• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.182-193
• /
• 2022

Turfgrass, the most widely grown ornamental crop, is severely affected by fungal pathogens including Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, Rhizoctonia solani, and Magnaporthe poae. At present, turfgrass fungal disease management predominantly relies on synthetic fungicide treatments. However, the extensive application of fungicides to the soil increases residual detection frequency, raising concerns for the environment and human health. The bacterial volatile compound, 2,3-butanediol (BDO), was found to induce plant resistance. In this study, we evaluated the disease control efficacy of a combination of stereoisomers of 2,3-BDO and commercial fungicides against turfgrass fungal diseases in both growth room and fields. In the growth room experiment, the combination of 0.9% 2R,3R-BDO (levo) soluble liquid (SL) formulation and 9% 2R,3S-BDO (meso) SL with half concentration of fungicides significantly increased the disease control efficacy against dollar spot and summer patch disease when compared to the half concentration of fungicide alone. In field experiments, the disease control efficiency of levo 0.9% and meso 9% SL, in combination with a fungicide, was confirmed against dollar spot and large patch disease. Additionally, the induction of defense-related genes involved in the salicylic acid and jasmonic acid/ethylene signaling pathways and reactive oxygen species detoxification-related genes under Clarireedia sp. infection was confirmed with levo 0.9% and meso 9% SL treatment in creeping bentgrass. Our findings suggest that 2,3-BDO isomer formulations can be combined with chemical fungicides as a new integrated tool to control Clarireedia sp. infection in turfgrass, thereby reducing the use of chemical fungicides.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2015.05a
• /
• pp.59-59
• /
• 2015

Cryptococcus neoformans causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis in humans, but the treatment of cryptococcosis remains challenging. To develop novel therapeutic targets and approaches, signaling cascades controlling pathogenicity of C. neoformans have been extensively studied but the underlying biological regulatory circuits remain elusive, particularly due to the presence of an evolutionarily divergent set of transcription factors (TFs) in this basidiomycetous fungus. In this study, we constructed a high-quality of 322 signature-tagged gene deletion strains for 155 putative TF genes, which were previously predicted using the DNA-binding domain TF database (http://www.transcriptionfactor.org/). We tested in vivo and in vitro phenotypic traits under 32 distinct growth conditions using 322 TF gene deletion strains. At least one phenotypic trait was exhibited by 145 out of 155 TF mutants (93%) and approximately 85% of the TFs (132/155) have been functionally characterized for the first time in this study. Through high-coverage phenome analysis, we discovered myriad novel TFs that play critical roles in growth, differentiation, virulence-factor (melanin, capsule, and urease) formation, stress responses, antifungal drug resistance, and virulence. Large-scale virulence and infectivity assays in insect (Galleria mellonella) and mouse host models identified 34 novel TFs that are critical for pathogenicity. The genotypic and phenotypic data for each TF are available in the C. neoformans TF phenome database (http://tf.cryptococcus.org). In conclusion, our phenome-based functional analysis of the C. neoformans TF mutant library provides key insights into transcriptional networks of basidiomycetous fungi and ubiquitous human fungal pathogens.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.284-287
• /
• 2002

The antifungal activity of super reductive water (SRW) against plant pathogenic fungi was examined to extend its application to integrated pest management (IPM) for plant diseases. Diluted solutions ($\times$1/10, $\times$1/25, and $\times$1/50) of SRW inhibited fungal growth of kiwifruit soft rot pathogen, Diaporthe actinidiae, in a concentration dependent manner, When kiwifruits were inoculated on wounds with mycelium blocks, stock and diluted solutions successfully inhibited the disease development. In addition to the high pH of the SRW, fungistatic activity was also considered as the cause of the antifungal effect against the pathogen. Whereas conidial germination of Magnaporthe grisea was not affected by the diluted SRW solutions, appressorium formation was significantly inhibited in a concentration dependent manner, With little harmfulness to human health and environment SRW could be used to control plant pathogenic fungi, particularly appressorium-forming fungal pathogens.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.177-181
• /
• 2014

