Pathogenic Fungi Isolated from Desiccated Mushrooms, Seaweed, Anchovies and Rice Sticks Imported from the Orient

Abstract

Desiccated mushrooms, seaweed, rice sticks and anchovies imported from the Orient were obtained from commercial sources or from products detained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and examined for pathogenic fungi. The etiological agents isolated were mycelial and yeast fungi known to produce deep sporotrichosis, phaeohyphomycosis, mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, candidosis and cryptococcosis. Other fungi isolated were opportunistic fungi and/or producers of mycotoxins. Total mold counts in the foods examined varied from 2 × 102 to 5 × 106. The predominant pathogens in the mushrooms were Sporothrix schenckii and Wangiella dermatitidis, and counts in the mushrooms imported from Thailand and Taiwan were as high as 1 × 106; however, these pathogens were not isolated from rice sticks, seaweed or anchovies. All presumed pathogenic strains were pathogenic for mice by intraperitoneal injection of 1 × 106 to 107 conidia in saline suspension. It was concluded that food can harbor “virulent” fungal pathogens and potentially opportunistic invaders as well as potentially toxigenic fungi.

Effect of fruiting body bacteria on the growth of Tricholoma matsutake and its related molds

“…Indirect positive effects of bacteria on the PM were tested by measuring the influence of bacteria on the growth of molds ( Fig 4 ; S2 Table ). Molds are frequently detected from fungal fruiting bodies [ 16 , 18 , 53 ] and some molds are known as pathogens [ 54 – 56 ] or early decomposers of dead fruiting bodies [ 57 ]. Because of the diversity of enzyme activities among the molds ( Table 1 ), it is likely that the presence of molds often introduces some negative effects on the maintenance of the PM fruiting body.…”

Sporothrix schenckii complex biology: environment and fungal pathogenicity

“…Spor. schenckii complexes are present in nature in environments with diverse conditions, including polluted environments (Cooke & Foter, 1958; Dixon et al , 1991; Ulfig, 1994; Ulfig et al , 1996; Kacprzak & Malina, 2005; Pečiulytė, 2010; Chao et al , 2012; Yazdanparast et al , 2013), environments with a wide pH range from 2.2 to 12.5 (Noriega et al , 1993; Ferreira et al , 2009), the floor of swimming pools (Staib & Grosse, 1983), desiccated mushrooms (Kazanas, 1987), fleas, ants and horse hair (Carrada-Bravo & Olvera Macías, 2013). Moreover, specific indoor environments also select for certain stress-tolerant fungi and can drive their evolution towards acquiring medically important traits (Gostinčar et al , 2011).…”

Clinical and mycological spectra of Wangiella dermatitidis infections*

“…Judging from the information published in the literature, and from our examination of numerous isolates of this fungus, it is clear that we are dealing with a highly pleomorphic organism capable of producing several different anatomical forms which resemble those produced by members of the anamorphic genera Exophiala, Phaeococcomyces, Phialophora and Sarcinomyces, and a new form which resembles Phaeotheca. Wangiella dermatitidis is common in the environment [59,[64][65][66][67][68][69][70] Biochemical tests, such as tyrosine decomposition, gelatin liquefaction and urea hydrolysis, did not give species-specific results useful for identification [3,751. Thermotolerance at 40 "C (42°C in some strains) and negative potassium nitrate and melezitose assimilation by W. dermatitidis strains were demonstrated to be diagnostically useful identification criteria [3, [76][77][78].…”