A novel species, Aspergillus uvarum sp. nov., is described within Aspergillus section Nigri. This species can be distinguished from other black aspergilli based on internal transcribed spacers (ITS), b-tubulin and calmodulin gene sequences, by AFLP analysis and by extrolite profiles. Aspergillus uvarum sp. nov. isolates produced secalonic acid, common to other Aspergillus japonicus-related taxa, and geodin, erdin and dihydrogeodin, which are not produced by any other black aspergilli. None of the isolates were found to produce ochratoxin A. The novel species is most closely related to two atypical strains of Aspergillus aculeatus, CBS 114.80 and CBS 620.78, and was isolated from grape berries in Portugal, Italy, France, Israel, Greece and Spain.

Commercial maize hybrids are exposed to different degrees of ear infection by toxigenic fungal species and toxin contamination. Their resistance to different fungi and toxin relationships are largely unknown. Without this knowledge, screening and breeding are not possible for these pathogens. Seven- to tenfold differences were found in resistance to Fusarium spp., and there was a five-fold difference in ear coverage (%) in response to A. flavus. Three hybrids of the twenty entries had lower infection severity compared with the general means for toxigenic species. Three were highly susceptible to each, and 14 hybrids reacted differently to the different fungi. Differences were also observed in the toxin content. Again, three hybrids had lower toxin content in response to all toxigenic species, one had higher values for all, and 16 had variable resistance levels. Correlations between infection severity and deoxynivalenol (DON) content were 0.95 and 0.82 (p = 0.001) for F. graminearum and F. culmorum, respectively. For fumonisin and F. verticillioides ear rot, the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was 0.45 (p = 0.05). Two independent isolates with different aggressiveness were used, and their mean X values better described the resistance levels. This increased the reliability of the data. With the introduction of this methodological concept (testing the resistance levels separately for different fungi and with two isolates independently), highly significant resistance differences were found. The resistance to different fungal species correlated only in certain cases; thus, each should be tested separately. This is very useful in registration tests and post-registration screening and breeding. This would allow a rapid increase in food and feed safety.

We report a case of Aspergillus tamarii keratitis. Ocular injury was known to be a predisposing factor. Topical natamycin and econazole treatment and subsequent systemic ketoconazole treatment proved effective. The isolate was identified by morphological characteristics and sequence analysis as A. tamarii, a member of Aspergillus section Flavi not hitherto reported from keratomycosis. CASE REPORTA 32-year-old female from Coimbatore was presented to the Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, South India, on December 27, 2005, with complaints of pain, redness, and defective vision of a 4-day duration in the left eye. She indicated that she had suffered an ocular injury caused by an iron piece while hammering 4 days earlier. On examination, her uncorrected visual acuities in the right and left eyes were 6/9 (partial) and 1/2/60, respectively. An anterior segment examination of the left eye showed lid edema and conjunctival congestion. The cornea showed a central 3-by-3-mm ulcer with an anterior midstromal infiltrate with feathery edges and surrounding edema. The anterior chamber showed a moderate number of cells (2ϩ grade). The lens was clear. The anterior segment of the right eye and the posterior segments of both eyes were within normal limits.With due aseptic precautions, the ulcer was scraped and two smears were made on glass slides for a 10% KOH wet mount and Gram staining. The microscopic examination of the KOH wet mount and Gram staining showed fungal filaments. Material from scraping was also directly inoculated onto potato dextrose agar and incubated at 25°C. Based on the colony appearance, the fungus was identified as an Aspergillus sp. Topical antifungal therapy was started with 5% natamycin suspension and 2% econazole drops every half hour, along with 1% homatropine three times a day.When reviewed after 3 days, the patient's uncorrected visual acuity in the left eye had improved to 6/36, but the corneal midstromal infiltrate was still active. The anterior chamber showed a hypopyon of 0.5 mm. The patient was admitted as an inpatient and advised to continue the same medications along with 200 mg oral ketoconazole and 0.2% subconjunctival fluconazole based on the results of our previous study (6). The patient showed improvement during the next 3 weeks; the infiltrate reduced gradually, and the anterior segment inflammations subsided. On the last review, the anterior segment of the left eye showed a central nebular scar, with the best corrected visual acuity having improved to 6/12. The patient was advised to use glasses and to report for review after 6 months.The clinical isolate was further examined at the CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre and at the University of Szeged for species assignment and antifungal susceptibility tests.Mycological study and diagnosis. The fungus was subcultured on malt extract agar plates and identified as Aspergillus tamarii Kita based on the colony morphology and microscopic features of the isolate ( Fig. 1 and 2). Colonies on malt extract agar at room temperature attained diameters o...

