Plant pathogenic fungi adapt quickly to changing environments including overcoming plant disease resistance genes. This is usually achieved by mutations in single effector genes of the pathogens, enabling them to avoid recognition by the host plant. In addition, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and horizontal chromosome transfer (HCT) provide a means for pathogens to broaden their host range. Recently, several reports have appeared in the literature on HGT, HCT and hybridization between plant pathogenic fungi that affect their host range, including species of Stagonospora/Pyrenophora, Fusarium and Alternaria. Evidence is given that HGT of the ToxA gene from Stagonospora nodorum to Pyrenophora tritici-repentis enabled the latter fungus to cause a serious disease in wheat. A nonpathogenic Fusarium species can become pathogenic on tomato by HCT of a pathogenicity chromosome from Fusarium oxysporum f.sp lycopersici, a well-known pathogen of tomato. Similarly, Alternaria species can broaden their host range by HCT of a single chromosome carrying a cluster of genes encoding host-specific toxins that enabled them to become pathogenic on new hosts such as apple, Japanese pear, strawberry and tomato, respectively. The mechanisms HGT and HCT and their impact on potential emergence of fungal plant pathogens adapted to new host plants will be discussed.

Fruiting bodies of some wild and cultivatable mushrooms contain medicinal compounds which are being used in traditional medicines and cosmetics. There are numerous potential medicinal products from mushrooms that could be used in cosmeceuticals (products applied topically, such as creams, lotions, and ointments) or nutricosmetics (products that are ingested orally). This paper provides a review of the fungi presently used in cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics with some examples of cosmetic types and products. Species presently used, or patented to be used, in cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics include Agaricus subrufescens (= A. blazei, A. brasiliensis) Choiromyces maeandriformis Cordyceps sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum, Grifola frondosa, Hypsizygus ulmarium, Inonotus obliquus, Lentinula edodes, Polyporus spp., Trametes versicolor, Tremella fuciformis, Tuber spp., Schizophyllum commune and many other lesser used taxa. Cosmetics incorporating fungi include those for skin care such as anti-aging, anti-oxidants, skin revitalizing, skin whitening and hair products. The mushrooms presently used are traditionally known to produce medicinal compounds and thus were the first to be incorporated in cosmetic applications. There are, however, numerous other mushroom species that are untested, undescribed or not yet cultivatable and that have huge potential for use in the cosmetic industry. Some fungi are also used in biotransformation and the products such as lactic acid and ceramides could potentially be used in cosmetics.

Colletotrichum species associated with leaf and flower anthracnose of jasmine (Jasminum sambac) in the Ho Chi Minh region of Vietnam are reported. The disease of jasmine plantations was considered serious as it likely reduced flower yield. Leaves were colonized by Colletotrichum species which formed chlorotic regions with light brown necrotic centres, which eventually covered the whole leaf and subsequently caused defoliation and dieback and whole flowers were blighted. Nine strains of Colletotrichum species were isolated from diseased leaves and flowers and partial ITS rDNA sequences were analysed and morphologies compared across similar species. Based on ITS sequence analysis and morphological characters, three strains were identified as C. truncatum, while one strain was identified as C. siamense. The remaining five strains did not cluster with any known species for which type sequences are available and therefore partial actin (ACT), β-tubulin (TUB2), calmodulin (CAL), glutamine synthetase (GS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) genes of the isolates were sequenced. Based on the reconstructed multiloci molecular phylogeny, two taxa are formally introduced as new species. Another strain was not well resolved in the phylogenetic tree and herein described as Colletotrichum sp. Further studies are needed to prove its distinctiveness. The morphology and growth rate of all taxa are described and compared with similar species.

Mangrove sediments were collected from major mangrove stands on the Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia. Forty five isolates belonging to 12 genera were purified and five isolates as well as their consortium were found to be able to grow in association with petroleum oil as sole carbon source under in vitro conditions. The isolated strains were identified based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequence analysis. The fungal strains with the greatest potentiality to degrade diesel oil, without developing antagonistic activity, were identified as Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus terreus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Eupenicillium hirayamae and Paecilomyces variotii. As compared to the controls, these fungi accumulated significantly higher biomass, produced extracellular enzymes and liberated larger volumes of CO2. These observations with GC-MS data confirm that these isolates displayed rapid diesel oil bioremoval and when used together as a consortium, there was no antagonistic activity.

No abstract