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Penicillium is the most common fungal genus in various terrestrial and marine environments. The number of new and unrecorded Penicillium species from various substrates and habitats are continuously increasing. As part of a project to discover indigenous fungi in South Korea, three unrecorded Penicillium species were isolated from mudflats and seaweeds. Based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of β-tubulin and calmodulin loci, they were identified as P. amaliae, P. infrabuccalum, and P. manginii. Here, we provide a detailed morphological description and sequence information of these previously unrecorded species.

Penicillium in section Exilicaulis is characterized by non-vesiculate monoverticillate and biverticillate stipes. Species in sect. Exilicaulis are commonly found in soil and plants in terrestrial environments; however, only a few species have been reported in Korea. To investigate the diversity of Penicillium sect. Exilicaulis, Penicillium species were isolated from terrestrial and marine environments. Based on sequence analyses of β-tubulin, calmodulin, and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II loci, 19 strains of Penicillium in sect. Exilicaulis were identified as P. citreonigrum, P. citreosulfuratum, P. corylophilum, P. menonorum, P. rubefaciens, P. velutinum, Penicillium sp. 1, and Penicillium sp. 2. Two of them, P. citreonigrum and P. citreosulfuratum, were confirmed to be new to Korea. Molecular phylogenies and detailed descriptions of the two unrecorded species are provided.

The medical fitness of pilots is part of the civil aviation safety scenery. This study aimed to analyze the health problems occurring among Korean commercial pilots. Three data sources were used to identify the health problems: 7,574 aviation medical examination data, 5,400 sick leaves and 39 cases of a decrease in medical fitness during flight duty period and layover of Korean commercial pilots who have been working for K airline from Jan. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2018. This study was retrospectively analyzed using SPSS 22 statistical program. Waiver of medical certificates was an average 11.9% of total issuance for 3 years, with a denial of 0.1%. The leading cause of denial of medical certificates was predominantly of cardiovascular cause (55.6%). Mild respiratory and digestive disease accounted for 82% of total sick prevalence and 68% of total sick days. The psychiatric and cardiovascular disease were ranked high according to the number of days lost per case. The most common cause of decrease in medical fitness during flight duty period was acute abdominal pain (36.4%) and musculoskeletal disorder (40%) when staying abroad. Aeromedical emphasis on minimizing cardiovascular risk remains appropriate. Major pilot health problems identified in this study should be considered in establishing pilot health promotion programs for aviation safety.