Green mold of Pleurotus ostreatus, caused by Trichoderma species, has recently resulted in crop losses worldwide. Therefore, there is an emerging need for rapid means of diagnosing the causal agents. A PCR assay was developed for rapid detection of Trichoderma pleurotum and Trichoderma pleuroticola, the two pathogens causing green mold of P. ostreatus. Three oligonucleotide primers were designed for identifying these species in a multiplex PCR assay based on DNA sequences within the fourth and fifth introns in the translation elongation factor 1alpha gene. The primers detected the presence of T. pleurotum and/or T. pleuroticola directly in the growing substrates of oyster mushrooms, without the need for isolating the pathogens. The assay was used to assess the presence of the two species in natural environments in which P. ostreatus can be found in Hungary, and demonstrated that T. pleuroticola was present in the growing substrates and on the surface of the basidiomes of wild oyster mushrooms. Other Trichoderma species detected in these substrates and habitats were Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma longibrachiatum and Trichoderma atroviride. Trichoderma pleurotum was not found in any of the samples from the forested areas tested in this study.

We report the first known case of fungal keratitis caused by Aspergillus nomius. Ocular injury was known as a predisposing factor. The patient was treated with natamycin and econazole eye drops, itraconazole eye ointment, and oral ketoconazole. A therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty was performed 16 days after presentation. A sequence-based approach was used to assign the isolate to a species. CASE REPORTA 64-year-old woman with no significant ophthalmic or systemic history presented with a history of pain, redness, and defective vision of the right eye of 4 days' duration following a minor trauma sustained by mud splashing into the eye. She had been treated elsewhere earlier, and her medications consisted of the use of tobramycin, phenylephrine, natamycin, and moxifloxacin eye drops for 1 day.On examination, her uncorrected visual acuity was less than 20/800 (Ͻ1/60) in the right eye. Slit lamp examination of the right eye was significant for an area of infiltration (6.2 to 7.5 mm) involving the central cornea and extending toward the limbus temporally and superiorly. The infiltrate involved all the layers of the stroma, and there was a dense endothelial plaque. A hypopyon of 1 mm was present. Scrapings obtained from the corneal infiltrate were stained (Gram's stain and 10% KOH) and plated on 5% sheep blood agar, chocolate agar, and potato dextrose agar. Both the Gram stain and the KOH mounts were positive for fungal filaments, and the cultures subsequently grew a fungus which was initially identified as a member of Aspergillus section Flavi.Given the severity of the infection, the patient was admitted to the hospital, and intensive topical antifungal therapy was initiated. Natamycin (5%) and econazole (2%) eye drops were started on a half-hourly basis, while itraconazole (1%) eye ointment was applied three times a day. This was supplemented with cycloplegics (homatropine) and medication for the relief of pain. Oral antifungal medication in the form of tablets (200 mg ketoconazole twice a day) was also given.In spite of intensive therapy, the infiltrate continued to progress with thinning and melting of the cornea. Doxycycline tablets were administered to decrease the collagenolytic activity, and amphotericin B (50 g/ml) eye drops were also added to the medical regimen, but the infiltrate continued to progress to involve the entire cornea with descemetocele formation and finally perforation. A therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty was performed 16 days after presentation. Scleral extension was noted intraoperatively at the superior limbus. The corneal button removed at the time of surgery was also positive for a heavy growth of Aspergillus. Postoperatively the same medical regimen was continued in a tapering fashion, and the patient was discharged on the 10th postoperative day. After an interval of 35 days postoperatively, she once again presented with an area of infiltration at 11 o'clock of the superior sclera; this was treated successfully medically, and the infiltrate healed in a week. She was asked to contin...