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Rice wine (RW) and its fermentation residue, rice wine lees (RWL), are prepared using a traditional starter culture (TSC). The TSC contains a combination of different fungal and bacterial species that are variable in composition. This study evaluated the effects on the nutritional profile and the sensory qualities of RWL using various combinations of these fungal species as starter cultures. We isolated the three most abundant fungal species in TSC and found them to be Rhizopus oryzae (RO), Mucor indicus (MI), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC). Although sensory evaluation revealed that the RWL produced using the RO+SC was the most preferred (n = 30) in color, aroma, sweetness, bitterness, and clarity, no significant differences were observed compared to when RO+MI+SC was used. Moreover, the RO+MI+SC-produced rice wine lees demonstrated the highest nutritional composition in terms of the following: crude protein content (11.12±0.08%), total energy (412.96±0.07 kcal/100 g), essential amino acids, and vitamin content. Hence, the combination of these three fungal species, RO, MI, and SC, as a starter culture in rice wine fermentation gives rise to rice wine lees with higher nutritional value than using the traditional rice wine starter culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A five year old girl with life-long TPN dependence for short gut syndrome presented with two episodes of non-fatal Mucor indicus central line associated blood stream infection (CLABSI). Each episode occurred fifteen months apart, without any evidence of ongoing mould infection whilst off antifungal therapy in the intervening time period. Both episodes were treated with removal of the infected central venous catheter (CVC) and 6 weeks of intravenous liposomal amphotericin B and/or posaconazole, with good clinical, microbiological, and radiological response. The possibility of gut translocation is supported by the repeated isolation of Mucor indicus in cases of intestinal mucormycosis. To our knowledge, this is the first case of recurrent episodes of blood culture positive mucormycosis in a single patient. Mucor indicus blood stream infection may differ significantly from invasive mucormycosis caused by other species.

Background: Mucormycosis commonly occurs in immunosuppressed patients with hematological diseases, which can be life-threatening. However, many cases are often misdiagnosed due to lack of specific clinical manifestations. Additionally, the traditional blood culture or serological testing, with a high false-negative rate, is time-consuming. Thus, precise and timely diagnosis of infections is essential for the clinical care of infected patients. Case presentation: We report a 29-year-old Chinese man with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who developed febrile neutropenia after the first course of induction chemotherapy. He received empirical antibiotics, which did not relieve his symptoms. No pathogen was detected by traditional microbiologic assays, while Mucor indicus was identified by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in the blood specimen. Liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) was used, resulting in the patient's temperature returning to normal. A few days later, abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed multiple liver abscesses; fluorescence staining, histopathology, and mNGS identified the causative agent--M. indicus. Posaconazole was combined with LAmB as long-term antifungal treatment. Finally, the patient received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation successfully after controlled infection. During follow-up 1 year after transplantation, the number of liver abscesses was reduced to one and remained stable. Conclusion: This report described the first case of an AML patient diagnosed with culture-negative disseminated infections caused by M. indicus leading to rare hepatic manifestations using mNGS of peripheral blood and liver biopsy. LAmB combined with posaconazole was given in time, resulting in a favorable outcome. mNGS is a new method that assists in detecting the probable pathogen and increases the accuracy of identifying an etiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A five year old girl with life-long TPN dependence for short gut syndrome presented with two episodes of non-fatal Mucor indicus central line associated blood stream infection (CLABSI). Each episode occurred fifteen months apart, without any evidence of ongoing mould infection whilst off antifungal therapy in the intervening time period. Both episodes were treated with removal of the infected central venous catheter (CVC) and 6 weeks of intravenous liposomal amphotericin B and/or posaconazole, with good clinical, microbiological, and