Susceptibility profile of Candida rugosa (Diutina rugosa) against antifungals and compounds of essential oils

Endolithic Fungal Diversity in Antarctic Oligocene Rock Samples Explored Using DNA Metabarcoding

In this study, we evaluated the fungal diversity present associated with cores of Oligocene rocks using a DNA metabarcoding approach. We detected 940,969 DNA reads grouped into 198 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) representing the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota, Chytridiomycota, Mucoromycota, Rozellomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Zoopagomycota, Aphelidiomycota (Fungi) and the fungal-like Oomycota (Stramenopila), in rank abundance order. Pseudogymnoascus pannorum, Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., Aspergillaceae sp. and Diaporthaceae sp. were assessed to be dominant taxa, with 22 fungal ASVs displaying intermediate abundance and 170 being minor components of the assigned fungal diversity. The data obtained displayed high diversity indices, while rarefaction indicated that the majority of the diversity was detected. However, the diversity indices varied between the cores analysed. The endolithic fungal community detected using a metabarcoding approach in the Oligocene rock samples examined contains a rich and complex mycobiome comprising taxa with different lifestyles, comparable with the diversity reported in recent studies of a range of Antarctic habitats. Due to the high fungal diversity detected, our results suggest the necessity of further research to develop strategies to isolate these fungi in culture for evolutionary, physiological, and biogeochemical studies, and to assess their potential role in biotechnological applications.

Essential Oils and Melatonin as Functional Ingredients in Dogs

Simple Summary

Phytogenics are plant-based compounds with beneficial actions in feed technology and/or animal health. These so-called plant secondary metabolites are very diverse and with wide possible applications in humans and animals. Among them, essential oils (EOs) are the most used in feed for livestock and pets. Lately, melatonin has acquired new and interesting applications in dogs. Recent studies using EOs and/or melatonin in dog feeding and their involvement in health aspects are presented.

Abstract

The use of nutraceuticals or functional ingredients is increasingly widespread in human food; their use is also widespread in animal feed. These natural compounds generally come from plant materials and comprise a wide range of substances of a very diverse chemical nature. In animals, these compounds, so-called phytogenics, are used to obtain improvements in feed production/stability and also as functional components with repercussions on animal health. Along with polyphenols, isoprenoid compounds represent a family of substances with wide applications in therapy and pet nutrition. Essential oils (EOs) are a group of complex substances with fat-soluble nature that are widely used. Melatonin is an indolic amine present in all living with amphiphilic nature. In this work, we present a review of the most relevant phytogenics (polyphenol, isoprenoid, and alkaloid compounds), their characteristics, and possible uses as nutraceuticals in dogs, with special emphasis on EOs and their regulatory aspects, applied in foods and topically. Additionally, a presentation of the importance of the use of melatonin in dogs is developed, giving physiological and practical aspects about its use in dog feeding and also in topical application, with examples and future projections. This review points to the combination of EOs and melatonin in food supplements and in the topical application as an innovative product and shows excellent perspectives aimed at addressing dysfunctions in pets, such as the treatment of stress and anxiety, sleep disorders, alopecia, and hair growth problems, among others.

Dramatic effect of black soldier fly larvae on fungal community in a compost

BACKGROUND

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) offer very good prospects for the production of cheap and high-quality dietary protein. This insect is able to consume low-quality substrates, including food waste. The properties and safety of the compost obtained are largely determined by its microbiome. However, while the bacterial component of the BSFL-compost microbiome has been much studied, little is known about its fungal component. In plant-based rearing substrates both the biomass and the metabolic activity of fungi often exceed the biomass and the activity of prokaryotes. So, the purpose of this study was to investigate the fungal community of the compost produced by BSF larvae reared on a food waste substrate.

RESULTS

Community structure was determined by metabarcoding of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region. Species composition and abundance were determined using the plating technique and subsequent identification of the isolated pure cultures. It was found that the primary mycobiome of the food waste substrate that was used consisted of 19 families, represented mainly by phytopathogenic and endophytic genera. Larva incubation led to the complete elimination of all mycelial fungi from the resulting compost. The final mycobiome consisted of only two yeast species, Pichia kudriavzevii and Diutina rugosa, with a total abundance of 1.2 × 10⁷  CFU g^-1 .

