A new isolate from medicinal plant endophytes was identified as Penicillium sp. (HKUCC 8070). A water-soluble red pigment was produced by this strain in potato-dextrose broth, maltextract broth and a chemically defined medium containing glutamate as a nitrogen source. The red pigment produced was identified as heat-stable, polyketide Monascus red pigment. The highest yield of the red pigment wa...

Since the aflatoxins were first reported in 1961 from Aspergillus flavus, mycotoxins have often been named after the fungus which was first found to produce them. A long list of connections between fungal species and mycotoxins and antibiotics has been reported, but unfortunately many of the identifications, and hence the connection between mycotoxin name and the source of the toxin, are incorr...

Overlooking the importance of insect disease can have disastrous effects on insect conservation. This study reported the microfungi that infect Pteroptyx bearni eggs and larvae during ex-situ rearing project. Two different species of microfungi that infected the firefly's immature life stages were isolated and identified. Penicillium citrinum infected the firefly's eggs while Trichoderma harzia...

The mould Penicillium frequentans Westling is, as its name implies, of very common occurrence on all kinds of material. According to Raper & Thom (1949), the Monoverticillate section of the genus Penicillium includes a P. frequentans series of three species, namely the type species, P. sprnulosum Thom and a less common species, P. purpurrescens (Sopp) n.comb. Webmer's classical studies of citri...

Penicillium dipodomyis is thought to be an exclusively asexual fungus associated with Kangaroo Rats, Dipodomys species, and is unique among Penicillium species in growing at 37°C but producing no known toxins. Lack of recombination within P. dipodomyis would result in limited adaptive flexibility but possibly enhance local adaptation and host selection via maintenance of favourable genotypes. H...

The European Union (EU) has introduced statutory limits for patulin in fruit products. Species definitions need to be unambiguous for this capability, especially to determine 'weak spots' in food, drink and feed production. Fungi were analysed for the isoepoxydon dehydrogenase (IDH) gene of the patulin metabolic pathway to indicate potential patulin production. In several cases inhibition of PC...

The present findings indicate that the wide fluctuation observed in the antiviral activity of various crude helenine preparations may be attributable to the presence of varying amounts of inhibitor. Antiviral activity could be enhanced by removal of the inhibitor. A meaningful value for helenine titer in a preparation clearly should be determined in the inhibitor-free zone.

The expression of the acetyl xylan esterase II (axeII) gene from Penicillium purpurogenum is repressed by glucose and induced by xylan, as well as to a small degree by xylose and xylitol. This gene is expressed at neutral pH, but not under alkaline or acidic conditions, in agreement with previous findings for other xylanolytic genes of this organism. This is the first report showing pH regulati...