Vanbreuseghem (1) recently described a selective procedure for isolating keratinophilic fungi from soil. The method extends the work of Karling (2), who first used keratin in various forms as bait for the isolation of chytrids from soil and water. Vanbreuseghem placed hair filaments upon the surface of moistened soil in which Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Ctenomyces interdigitalis), T. rubrum an...

Clinical cases of melioidosis caused by the saprophyte Burkholderia pseudomallei were first noted in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) in 1999. In this study, 36% of 110 soil samples in northern Lao PDR were positive for B. pseudomallei, providing further evidence for the presence of melioidosis in this country.

Opportunistic subcutaneous fungal infections are increasing in present times due to increasing incidence of many medical conditions causing immunosupression like diabetes, AIDS, organ transplant recipients and anticancer therapy. Pyrenochaeta romeroi, a fungus from the dematiaceae group, first described by Borelli in 1959, is saprophyte to soil and plants.We present a rare case of subcutaneous ...

Antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) has decreased the prevalence of infections, but uncommon microorganisms are being observed more frequently. Propionibacterium acnes, a saprophyte of the skin, is generally not involved in infections other than acne. Two cases of P. acnes extracutaneous infections in teenagers with CGD are reported.

Corynebacterium striatum is a ubiquitous saprophyte with the potential to cause bacteremia in immunocompromised patients. Until now, spontaneous infection of a natural joint has not been reported. When phenotyping failed, gene sequencing was used to identify the species. The isolate demonstrated high-level resistance to most antibiotics.

Phlebopus portentosus can form fruiting bodies, both independently as a saprophyte and in association with plants as an ectomycorrhizal symbiont. It thus offers an excellent model from which to examine the genetic basis of lifestyle adaptations and transitions for mushrooms. This paper reports the genome sequence of a homokaryotic strain of P. portentosus, PP33.

Aspergillus niger is a member of the genus Aspergillus which includes a set of fungi that are generally considered asexual, although perfect forms (forms that reproduce sexually) have been found. Aspergilli are ubiquitous in nature. They are geographically widely distributed, and have been observed in a broad range of habitats because they can colonize a wide variety of substrates. A. niger is ...

Howard, Dexter H. (University of California, Los Angeles) and G. F. Orr. Comparison of strains of Sporotrichum schenckii isolated from nature. J. Bacteriol. 85:816-821. 1963.-Several strains of fungi, tentatively considered to be members of the genus Sporotrichum, have been isolated from soil and from other sources in nature. The striking morphological similarity of these isolates to strains of...

Manninger and NogrMdi (1948) first reported the induction of encapsulation and motility in a nonmotile, unencapsulated, avirulent strain of BaciUus anthracis. Following Griffith's (1928) method they plated B. anthracis together with cell-free filtrates of a motile, encapsulated culture of BaciUus mesentericu var. vulgatus. After incubation either in CO2 or in air, typical colonies of B. anthrac...

Serratia marcescens (Chromobacterium prodigiosum) is a freeliving saprophyte generally regarded as being non-pathogenic (Wilson and Miles, 1955). There is, however, reason to believe that under certain conditions this organism may be pathogenic. Three instances are here reported in which S. marcescens infection of the peritoneum occurred during peritoneal dialysis for acute renal failure. All t...