Cockroaches are abundant in Nigeria and are seen to harbour an array of pathogens. Environmental and sanitary conditions associated with demographic/socio-economic settings of an area could contribute to the prevalence of disease pathogens in cockroaches. A total of 246 cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) in urban (Benin, n=91), semi-urban (Ekpoma, n=75) and rural (Emuhi, n=70) settings in Edo State, Nigeria were collected within and around households. The external body surfaces and alimentary canal of these cockroaches were screened for bacterial, fungal, and parasitological infections. Bacillus sp. and Escherichia coli were the most common bacteria in cockroaches. However, Enterococcus faecalis could not be isolated in cockroaches trapped from Ekpoma and Emuhi. Aspergillus niger was the most prevalent fungus in Benin and Ekpoma, while Mucor sp. was predominant in Emuhi. Parasitological investigations revealed the preponderance of Ascaris lumbricoides in Benin and Emuhi, while Trichuris trichura was the most predominant in Ekpoma. The prevalence and burden of infection in cockroaches is likely to be a reflection of the sanitary conditions of these areas. Also, cockroaches in these areas making incursions in homes may increase the risk of human infections with these disease agents.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.80-85
• /
• 2008

This study was carried out to assess the antidermatophytic potential of the ethyl acetate(EtOAc) extract of the marine isolate of Aspergillus sp.. The fungus was isolated by serial dilution, and was identified Aspergillus sp.. The EtOAc extract of the fungus was examined to evaluate the antidermatophytic efficacy against the fungal pathogens infecting human skin using the disc diffusion and MIC(minimum inhibitory concentration) determination methods. The EtOAc extract($5{\mu}l\;disc^{-1}$) was considered to have the antidermatophytic activity based on the inhibition percentage of the mycelial growth of the fungi tested such as Trichophyton mentagrophytes KCTC 6085, Microsporum canis KCTC 6591, Microsporum canis KCTC 6348, Trichophyton rubrum KCTC 6352, Microsporum canis KCTC 6349 and Trichophyton mentagrophytes KCTC 6316. The percentage of the inhibition ranged from 54% to 81, and the MIC obtained was 62.5, 62.5, 250, 125, 125, and $125{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$, respectively. The extract had a strong detrimental effect on the spore germination of the tested skin infectious pathogens. These findings strongly support the role of the ethyl acetate extract as a potential antidermatophytic agent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.547-550
• /
• 2000

The yeast Williopsis californica was shown to secrete a unique broad-spectrum killer toxin (Wicaltin) with antifungal activity against 14 yeast genera, including yeast-like and mycelial forms of the human pathogens Candida albicans and Sporothrix schenkii. Agar diffusion bioassays indicated that its activity was more pronounced than the antifungal potential of frequently used antimycotics; 0.07 pmol Wicaltin showed the same toxicity as 0.2 pmol miconazole and 29 pmol clotrimazole. Since the toxin's primary target would appear to be the yeast cell wall, Wicaltin may be attractive in combatting clinically relevant yeast and fungal infections.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.18-22
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The current investigation was carried out to determine the cytotoxic and the antimicrobial activities of methanolic extracts of Plumbago zeylanica. Methods: The stems, leaves, and whole plants were air dried and extracted with methanol by using a Soxhlet extractor for 72 hours at $55-60^{\circ}C$. The antimicrobial activities were determined from the zones of inhibition, which were measured by using the agar well diffusion method, and the cytotoxicity assays were performed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay method. Results: The methanolic extracts of the stem and the leaves of Plumbago zeylanica were tested against six bacterial species and nine fungal species, and both extracts showed antimicrobial activity in a dose-dependent manner. The leaf extract of Plumbago zeylanica showed maximum antimicrobial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus sub sp aureus and Fusarium oxysporum. The stem extract was found to be more antimicrobial against the Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the Penicillium expansum species. MTT assays were used to test the cytotoxicity of the whole plant extract in the HCT-116 and the K-562 cell lines, and that extract was shown to have weak cytotoxicity in both cell lines. Conclusion: In the present study, the methanolic stem extracts of Plumbago zeylanica were found to possess remarkable antibacterial activities against many human and agricultural pathogens. The extracts were also found to possess significant antifungal activities, but the antifungal activities were less than the antibacterial activities. Finally, the extracts were found to have weak cytotoxicities in the HCT-116 and the K-562 cell lines.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.8
• /
• pp.1192-1195
• /
• 2010

