Much attention has been focused of late on the etiological role of yeast-like fungi in disease of the vagina and vulva. Although these organisms have long been known to inhabit the female genital tract, they were thought to be but rarely the inciting agent in diseases of these organs. Recent work has shown, however, that they occur with comparative frequency, especially in pregnant and diabetic...

Soils support an enormous microbial diversity, but the ecological drivers of this diversity are poorly understood. Interactions between the roots of individual grass species and the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and bacteria in their rhizoplane were studied in a grazed, unimproved upland pasture. Individual root fragments were isolated from soil cores, DNA extracted and used to identify pla...

A number of studies have shown that an association with mycorrhizal fungi can alter the outcome of interactions between plants and their enemies. While the directions of these effects vary, their strength suggests the need for greater attention to multispecies interactions among plant enemies, plants, and mycorrhizal fungi. We recognize that mycorrhizal fungi could effect plant enemies by impro...

While the effects of habitat size and isolation have been successfully studied for macro-organisms, there is currently debate about their relative importance in explaining patterns of microbial species richness. In this study, we examine the species richness of a dominant group of eukaryotic soil microbes, ectomycorrhizal fungi, on 'tree islands' of constant age and host composition that range ...

Using techniques developed to study melanization in other fungi, we demonstrate that Coccidioides posadasii arthroconidia, spherules, and endospores produce melanin or melanin-like compounds in vitro and tissue forms synthesize pigment in vivo. Since melanin is an important virulence factor in other pathogenic fungi, it may affect the pathogenesis of coccidioidomycosis.

Background and Purpose: Airborne fungi are one of the most important agents responsible for triggering allergic reactions such as rhinitis and severe asthma. This study was conducted to analyze and monitor the prevalence and distribution patterns of atmospheric fungal aerosols in the air of Qazvin during winter of 2012. Materials and Methods: In the current descriptive study, the incidence ...

The fossil record of fungi and lichens is scarce. Here we report the discovery of lichen-like fossils, involving filamentous hyphae closely associated with coccoidal cyanobacteria or algae, preserved in marine phosphorite of the Doushantuo Formation (between 551 and 635 million years old) at Weng'an, South China. These fossils indicate that fungi developed symbiotic partnerships with photoautot...

Soil bacteria can benefit from co-occurring soil fungi in respect of the acquisition of carbonaceous nutrients released by fungal hyphae and the access to novel territories in soil. Here, we investigated the capacity of the mycosphere-isolated bacterium Burkholderia terrae BS001 to comigrate through soil along with hyphae of the soil fungi Trichoderma asperellum, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium ox...

Companion animals, often asymptomatic reservoir of fungi, can be important sources of infection in humans, due to the close contact with their owners. The present study was aimed to assess the occurrence of dermatophytes and other fungi isolated from pet dermatological lesions in Turin, Italy. Dermatological specimens were examined for fungal elements by direct microscopy and cultured to detect...

Mycorrhiza is a mutualistic symbiosis between plants and fungi localized in roots or root like structures in which energy moves primarily from plants to fungi and inorganic resources move from fungi to plants. Mycorrhizal fungi may play important roles in nature. Findings of many researches are helpful in understanding the role of mycorrhizal fungi in the structure and functioning of ecosystems...