Relationships between Scopulariopsis species and allied fungi were studied by sequencing a 350 bp gene region of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (LSU rDNA). In addition, a limited morphological dataset of nine characters was included in the cladistic analysis. Nineteen mitosporic strains (nine Scopulariopsis, five Wardomyces, three Doratomyces, one Trichurus and one Scedosporium species) a...

The deadly poisonous Amanita phalloides is common along the west coast of North America. Death cap mushrooms are especially abundant in habitats around the San Francisco Bay, California, but the species grows as far south as Los Angeles County and north to Vancouver Island, Canada. At different times, various authors have considered the species as either native or introduced, and the question o...

BACKGROUND Biological control of parasitic nematodes by microorganisms is a promising approach to control such parasites. Microorganisms such as fungi, viruses and bacteria are recognized as biocontrol agents of nematodes. OBJECTIVES The current study mainly aimed to evaluate the in vitro Potential of various saprophyte soil-fungi in reducing the infective larvae stage of parasitic nematode T...

BACKGROUND Fungal spores are the predominant biological particulate in the atmosphere of Puerto Rico, yet their potential as allergens has not been studied in subjects with respiratory allergies. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of sensitization of subjects with respiratory allergies to these particles. METHODS Serum samples were drawn from 33 subjects with asthma, allergi...

Laccase belongs to the blue multicopper oxidases and participates in cross-linking of monomers, degradation of polymers, and ring cleavage of aromatic compounds. It is widely distributed in higher plants and fungi. It is present in Ascomycetes, Deuteromycetes and Basidiomycetes and abundant in lignin-degrading white-rot fungi. It is also used in the synthesis of organic substance, where typical...

Forty five finished poultry feed samples, collected from different broilers, broiler breeders and layers farms were divided into two parts, for mycological and mycotoxins examination. In counting of molds, dilute plate technique was used, whereas feed parts were used for mycotoxin estimation, they were subjected to four standard kits of Aflatoxin, Ochratoxin, T-2 toxin and Fumonisins. Mold coun...

With the incidence of Lyme disease increasing throughout the United States, reducing risk of exposure to the disease is of the utmost concern. In the northeastern U.S., the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the primary vector and the white-footed mouse, (Peromyscus leucopus), the primary reservoir for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium causing Lyme disease. Targeting I. scapularis engorg...

Mariannaeapyrone ((E)-2-(1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-5-nonenyl)-3,5-dimethyl-6-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one) is a new fungal metabolite isolated from fermentations of the common mycophilic deuteromycete Mariannaea elegans. The chemical structure of the 4-pyrone was determined by spectroscopic techniques. Mariannaeapyrone is a selective inhibitor of the thromboxane A2 induced aggregation of human platelets, w...

Lignin is a major component of all plants, the degradation of which remains a major challenge to date owing to its recalcitrant nature. Several classes of fungi have been studied to carry out this process to some extent, but overall the process remains inefficient. We have isolated a novel alkalophilic dimorphic lignin-degrading Deuteromycete from soil, identified as "uncultured" and coded as M...