Mycoviruses (viruses of fungi) are ubiquitous throughout the fungal kingdom and are currently classified into 23 viral families and the genus botybirnavirus by the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). The primary focus of mycoviral research has been on mycoviruses that infect plant pathogenic fungi, due to the ability of some to reduce the virulence of their host and thus act as potential biocontrol against these fungi. However, mycoviruses lack extracellular transmission mechanisms and rely on intercellular transmission through the hyphal anastomosis, which impedes successful transmission between different fungal strains. This review provides a comprehensive overview of mycoviruses, including their origins, host range, taxonomic classification into families, effects on their fungal counterparts, and the techniques employed in their discovery. The application of mycoviruses as biocontrol agents of plant pathogenic fungi is also discussed.

The use of the 4‐methylumbelliferyl glucuronide (MUG) to differentiate between Escherichia coli and biotypes of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from beansprouts is described. The incorporation of MUG into the selective media ensured that the presence of Klebsiella spp. on the beansprouts was not confused with E. coli.

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Pork livers from four pork processing plants in Northern Ireland were studied to assess their contamination by salmonellae. Additionally, aerobic plate counts (APC) and counts of Enterobacteriaceae were made. One hundred twenty livers were sampled immediately after evisceration and 110 sampled after being chilled overnight in the commercial premises. No salmonellae were detected. Geometric mean values for the APC were 1.6 × 104 and 3.1 × 105 CFU/g for fresh and chilled livers, respectively. Homologous geometric mean values for Enterobacteriaceae were 7.9 × 102 and 6.0 × 102 CFU/g, respectively.