We developed a protocol for the rapid identification and quantitation of fungi by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in carpet. The fungi used in this study are field isolates of Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus versicolor, Cladosporium cladosporoides, and Stachybotrys chartarum. The modified spore extraction method provided superior quality, high-molecular-weight genomic ...

A strain of Stachybotrys atra isolated from a field case of stachybotryotoxicosis in Hungary was cultured in Hungary. All of the compounds toxic to brine shrimp were separated from the culture extract by solvent partition, column chromatography, and preparative thin-layer chromatography. Two of the toxic compounds were identified as verrucarin J and satratoxin H by comparison with pure standard...

Indoor mold growth has recently become a concern in the legal world in regards to insurance litigation. Hazardous mold exposure to humans has been linked to many acute and chronic adverse health effects including death. As it grows, mold produces several types of primary and secondary metabolites, including microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs). Microbial volatile organic compound emissi...

Aspartic retroviral proteases play an important role in the processing of viral polyproteins into mature functional proteins1}. An inhibitor of avian myeloblastosis virus protease (AMV-protease) could be a possible candidate for antiviral-therapy and could be used, for example, as an anti-HIV agent2). In the course of screening for AMV-protease inhibitors, we discovered Mer-NF5003B, E and F, no...