BACKGROUND Carissa opaca Stapf ex Hanes fruits is traditionally used in the treatment of asthma, hepatitis and microbial infections. The present study was arranged to investigate the antimicrobial, cytotoxic and antitumor activity of various fractions of C. opaca extract and its bioactive metabolites responsible for that activity. METHODS To characterize various fractions of C.opaca antibacte...

We investigated the in vitro interaction of terbinafine with itraconazole, fluconazole, amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine, against Aspergillus spp. We tested three isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus (one resistant to itraconazole), and two each of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus. We employed a broth microdilution-based method derived from an in vivo validated method ...

The faeB gene encoding a second feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus niger has been cloned and characterized. It consists of an open reading frame of 1644 bp containing one intron. The gene encodes a protein of 521 amino acids that has sequence similarity to that of an Aspergillus oryzae tannase. However, the encoded enzyme, feruloyl esterase B (FAEB), does not have tannase activity. Comparison o...

Fungi involved in the biodegradation of maizecob were isolated and screened for cellulase activity using glucose and carboxylmethyl cellulose as carbon sources. The effect of the carbon sources on cellulase production was determined. Eleven fungi species were isolated which include Rhizopus oryzae, Aspergillus flavus, Mucor racemosus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium atrovenetum, Penicillium expa...

Bioconversion of waste newspaper into fermentable sugars at different temperatures with Aspergillus niger cellulase concentrationsJ Boitumelo M Sibiya, J Pieter H van Wyk

Among the various fungal strains screened for citric acid production, Aspergillus niger is known to produce considerable amounts of citric acid and other organic acids when cultivated in carbohydrate-rich medium of fermentation. A number of indigenous raw materials such as cane molasses and pumpkin have been carried out in present study for citric acid production by using gamma ray induced muta...

NADPH-dependent 5-keto-D-gluconate reductase was identified as a missing element in the pathway for D-glucuronate catabolism in fungi. The disruption of the gene, gluF, by CRISPR/Cas9 in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger resulted in a strain unable to catabolise D-glucuronate. The purified GluF protein was characterized and kcat and Km values of 23.7 ± 1.8 s-1 and 3.2 ± 0.1 mm for 5-keto...

Representatives of the genus Aspergillus are opportunistic fungal pathogens. Their conidia can reach the alveoli by inhalation and can give rise to infections in immunocompromised individuals. Aspergillus fumigatus is the causal agent of invasive aspergillosis in nearly 90% of the cases. It is not yet well-established what makes this fungus more pathogenic than other aspergilli such as A. niger...

Effect of Sunflower Seed Meal Fermented with Aspergillus Niger and Saccharomyces Cerevisiae on Intestinal Morphology, Microbial Population, Some Digestive Parameters in Broiler Chicks

Dust was collected over a period of several weeks in 2007 from HEPA filters in the U.S. Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS). The dust was returned on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, mixed, sieved and the DNA was extracted. Using a DNA-based method called mold-specific quantitative PCR (MSQPCR), 39 molds were measured in the dust. Potential opportunistic pathogens Aspergillus ...