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The morphological and cultural characteristics of vegetative mycelia of 29 Tibetan strains of medicinal caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis (= Cordyceps sinensis) were studied. Data on mycelial growth of the above-mentioned fungi strains on different types of nutrients, the macro- and micromorphological description of colonies grown on different agar media, and anamorph stage identification are provided. It was shown that strains of O. sinensis demonstrated moderately slow growth on selected nutrients compared with other ascomycetous fungi. The highest growth rate value from all analyzed strains is O. sinenis N14-2.7 mm/day was completed with a mycelial run on potato-dextrose agar (pH = 6.0) in 15 d. Most of the examined strains preferred Sabouraun’s dextrose agar; some of the strains preferred potato-dextrose agar as the medium for optimal development. The least favorable nutrient for all strains was Czapek solution agar. Analyses of morphological and microstructural peculiarities on different types of nutrients were conducted and detailed descriptions and illustrations were provided. Based on macro- and micromorphological characteristics, the investigated strains were identified as Hirsutella sinensis and Tolypocladium sinensis species, which were identified as the anamorphs of Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

Immune enhancement through the use of natural products is a potentially valuable therapeutic modality in HIV-infected people, especially those who are not good candidates for aggressive ARV therapy. One such immune enhancement, a medicinal mushroom product from the United States, is Immune Assist 24/7. In this study the effect of Immune Assist 24/7, which is a naturally derived immune-modulating and antiviral agent, on CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts was evaluated in 8 HIV-infected patients at the Sunyani Regional Hospital (Ghana). The subjects were administered three tablets of 800 mg Immune Assist 24/7 once daily (2.4 g/day) and peripheral blood samples were drawn at baseline, day 30, and day 60, and the CD4+ count measured. The study revealed that Immune Assist 24/7, used as a sole therapeutic agent without additional ARV drugs, significantly increased CD4+ T-lymphocyte populations in all of the patients. In one patient, the CD4+ T-lymphocyte count went from 4 at the baseline, to 170 cells in 60 days, representing an increase of more than 4000%. In another patient, the CD4+ count went from 88 to 470 cells within the same period. Even in the patients with the highest CD4+ counts of around 800, there was a significant elevation in the CD4+ count noted. This study did not deal with the effect of Immune Assist 24/7 on other immune parameters such as CD3+ T-lymphocyte count, natural killer cells count, or viral load among HIV-infected patients. These initial results are promising, and indicate the potential value of further evaluating the effects of Immune Assist 24/7 on other immune parameters and viral load among HIV patients, administered either as a sole therapeutic agent, as an adjuvant with standard ARV therapy, or in comparison with standard ARV therapy alone.

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