SepB is an essential, conserved protein required for chromosomal DNA metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans. Homologs of SepB include yeast Ctf4p and human hAnd-1. Molecular and bioinformatic characterization of these proteins suggests that they act as molecular scaffolds. Furthermore, recent observations implicate the yeast family members in lagging-strand replication and the establishment of sist...

Transformation systems for Aspergillus aculeatus has been developed, based on the use of the pyrithiamine resistance gene of Aspergillus oryzae and the orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase gene (pyrG) of Aspergillus nidulans. An A. aculeatus mutant which can be transformed effectively by the A. nidulans pyrG gene was isolated as a transformation host. This is the first report of transformat...

To determine the spectrum and impact of mycelial fungal infections, particularly those due to non-Aspergillus molds, 53 liver and heart transplant recipients with invasive mycelial infections were prospectively identified in a multicenter study. Invasive mycelial infections were due to Aspergillus species in 69.8% of patients, to non-Aspergillus hyalohyphomycetes in 9.4%, to phaeohyphomycetes i...

A PCR assay was developed for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. For this purpose, the complete nucleotide sequences of the genes encoding the 18S rRNA of Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus were elucidated and aligned to the sequences of Aspergillus fumigatus and other clinically relevant prokaryotic and eukar...

Aspergillus species (Fig. 1) are conidia-forming fungi that are responsible for a wide spectrum of human illnesses. About 19 species of Aspergillus have been documented as agents of human disease, but the majority of infections are caused by Aspergillus fumigates (Fresenius, 1850), Aspergillus flavus (Link,1809), Aspergillus niger (Van Tieghem, 1867), and Aspergillus terreus (Thom, 1918) [1, 2]...

BACKGROUND The detection of Aspergillus spp. in endotracheal aspirate cultures of mechanically ventilated patients may reflect either colonization or infection. However, little is known about the prevalence and the impact on outcome of respiratory tract sample positive for Aspergillus during the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). METHODS We conducted a monocentric, retrospective stud...

Fungi are known to produce a vast array of secondary metabolites that are gaining importance for their biotechnological applications. In the present study, the crude methanolic extracts of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus var. columinaris were tested by the disc diffusion method and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination for detection of antimicrobial activity against ten ...

Antimicrobial activity of 25, 50, 75 and 100% alcohol extract of Piper nigrum (Black Pepper), Psidium guajava (Guava), Amomum cardamom (Cardamom) and Cynogen dactylon (Bermuda grass) has been evaluated against Pseudomonas lundensis, Bacillus cereus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. Psidium guajava extract showed excellent antimicrobial activity against all the test organisms. In 25% co...

Objectives: Although molecular methods continue to improve and become more rapidly available, microscopy and culture remain commonly used and essential tools for identification of Aspergillus spp. In this study we emphasize on morphological methods including; macroscopic and microscopic characteristics for identification of Aspergillus species isolated from environmental and clinical specimens....