PURPOSE Fusarium species are among prevalent airborne fungi and causative agents of human respiratory atopic disorders. We previously identified a 36.5-kDa F. proliferatum component recognized by IgE antibodies in 9 (53%) of the 17 F. proliferatum-sensitized atopic serum samples. The purpose of this study is to characterize the 36.5-kDa allergen of F. proliferatum. METHODS Characterization of...

Fusarium is a cosmopolitan and highly diversified genus of saprophytic, phytopathogenic and toxigenic fungi. However, the existence and diversity of a few species of Fusarium are restricted to a certain area or climatic condition. The present study was conducted to determine the occurrence and diversity of Fusarium species in tropical highland areas in Malaysia and to compare with those in temp...

Fumonisins B1 (FB1) and B2 (FB2), two structurally related mycotoxins with cancer-promoting activity, were recently isolated from corn cultures of Fusarium moniliforme MRC 826. These toxins have been reported to be produced also by isolates of F. proliferatum. Contamination of foods and feeds by F. moniliforme has been associated with human esophageal cancer risk, and FB1 has been shown to be t...

Isolates of Fusarium were discovered in peat soil samples collected from peat swamp forest, waterlogged peat soil, and peat soil from oil palm plantations. Morphological characteristics were used to tentatively identify the isolates, and species confirmation was based on the sequence of translation elongation factor-1α (TEF-1α) and phylogenetic analysis. Based on the closest match of Basic Loca...

Fusarium proliferatum is a major cause of maize ear rot and fumonisin contamination and also can cause wheat kernel black point disease. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether nine F. proliferatum strains from wheat from Nepal can cause black point and fumonisin contamination in wheat kernels. For comparison, the study included three Fusarium strains from US maize. In test...

Colibacillosis caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is an economic threat to the poultry industry throughout the world. Some of the virulence genes may enhance the ability of E. coli isolates to grow in the tissues of broilers. The APEC strains are assigned to a few distinct phylogenetic groups. The purpose of the present study was to detect the virulence genes a...

Maize is the dominant cereal crop produced in the US. One of the main fungal pathogens of maize is Fusarium verticillioides, the causative agent of ear and stalk rots. Significantly, the fungus produces a group of mycotoxins - fumonisins - on infested kernels, which have been linked to various illnesses in humans and animals. Nonetheless, durable resistance against F. verticillioides in maize i...

Contamination of animal and poultry feeds by Fusarium and the mycotoxin Fumonisin B1 is frequent in the feed supply chain. The present study evaluated the prevalence of fumonisin B1 producing Fusarium among irradiated and non-irradiated animal and poultry feed mixtures. Further, the efficiency of γ-rays (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 kGy) to minimize Fusarium growth and biosynthesis of fumonisin B1 i...

The basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans is an important human fungal pathogen. Two varieties, C. neoformans var. neoformans and C. neoformans var. gattii, have been identified. Both are heterothallic with two mating types, MATa and MATalpha. Some rare isolates are self-fertile and are considered occasional diploid or aneuploid strains. In the present study, 133 isolates, mostly from I...