Indoor air-related effects and airborne (1 --> 3)-beta-D-glucan.
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In studies on the relation between indoor mold exposure and symptoms/disease, the exposure should be described in terms of biomass and not viability. This paper reviews field studies in which (1--> 3)-ss-d-glucan was measured as a marker of biomass and was related to the extent of symptoms and measures of inflammation among exposed subjects. Increased levels of (1-->3)-ss-d-glucan were related to an increased extent of symptoms and markers of inflammation. The data suggest that (1-->3)-ss-d-glucan can be used as a risk marker in indoor environments. (+info)
Microfungal contamination of damp buildings--examples of risk constructions and risk materials.
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To elucidate problems with microfungal infestation in indoor environments, a multidisciplinary collaborative pilot study, supported by a grant from the Danish Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, was performed on 72 mold-infected building materials from 23 buildings. Water leakage through roofs, rising damp, and defective plumbing installations were the main reasons for water damage with subsequent infestation of molds. From a score system assessing the bioavailability of the building materials, products most vulnerable to mold attacks were water damaged, aged organic materials containing cellulose, such as wooden materials, jute, wallpaper, and cardboard. The microfungal genera most frequently encountered were Penicillium (68%), Aspergillus (56%), Chaetomium (22%), Ulocladium, (21%), Stachybotrys (19%) and Cladosporium (15%). Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Stachybotrys chartarum were the most frequently occurring species. Under field conditions, several trichothecenes were detected in each of three commonly used building materials, heavily contaminated with S. chartarum. Under experimental conditions, four out of five isolates of S. chartarum produced satratoxin H and G when growing on new and old, very humid gypsum boards. A. versicolor produced the carcinogenic mycotoxin sterigmatocystin and 5-methoxysterigmatocystin under the same conditions. (+info)
The Health Protection Act, national guidelines for indoor air quality and development of the national indoor air programs in Finland.
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This article presents the current handling of disease related to moldy buildings in Finland as an example of an integrated health strategy. It describes the role of the Finnish Health Protection Act for indoor environments and how cases of indoor air problems are dealt with by local, regional, and national authorities. (+info)
Analysis of fungal diversity in the wheat rhizosphere by sequencing of cloned PCR-amplified genes encoding 18S rRNA and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis.
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Like bacteria, fungi play an important role in the soil ecosystem. As only a small fraction of the fungi present in soil can be cultured, conventional microbiological techniques yield only limited information on the composition and dynamics of fungal communities in soil. DNA-based methods do not depend on the culturability of microorganisms, and therefore they offer an attractive alternative for the study of complex fungal community structures. For this purpose, we designed various PCR primers that allow the specific amplification of fungal 18S-ribosomal-DNA (rDNA) sequences, even in the presence of nonfungal 18S rDNA. DNA was extracted from the wheat rhizosphere, and 18S rDNA gene banks were constructed in Escherichia coli by cloning PCR products generated with primer pairs EF4-EF3 (1. 4 kb) and EF4-fung5 (0.5 kb). Fragments of 0.5 kb from the cloned inserts were sequenced and compared to known rDNA sequences. Sequences from all major fungal taxa were amplified by using both primer pairs. As predicted by computer analysis, primer pair EF4-EF3 appeared slightly biased to amplify Basidiomycota and Zygomycota, whereas EF4-fung5 amplified mainly Ascomycota. The 61 clones that were sequenced matched the sequences of 24 different species in the Ribosomal Database Project (RDP) database. Similarity values ranged from 0.676 to 1. Temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) analysis of the fungal community in the wheat rhizosphere of a microcosm experiment was carried out after amplification of total DNA with both primer pairs. This resulted in reproducible, distinctive fingerprints, confirming the difference in amplification specificity. Clear banding patterns were obtained with soil and rhizosphere samples by using both primer sets in combination. By comparing the electrophoretic mobility of community fingerprint bands to that of the bands obtained with separate clones, some could be tentatively identified. While 18S-rDNA sequences do not always provide the taxonomic resolution to identify fungal species and strains, they do provide information on the diversity and dynamics of groups of related species in environmental samples with sufficient resolution to produce discrete bands which can be separated by TGGE. This combination of 18S-rDNA PCR amplification and TGGE community analysis should allow study of the diversity, composition, and dynamics of the fungal community in bulk soil and in the rhizosphere. (+info)
Comparison of fungal laccases and redox mediators in oxidation of a nonphenolic lignin model compound.
