NUTRITION AND SPORULATION OF ALLESCHERIA BOYDII

Abstract

There have been few reports concerning the nutritional requirements of the pathogenic ascomycete, Allescheria boydii, or of its imperfect form, Monosporium apiospermum. Benham and Georg (1948) found that a strain of A. boydii isolated by Gay and Bigelow (1930) from a case of mycetoma was autotrophic for growth factors. They cultured it on a dextrose agar containing asparagine as the sole nitrogen source and observed formation of fertile perithecia. Wolf et al. (1950) conducted a detailed nutritional study of a single strain of M. apiospermum and found that it grew well in Czapek's solution without the addition of growth factors. These authors also investigated carbon and nitrogen utilization by this mold, as well as pH and temperature requirements. However, de Area Leao and Cury (1950) and Villela and Cury (1950a) reported a biotin deficiency in a strain of A. boydii whose cultural history dated back to the original isolate of Shear (1922). They obtained no growth in a glucose-asparagine medium unless biotin was added. A single strain of M. apiospermum tested by them was found to have no vitamin deficiency. Villela and Cury (1951) subsequently stated that four additional strains of A. boydii tested grew without the addition of biotin. The study here reported originated partly as an attempt to resolve the above discrepancies and also to determine the effect of nutritional variation upon the formation of perithecia and coremia by different strains of A. boydii and M. apiospermum.

Ecology and physiology of the emerging opportunistic fungi Pseudallescheria boydii and Scedosporium prolificans

“…In older literature, however [24], the cleistothecial variant was much less common. Gordon [33] isolated mainly cleistothecial strains from soil, possibly corresponding to our variant 3, while strains with synnemata were rare. It may thus be supposed that variant 1 in particular, taking advantage of human natural immunodeficiency, is emerging.…”

Pathogenicity of Allescheria boydii for Mice

“…Although considerable research has been done on A. boydii, one can question the value of conclusions made from data accumulated with a single isolate. Wolf et al (38) demonstrated that a single strain of M. apiospermum was autotrophic for its vitamins, whereas Villela and Cury (37) studied a strain of A. boydii which was biotin deficient and unable to grow at 37 C. In other studies involving more than a single isolate of A. boydii or M. apiospermum (4,5,14), considerable difference has been noted among individual strains with respect to growth and sporulation. Assuming that differences might also exist in the virulence of individual isolates, the pathogenic potential of three strains of A. boydii and three strains of M. apiospermum were examined in this study.…”

CARBOHYDRATE NUTRITION AND SPORULATION OF ALLESCHERIA BOYDII

“…Relatively little is known about the nutrition of this organism, or about factors which influence its sporulation. Gordon (1957) reported that organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds serve equally well as a sole source of nitrogen for A. boydii, and that the organism is autotrophic for its growth factors. He also confirmed the results of Benham and Georg (1948) that rich sources of organic nitrogen stimulate the production of conidia, but inhibit the production of ascocarps.…”