A bioassay is described for the study of inhibitory activity of plant proteins on fungal growth. Fungal spores were germinated in liquid growth medium and pipetted into wells of a microtitre plate. Fungal growth was followed spectrophotometrically. The bioassay was tested using crude protein extracts from plant tissues known to have high activities of chitinase and beta-1,3-glucanase, and with ...

Limitations and Considerations in Air Sampling, Sample Analysis and Result Interpretation for Airborne Mould Spores by Jackson Kung’u Airborne mould material particularly spores are recognized allergens at normal concentrations to an estimated 20% of the population (Kendrick, 2000). It is not always possible to establish a correlation between mould spore counts in the environment and the presen...

Most basidiomycete fungi actively eject their spores. The process begins with the condensation of a water droplet at the base of the spore. The fusion of the droplet onto the spore creates a momentum that propels the spore forward. The use of surface tension for spore ejection offers a new paradigm to perform work at small length scales. However, this mechanism of force generation remains poorl...

PURPOSE Innate immunity had been thought to be critical in the pathogenesis and prognosis of fungal keratitis. This study was conducted to determine whether experimental Candida albicans keratitis (CaK) induces an adaptive immune response. METHODS Experimental murine CaK was induced by intrastromal injection of C. albicans spores, and fungal pneumonia was induced by intranasal inhalation of s...

Background & Aims: Fungi are among the most important biological agents in air pollution. Textile factories are known as high risk places for contamination with fungal spores and metabolites. Since Yazd is one of the most important textile industry centers, this study was conducted to determine the concentration and types of airborne fungi in Yazd textile factories. Methods: A total of 235 indo...

The ability of an image analysis routine to differentiate between spores of eleven allergenic fungal genera was tested using analysis based on seven basic and up to 17 more complex features, extracted from digitised images. Fungal spores of Alternaria, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Botrytis, Epicoccum, Exserohilum, Ustilago, Coprinus and Psilocybe were examined in a series o...

Fungal spores are known to trigger allergic respiratory diseases. Very little is known about airborne fungal spore presence in Trieste. This paper reports the seasonal (June-October) Alternaria (1993-2004) and Epicoccum (1994-2004) spore concentrations during these years, using a Hirst sampler. Daily spore counts fluctuate considerably from one day to the next. Airborne spores of Alternaria and...

Mucormycosis is an emerging fungal infection that is clinically difficult to manage, with increasing incidence and extremely high mortality rates. Individualswith diabetes, suppressed immunity or traumatic injuryare at increased risk of developing disease. These individuals often present with defects in phagocytic effector cell function. Research using mammalian models and phagocytic effector c...

Background: A common concern of the poultry industry is the presence of fungal pathogens in the birds’ environment, which may constitute a considerable health hazard to the birds, farmers, and those living in proximity of the farm. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to assess the mycoflora in the indoor and outdoor environments of poultry breeding houses and studying the efficacy of disinf...

Fungal infections, also called mycoses, are important causes of morbidity and mortality in humans. Some fungal infections are endemic, and these infections are usually caused by fungi that are present in the environment and whose spores enter humans. Other fungal infections are said to be opportunistic because the causative agents cause mild or no disease in healthy individuals but may infect a...