individuals and devastating disease in the immunosuppressed. This article examines the range of infections caused by Aspergillus species, the challenges of diagnosis, and current treatment options.