Background Foot mycoses are a frequent disease that represents a public health problem worldwide. Objectives This study aims to evaluate the epidemiology of foot mycoses among Tunisian patients, in order to determine the fungal etiological agents and to identify possible risk factors. Patients and Methods A prospective study of three hundred and ninety-two patients was undertaken during one year (2013-2014). All subjects were asked to collect demographic data related to the risk factors of foot mycoses. A complete mycological diagnosis was carried out on all patients. Results A total of 485 samples were collected; tinea pedis and tinea unguium were confirmed in 88.2% of cases. Dermatophytes were isolated in 70.5% and the most frequent pathogen was Trichophyton rubrum (98.1%), followed by yeasts (17.7%) commonly Candida parapsilosis. Non-dermatophyte molds (NDMs) were observed in 8.02% cases and Fusarium sp. was the frequent genus (29.1%). The main predisposing factors of fungal foot infections were practicing ritual washing (56.6%) and frequentation of communal showers (50.5%). Conclusion This is a recent survey of foot mycoses in Tunisia. Epidemiological studies can be useful to eradicate these infections and to provide further measures of hygiene and education.

Utilizing matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra for Candida glabrata typing would be a cost-effective and easy-to-use alternative to classical DNA-based typing methods. This study aimed to use MALDI-TOF for the typing of C. glabrata clinical isolates from various geographical origins and test its capacity to differentiate between fluconazole-sensitive and -resistant strains.Both microsatellite length polymorphism (MLP) and MALDI-TOF mass spectra of 58 C. glabrata isolates originating from Marseilles (France) and Tunis (Tunisia) as well as collection strains from diverse geographic origins were analyzed. The same analysis was conducted on a subset of C. glabrata isolates that were either susceptible (MIC ≤ 8 mg/l) or resistant (MIC ≥ 64 mg/l) to fluconazole.According to the seminal results, both MALDI-TOF and MLP classifications could highlight C. glabrata population structures associated with either geographical dispersal barriers (p < 10(-5)) or the selection of antifungal drug resistance traits (<10(-5)).In conclusion, MALDI-TOF geographical clustering was congruent with MPL genotyping and highlighted a significant population genetic structure according to fluconazole susceptibility in C. glabrata. Furthermore, although MALDI-TOF and MLP resulted in distinct classifications, MALDI-TOF also classified the isolates with respect to their fluconazole susceptibility profile. Further prospective studies are required to evaluate the capacity of MALDI-TOF typing to investigate C. glabrata infection outbreaks and predict the antifungal susceptibility profile of clinical laboratory isolates.

In the present study, we firstly aimed to determine the ability of halophilic bacteria to improve tomato growth. as well as to detect the antimicrobial activities from two moderately halophilic bacteria strain M3-23 of Virgibacillus marismortui and strain J31 of Terribacillus halophilus exhibited by their intracellular proteins. The results showed that both bacteria were able to improve stem tomato growth by comparison of untreated tomato. The halophilic bacteria were also able to produce intracellular antifungal enzyme: glucanase produced by V. marismortui (1.74U/mg) and chitinase (39.39U/mg) produced by T. halophilus. Both chitinases were halotolerants (active in the presence of (0% to 30% NaCl (w/v)). Chitinase produced by strain J31 was alcaline (pH optimum pH 12), but chitinase from strain M3-23 was acidic (pH 4 optimum) more than 90% and 80% of activities were retained in the presence of pH value from 4 to 12, respectively for strain J31 and M3-23. Both enzymes were thermotolerants; optimum temperature was 80°C and 90°C respectively for strain J31 and strain M3-23. Both strains have lysozyme activity and value ranging from 6.6 U/ml to 6.8 U/ml respectively for strain J31 and strain M3-23. On the whole, the most potent in vitro antifungal effect was demonstrated by intracellular compound produced by strain J31 compared to strain M3-23. This study, was the first showing the antimicrobial efficiency of moderately halophilic bacteria by means of their intracellular compounds, by means of the spore germination reduction and the destroy of mycelial growth of Botrytis cinerea, in vitro. The distinguishable characteristics of their intracellular halotolerant and thermotolerant chitinases make them as good candidates for biotechnological applications.

Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of grey mould, is a predominant agent causing extensive postharvest and quality losses of apples in Tunisia and worldwide. Efforts to manage this disease have met with limited success. For this reason, the use of microorganism preparations to control fungal diseases as an alternative to fungicides became an urgent need. From a total of 60 epiphytic yeasts, 10 were assessed in vitro against B. cinerea and selected isolates showing antagonism were evaluated for their ability to suppress the grey mould in vivo. On Petri plates, the most promising strains (three strains of Aureobasidium pullulans, one Cryptococcus flavescens, and one Citeromyces matritensis) showed a zone of inhibition against the pathogen fungus not exceeding 10 mm. In vivo, these isolates showed a remarkable antifungal activity since they significantly reduced disease severity on apples from 63% to 95% compared to the control. In conclusion, the work has demonstrated that the three strains, L7 of Aureobasidium pullulans, L2 of Citeromyces matritensis, and L10 of Cryptococcus flavescens, were highly effective and can be used as potential biocontrol agents in controlling the post-harvest decay of apples caused by B. cinerea.