radiological response. The possibility of gut translocation is supported by the repeated isolation of Mucor indicus in cases of intestinal mucormycosis. To our knowledge, this is the first case of recurrent episodes of blood culture positive mucormycosis in a single patient. Mucor indicus blood stream infection may differ significantly from invasive mucormycosis caused by other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Corn stover was processed by dilute acid pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation. • Mucor indicus were implemented as ethanol-producing and oleaginous microorganism. • The biorefinery process efficiently produced bioethanol, biodiesel, and biogas. • The biorefinery derived chitosan, animal feed, and glycerol as value-added byproducts. • Socioeconomic analysis showed a significant impact on GHG emissions reductions. The present study investigated an integrated biorefinery that employed corn stover as the feedstock for sustainable bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas, chitosan, glycerol, and animal feed production. Corn stover was initially subjected to dilute acid pretreatment (1.8 % v/v H 2 SO 4 , 121 °C, and 22 min) followed by enzymatic hydrolysis with a commercial cellulase (37 °C, 72 h) to promote the release of glucose (∼93 wt%) and xylose (∼89 wt%). Mucor indicus fungus was then employed to convert the released sugars into bioethanol, glycerol, and fungal biomass with yields of 0.38 g g−1, 36 mg g−1, and 0.51 g g−1, respectively. The biomass of M. indicus was processed to extract chitosan (6 mg g−1 fungal biomass) and lipids (297 mg g−1 fungal biomass). The lipid was subsequently converted to biodiesel via transesterification in the presence of HCl/ MeOH with the yield of 0.54 g g−1 fungal lipid. The defatted biomass residue was then converted to biogas with 81 % theoretical yield through anaerobic digestion. To ensure process circularity, the nutritional values of pretreated and hydrolyzed corn stover were also investigated with their suitability as livestock. It was determined that 158.1 thousand tons of dry corn stover, which was annually collectible in Iran, could be used for the production of 137.6 kg chitosan, 10.4 ton animal feed, 870.0 kg glycerol, 40.7 million litters ethanol, 2.8 million m3 biodiesel, and 449.2 million m3 biomethane. The utilization of the produced ethanol, biodiesel, and biomethane in transporting sector was shown to have the potential of facilitating 4.3 million tons of equivalent carbon dioxide and a 197.8 million dollars reduction of associated social costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current challenge in intensive aquaculture is to control the level of nutrient pollutants in the wastewater and provide sustainable sources of proteins for feed. A novel lichen type biofilm was developed, comprised of a fungus, Mucor indicus , and a microalga, Chlorella vulgaris , growing symbiotically on a polymer matrix termed a "mycoalgae biofilm". Previous studies established that the mycoalgae biofilm can reduce ammonia levels in synthetic aquaculture wastewater. In this study, different cultivation conditions as relate to various forms of aquaculture wastewater were studied, including glucose, ammonia concentrations, and process time, in a central composite design experiment. Growing Chlorella vulgaris and Mucor indicus in simulated aquaculture wastewater reduced levels of ammonia while producing an easily harvestable mycoalgae biomass which is possible for fish feeds. Experimental results showed that the biofilm readily formed over a range of ammonia conditions (6.14 mg L−1 to 124 mg L−1) albeit with varying algae to fungi compositions (14.8 % to 0.5 % algae composition of the biofilm). Glucose concentration was the strongest predictor of significant ammonia removal, with time being a non-significant variable over the range of values tested (56 h to 136 h) indicating a shorter process duration as acceptable. Amino acid quantities in the mycoalgae biomass align with simple additive values of amino acids present in the algae and fungi alone. The mycoalgae biofilm was confirmed to grow in actual aquaculture wastewater both sterilized and unprocessed. These continued studies demonstrated the efficacy of the biofilm under a wide range of aquaculture conditions thus confirming its application in real aquaculture wastewater. [Display omitted] • A novel mycoalgae biofilm for wastewater treatment was developed. • It was formed by filamentous fungus co-grows with microalgae on synthetic matrix. • The biofilm is featured for easy harvest of cell biomass. • Mycoalgae biofilm can effectively remove nitrogen pollutant from wastewater. • Mycoalgae is rich in key amino acids with potential for aquaculture feed supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]