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Several fungal laccases have been compared for the oxidation of a nonphenolic lignin dimer, 1-(3, 4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)propan-1,3-diol (I), and a phenolic lignin model compound, phenol red, in the presence of the redox mediators 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (1-HBT) or violuric acid. The oxidation rates of dimer I by the laccases were in the following order: Trametes villosa laccase (TvL) > Pycnoporus cinnabarinus laccase (PcL) > Botrytis cinerea laccase (BcL) > Myceliophthora thermophila laccase (MtL) in the presence of either 1-HBT or violuric acid. The order is the same if the laccases are used at the same molar concentration or added to the same activity (with ABTS [2, 2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] as a substrate). During the oxidation of dimer I, both 1-HBT and violuric acid were to some extent consumed. Their consumption rates also follow the above order of laccases, i.e., TvL > PcL > BcL > MtL. Violuric acid allowed TvL and PcL to oxidize dimer I much faster than 1-HBT, while BcL and violuric acid oxidized dimer I more slowly than BcL and 1-HBT. The oxidation rate of dimer I is dependent upon both kcat and the stability of the laccase. Both 1-HBT and violuric acid inactivated the laccases, violuric acid to a greater extent than 1-HBT. The presence of dimer I or phenol red in the reaction mixture slowed down this inactivation. The inactivation is mainly due to the reaction of the redox mediator free radical with the laccases. We did not find any relationship between the carbohydrate content of the laccases and their inactivation. When the redox potential of the laccases is in the range of 750 to 800 mV, i.e., above that of the redox mediator, it does not affect kcat and the oxidation rate of dimer I. (+info)
Mulundocandin, an echinocandin-like lipopeptide antifungal agent: biological activities in vitro.
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Mulundocandin (MCN) is an antifungal lipopeptide which belongs to the echinocandin class of antimycotic agents. MCN exhibited good in vitro activity against Candida albicans and C. glabrata isolates with MIC ranges of 0.5-4.0 microg/ml and 2.0-4.0 microg/ml, respectively. MCN also exhibited some activity against C. tropicalis isolates (MIC range 1.0-8.0 microg/ml). However, MCN was poorly active against other non-albicans isolates and was inactive against Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus species and Trichophyton. MCN appeared to exert its antifungal activity through preferential inhibition of germ tube formation (MIC-HY 0.015-0.03 microg/ml) and was typically less active on the yeast form (MIC 0.5-4.0 microg/ml). In kill-curve experiments 99.9% reductions in cell viability were observed following 8 hours exposure to MCN at 4 x MIC and 8 x MIC and after 5 hours exposure to 16 x MIC. (+info)
In vitro antifungal activity of nikkomycin Z in combination with fluconazole or itraconazole.
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Nikkomycins are nucleoside-peptide antibiotics produced by Streptomyces species with antifungal activities through the inhibition of chitin synthesis. We investigated the antifungal activities of nikkomycin Z alone and in combination with fluconazole and itraconazole. Checkerboard synergy studies were carried out by a macrobroth dilution procedure with RPMI 1640 medium at pH 6.0. At least 10 strains of the following fungi were tested: Candida albicans, other Candida spp., Cryptococcus neoformans, Coccidioides immitis, Aspergillus spp., and dematiacious fungi (including Exophiala jeanselmei, Exophiala spinifera, Bipolaris spicifera, Wangiella dermatitidis, Ochroconis humicola, Phaeoannellomyces werneckii, and Cladophialophora bantiana), and 2 strains each of Fusarium, Scedosporium, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, and Trichoderma spp. A total of 110 isolates were examined. Inocula of fungal elements were standardized by hemacytometer counting or spectrophotometrically. MICs and minimum lethal concentrations (MLCs) were determined visually by comparison of growth in drug-treated tubes with growth in drug-free control tubes. Additive and synergistic interactions between nikkomycin and either fluconazole or itraconazole were observed against C. albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Coccidioides immitis. Marked synergism was also observed between nikkomycin and itraconazole against Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus. No antagonistic interaction between the drugs was observed with any of the strains tested. (+info)
The antifungal activity of mupirocin.
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The antibacterial agent mupirocin (pseudomonic acid A) is used as a topical agent in the treatment of superficial infections by Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus. However, we demonstrate here that the compound also inhibits the growth of a number of pathogenic fungi in vitro, including a range of dermatophytes and Pityrosporum spp. It inhibited the incorporation of amino acids and precursors of RNA, but not that of acetate, by Trichophyton mentagrophytes. It also inhibited the isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase from Candida albicans, indicating a mechanism of action similar to that in bacteria. When administered topically, mupirocin was efficacious in a T. mentagrophytes ringworm model in guinea pigs. These results suggest that mupirocin could have clinical utility for superficial infections caused by dermatophytes. (+info)