First reported case of Gilbertella persicaria in human stool: outcome of a community study from Segamat, Johor, Malaysia

Abstract

Species of fungi belonging to the order Mucorales can be found everywhere in the environment. Gilbertella persicaria, which belongs to this order, have often been isolated from fruits and in water systems. However, there has been no report of isolation of this fungus from human samples. During a gut mycobiome study, from the Segamat community, Gilbertella persicaria was isolated from a human fecal sample and was characterized through a series of morphological assessment, biochemical tests, and molecular techniques. The isolate produced a white velvety surface that turned grayish after 24 h. Although no biofilm production was observed, the results indicated that the isolate could form calcium oxalate crystals, produced urease, and was resistant to low pH. The isolate was sensitive to amphotericin but resistant to voriconazole and itraconazole. The features of this fungus that could help in its survival in the human gut are also discussed.

Outline and divergence time of subkingdom Mucoromyceta: two new phyla, five new orders, six new families and seventy-three new species

“…This species is a potential new source of oleic acid (Shah et al 2021) and also a post-harvest soft rot pathogen of fruits and vegetables (Guo et al 2012, Pinho et al 2014, Cruz-Lachica et al 2015. Most recently, it has been isolated from human stool (Huët et al 2020). Ribaldi, Riv.…”