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A sample of isolates from Talaromyces pinophilus (55 isolates) and closely related species (76 isolates) was sequenced at four loci, the data were analyzed using maximum likelihood analysis and the GCPSR. The isolates were subjected to growth studies on the recommended media for description of Talaromyces species. On the basis of the combined data, five new species were segregated out of T. pinophilus and placed in newly described species. The T. pinophilus species complex contains ten species. The three other new species, Talaromyces argentinensis, T. californicus and T. louisianensis were not a part of the T. pinophilus species complex but occurred in Talaromyces sect. Talaromyces. T. argentinensis produces a teleomorphic state and is phylogenetically and morphologically distinct from other Talaromyces species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Coffee (Coffea arabica) plant tissues were surface-sterilized and fungal endophytes isolated using standard techniques, followed by DNA extraction and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS). A total of 843 fungal isolates were recovered and sequenced (Colombia, 267; Hawai''i, 393; Mexico, 109; Puerto Rico, 74) yielding 257 unique ITS genotypes (Colombia, 113; Hawai''i, 126; Mexico, 32; Puerto Rico, 40). The most abundant taxa were Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Penicillium, and Xylariaceae. Overall, 220 genotypes were detected in only one of the countries sampled; only two genotypes were found in all four countries. Endophytes were also isolated from Coffea canephora, Coffea congensis, Coffea liberica, Coffea macrocarpa, Coffea racemosa, and Coffea stenophylla in Hawai''i. The high biodiversity of fungal endophytes in coffee plants may indicate that most of these are “accidental tourists” with no role in the plant, in contrast to endophytes that could be defined as “influential passengers” and whose role in the plant has been elucidated. This study, the most comprehensive analysis of fungal endophytes associated with a single host species, demonstrates that coffee plants serve as a reservoir for a wide variety of fungal endophytes that can be isolated from various plant tissues, including the seed, and illustrates the different fungal communities encountered by C. arabica in different coffee-growing regions of the world. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: This report provides dosimetry information for a new brachytherapy 103Pd source (Model 2335) manufactured by Best Medical International and, through comparisons with data from another published report for the same source, presents a suggested hybrid dataset for clinical applications.Methods and Materials: Dose measurements were made using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD), with the 103Pd source in the center of a Virtual Water phantom on a rotating insert, allowing for a number of different possible angles, and 12 TLD cubes (1.0 × 1.0 × 1.0 mm) and 16 TLD rods (1.0 × 1.0 × 3.0 mm) arranged in an outward spiral pattern at distances ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 cm. All measurements are based on the 2000 correction of the National Institute of Standards and Technology 1999 standard.Results: From these measurements, tables are presented for the radial dose function and the anisotropy function. The dose rate constant = 0.71 ± 0.07 cGy h−1 U−1 and the anisotropy constant = 0.96 ± 0.03.Conclusions: The dose rate constant for the hybrid = 0.70 and the anisotropy constant for the hybrid = 0.92, Hybrid tables are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aureobasidium pullulans is the source of the commercially valuable polysaccharide pullulan and the enzyme xylanase. Isolates are typically off-white to pale pink or black on solid media, while some tropical isolates have been described as ‘color variants’ with bright pigments of red, yellow or purple. We sequenced 5 loci (internal transcribed spacer, intergenic spacer 1, translation elongation factor-1 alpha, beta tubulin, and RNA polymerase II) from 45 new isolates from Thailand. Based on the phylogenetic analyses, isolates were classified into 12 clades. Each clade showed different colors on different culture media including two clades with ‘color variants’ and some clades exhibited high levels of pullulan production or xylanase activity. Colony characteristics do not correlate perfectly with DNA sequence phylogeny or the physiological characters, but DNA sequence differences rapidly identify isolates with genetic novelty. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana was established in coffee seedlings after fungal spore suspensions were applied as foliar sprays, stem injections, or soil drenches. Direct injection yielded the highest post-inoculation recovery of endophytic B. bassiana. Establishment, based on percent recovery of B. bassiana, decreased as time post-inoculation increased in all treatments. Several other endophytes were isolated from the seedlings and could have negatively influenced establishment of B. bassiana. The recovery of B. bassiana from sites distant from the point of inoculation indicates that the fungus has the potential to move throughout the plant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Schizophyllan is a homoglucan produced by the fungus Schizophyllum commune, with a β-1,3-linked backbone and β-1,6-linked side chains of single glucose units at every other residue. Schizophyllan is commercially produced for pharmaceutical and cosmetics uses. However, surprisingly little information is available on the biodegradation of schizophyllan. Enzymes that attack schizophyllan could be useful for controlled modifications of the polymer for novel applications. Enrichment cultures were used to isolate 20 novel fungal strains from soil samples, capable of growing on schizophyllan as a sole carbon source. Three additional strains were isolated as contaminants of stored schizophyllan solutions. Strains showing the highest levels of β-glucanase activity were identified as Penicillium simplicissimum, Penicillium crustosum, and Hypocrea nigricans. β-glucanases also showed activity against the similar β-glucans, laminarin and curdlan. By comparison, commercial β-glucanase from Trichoderma longibrachiatum and laminarinase from Trichoderma sp. showed lower specific activities toward schizophyllan than most of the novel isolates. β-glucanases from P. simplicissimum and H. nigricans exhibited temperature optima of 60°C and 50°C against schizophyllan, respectively, with broad pH optima around pH 5.0. Partial purifications of β-glucanase from P. simplicissimum and P. crustosum demonstrated the presence of multiple active endoglucanase species, including a 20–25kD enzyme from P. simplicissimum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]