CONCLUSIONS

The rearing of BSFL led to the complete elimination of mycelial fungi from its feed substrate. The final compost lacked harmful fungi, including molds. This information may be crucial for BSF compost utilization. The phenomenon was also an interesting aspect of zoomicrobial interactions in nature and agriculture. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Antifungal activities of quince seed mucilage hydrogel decorated with essential oils of Nigella sativa, Citrus sinensis and Cinnamon verum

Background and Objectives:

Candidiasis and pityriasis versicolor are opportunistic fungal infections that are caused by Candida spp. and Malassezia spp. yeasts. Conventional drugs like azole and amino derivatives are known to treat fungal skin diseases. However, drawbacks like long-term side effects and drug resistance lead to investigate on antifungal properties of phytochemicals as an alternative to available synthetic drugs.

Materials and Methods:

The herbal nano hydrogel was successfully synthesized from Quince Seed extract followed by ultrasonic treatment and it has been formulated using a mixture of essential oils. We evaluated the antifungal in vitro assay for a mixture of essential oils in combination with herbal nano hydrogel against Candida albicans and Malasezia furfur strains by micro dilution method.

Results:

The results indicated that essential oils possess antifungal activity with the MIC value of 12.5 and 6.24 mg/ml against C. albicans and M. furfur, respectively. No fungicidal effect was reported for the herbal hydrogel before nanofabrication while it shown some antifungal activity after ultrasonic treatment for 5 and 10 minutes. As anticipated; the antifungal property of essential oil mixture was appreciably improved when it combined with herbal nano hydrogel where the highest level of inhibition was observed at concentration of 3.125 mg/ml for both strains. The loss in biological activity observed when the ultrasonic treatment on herbal nano hydrogel performed for longer time.

Conclusion:

The proposed plant-based nano formulation shown promising in vitro antifungal activities against C. albicans and M. furfur strains and its antifungal properties were comparable with commercially available agents like clotrimazole. The new formulation expected to be safe with minimum long-term side effects. Further investigations are underway to confirm the safety and the mechanism of the action of this new herbal formulation.

Expect the unexpected: fungemia caused by uncommon Candida species in a Turkish University Hospital

Fungemia caused by uncommon Candida species (UCS) (other than C.albicans, C.glabrata, C.parapsilosis, C.tropicalis, C.krusei) is a rare but emerging threat with their potential to exhibit reduced susceptibility or resistance to antifungal agents. We identified 25 patients with UCS fungemia (9 C.kefyr, 8 C.lusitaniae, 4 C.dubliniensis, 2 C.guilliermondii, 1 C.pelliculosa, 1 C.rugosa) through January 2011 and August 2018. Echinocandins were the most common administered agents, followed by fluconazole. Overall mortality was 44%. Echinocandins and voriconazole showed sufficient activity against all tested isolates. High fluconazole MICs among C.guilliermondii, C.pelliculosa, and C.rugosa were determined. MIC value of C.pelliculosa was above the epidemiological cut-off proposed for fluconazole.

Use of Essential Oils in Veterinary Medicine to Combat Bacterial and Fungal Infections

Essential oils (EOs) are secondary metabolites of plants employed in folk medicine for a long time thanks to their multiple properties. In the last years, their use has been introduced in veterinary medicine, too. The study of the antibacterial properties of EOs is of increasing interest, because therapies with alternative drugs are welcome to combat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains. Other issues could be resolved by EOs employment, such as the presence of antibiotic residues in food of animal origin and in environment. Although the in vitro antimicrobial activity of EOs has been frequently demonstrated in studies carried out on bacterial and fungal strains of different origins, there is a lack of information about their effectiveness in treating infections in animals. The scientific literature reports some studies about in vitro EOs' activity against animal clinical bacterial and fungal isolates, but in vivo studies are very scanty. The use of EOs in therapy of companion and farm animals should follow careful studies on the toxicity of these natural products in relation to animal species and route of administration. Moreover, considering the different behavior of EOs in relation to both species and strain pathogen, before starting a therapy, an aromatogram should be executed to choose the oil with the best antimicrobial activity.