To investigate the influence of the N- or C-terminal regions of pleurocidin (Ple) peptide on antifungal activity, four analogs partially truncated in the N- or C-terminal regions were designed and synthesized. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy demonstrated that all the analogs maintained an alpha-helical structure. The antifungal susceptibility testing also showed that the analogs exhibited antifungal activities against human fungal pathogens, without hemolytic effects against human erythrocytes. The result further indicated that the analogs had discrepant antifungal activities [Ple>Ple (1-22)>Ple (4-25)>Ple (1- 19)>Ple (7-25)] and that N-terminal deletion affected the activities much more than C-terminal deletion. Hydrophobicity [Ple>Ple (1-22)>Ple (4-25)>Ple (1-19)> Ple (7-25)] was thought to have been one of the consistent factors that influenced these activity patterns, rather than the other primary factors like the helicity [Ple>Ple (4-25) >Ple (1-22)>Ple (1-19)>Ple (7-25)] or the net charge [Ple=Ple (4-25)=Ple (7-25)>Ple (1-22)=Ple (1-19)] of the peptides. In conclusion, the hydrophobic amino acids in the N-terminal region of Ple is more crucial for antifungal activity than those in the C-terminal region.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.125-127
• /
• 2010

The coexistence of aspergillosis and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the maxillary sinus was very rare. To our knowledge, this is the second report of coexistent SCC and aspergillosis in the maxillary sinus. A 58-year-old man underwent surgery for unilateral maxillary sinus infection with oroantral fistula. In the surgical specimen, SCC and aspergillosis were co-detected with routine and immunohistochemical stainings. Moreover, human papillomavirus 18 (HPV-18) was detected by polymerase chain reaction in the sinus specimen. The patient was re-operated with subtotal maxillectomy and has been followed up for two years without any evidence of recurrence or metastasis. Although it is not understood how aspergillosis could induce carcinoma formation, the chronic inflammation caused by prolonged fungal infection might be carcinogenic. Moreover, HPV-16 and -18 were another causative pathogens of SCC in the head and neck region. We recommend careful examination, including preoperative cytology, in patients with maxillary sinus fungal infections because of the potential for cancer development.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.30 no.9
• /
• pp.1305-1309
• /
• 2020

Insects possess biological defense systems that can effectively combat the invasion of external microorganisms and viruses, thereby supporting their survival in diverse environments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a fast-acting weapon against invading pathogens, including various bacterial or fungal strains. A 37-residue antimicrobial peptide, papiliocin, derived from the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus larvae, showed significant antimicrobial activities against several human pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. Jelleines, isolated as novel antibacterial peptides from the Royal Jelly (RJ) of bees, exhibit broad-spectrum protection against microbial infections. In this study, we developed a novel antimicrobial peptide, PAJE (RWKIFKKPFKISIHL-NH₂), which is a hybrid peptide prepared by combining 1-7 amino acid residues (RWKIFKK-NH₂) of papiliocin and 1-8 amino acid residues (PFKISIHL-NH₂) of Jelleine-1 to alter length, charge distribution, net charge, volume, amphipaticity, and improve bacterial membrane interactions. This novel peptide exhibited increased hydrophobicity and net positive charge for binding effectively to the negatively charged membrane. PAJE demonstrated antimicrobial activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, with very low toxicity to eukaryotic cells and an inexpensive process of synthesis. Collectively, these findings suggest that this novel peptide possesses great potential as an antimicrobial agent.