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Present work aimed to investigate the celluloytic and pectinolytic fungi from some Egyptian soil. For this purpose five fungal isolates were isolated, purified and screened for their enzymatic productivities qualitatively and quantitatively. Two fungal isolates showed the highest enzymes productivities were identified as Pencillium hordei \"cellulase producer\", while the other as Asprgillus ustus \"pectinase producer\". These two fungi were submitted for further work involving the evaluation of the nutritional & environmental factors affecting cellulase and pectinase production under solid-state fermentation (SSF) conditions, revealed that maximum cellulase production (317.54 &#956g/ml) by Penicillium hordei was attained by using 6 gm (w/flask) dry wheat straw as solid nature substrate, after 10 days incubation period at 30°C with 6 ml inoculum suspension (2.5 x 10 –6 ¬ S.F.U) at pH 5 using conical flasks of 500 ml capacity. However Aspergillus ustus gave maximum pectinase yield (2250 &#956g/ml) in presence of 6 gm (w/flask) dry citrus hull as solid nature substrate, after 15 days incubation period at 35°C, by 6ml inoculum suspension (2.5 x 10 –6 S.F.U) at pH 5.5 using conical flasks 500 ml capacity. New Egyptian Journal of Microbiology Vol. 17 (2) 2007: pp. 169-181

Opportunistic fungal infections remain a significant complication in immunosuppressed patients, especially those having undergone solid-organ transplantation. We report a 39-year-old patient who represents the second case of cutaneous Aspergillus ustus infection in a solid-organ transplant recipient, and the first documented case after lung transplantation. The patient's cutaneous lower extremity aspergillosis responded to a combination of intravenous liposomal amphotericin B, caspofungin and topical terbinafine cream, with a concomitant reduction in immunosuppression. A. ustus is an emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen in transplant recipients.

The antifugal potential of indoor building materials of 7 different types – without as well as with a paint or oily coating – was studied according to the ISO 846: 1997 E. Spore suspensions of micromycetes Acremonium sp., Aspergillus ustus, A. versicolor, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Penicillium sp. and Scedosporium apiospermum were inoculated onto the materials’ surface (clean and dusty – to simulate the real state in the indoor environment). Systems were kept under defined water activities (aw) 0.94, 0.83 and 0.75 and incubated at 22– 25°C for 3 months. Microbial growth was evaluated visually after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd months of the experiment. At the end of the period, the vitality of fungal propagules on the material surfaces was estimated by the printing method onto Sabouraud agar medium. All building materials with any lime composition or oily coating showed a certain resistance to the fungal colonization, even under very moist conditions (aw = 0.94). Thus, their broader employment in the indoor environment could be emphasized. Representatives of the common airborne mycoflora – aspergilli, penicillia, and C. sphaerospermum – were able to develop visible growth on all materials tested with and without the house dust as well, although the colonization was of different degrees depending on the humidity. The fungi of Acremonium sp. and S. apiospermum favoured – as had been expected – the highest aw = 0.94 the most. No building material showed fungicidal properties – micromycetes were capable of germinating when printed from the material surface onto the agar. The dust reduced the materials’ antifungal properties only very moderately. A. versicolor – a producer of carcinogenic mycotoxin sterigmatocystin – could colonize materials under any experimental conditions. Wooden facings seemed to be the most resistant to the moulds.

Aspergillus infections are being increasingly recognized as an important cause of morbidity and blindness. We report here the first cluster of Aspergillus ustus endophthalmitis cases which occurred in a large tertiary care hospital during the period October 2003 to June 2004. In three of the cases, the patients required enucleation following cataract surgery, while the fourth involved a fatal infection in a pediatric patient hospitalized for osteopetrosis. Patient charts from the four cases were reviewed retrospectively and indicated that postoperative signs of fungal endophthalmitis developed in the patients 1-11 weeks after surgery. The molecular characterization of the isolates and their epidemiological relatedness were evaluated by Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD). A source investigation of this mini outbreak was performed by environmental sampling, but no isolates of A. ustus were recovered from these studies. All A. ustus strains isolated from three patients with fungal endophthalmitis had the same RAPD pattern suggesting a common source. The strain from the pediatric patient differed from the ophthalmic isolates in five electrophoretic loci. The latter was included solely as an outbreak, unrelated control to evaluate the discriminatory power of the molecular typing method employed in the analysis of the ophthalmic strains. These cases illustrate the potential for uncommon species like A. ustus to cause high morbidity and mortality in some clinical settings. Aspergillus ustus endophthalmitis is a serious and devastating complication of ocular surgery. It is unknown whether ongoing hospital construction may have contributed to this cluster of cases. Random amplification of polymorphic DNA may give valuable clues about the clonality of A. ustus strains.

Aspergillus ustus is a very common species in foods, soil and indoor environments. Based on chemical, molecular and morphological data, A. insuetus is separated from A. ustus and revived. A. insuetus differs from A. ustus in producing drimans and ophiobolin G and H and not producing ustic acid and austocystins. The molecular, physiological and morphological data also indicated that another species, A. keveii sp. nov. is closely related but distinct from A. insuetus. Aspergillus section Usti sensu stricto includes 8 species: A. ustus, A. puniceus, A. granulosus, A. pseudodeflectus, A. calidoustus, A. insuetus and A. keveii together with Emericella heterothallica.Taxonomic novelties: Aspergillus insuetus revived, Aspergillus keveii sp. nov.

Four new isochromane derivatives (1–4) along with the known peniciphenol (5) and ( R)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-3-(2-hydroxypropyl)phenol (6) were isolated from the EtOAc extract of the fermentation broth of the mangrove fungus, Aspergillus ustus 094102. The structures of the new compounds including the absolute configuration were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, CD and ECD calculation. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited α-glucosidase inhibition and anti-oxidation against DPPH radical with IC50 values of 1.4 mM and 25.7 μM, respectively.

A total synthesis of a new furo[3,2-h]isoquinoline alkaloid TMC120-B (2), isolated from Aspergillus ustus together with two related compounds, has been completed in sixteen steps. The key step is the synthesis of the appropriate 3,7,8-trisubstituted isoquinoline framework (23) based on a thermal electrocyclic reaction of the 1-aza 6pi-electron system involving the benzene double bond. In addition, the microwave assisted electrocyclic reaction of this system was newly performed.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a common infection in neutropenic patients and is associated with high mortality. Aspergillus ustus is a species that has only rarely been implicated in human disease. All reported cases of IPA due to A. ustus have been fatal. Here, we describe a case of invasive pulmonary A. ustus infection successfully treated with lung resection and voriconazole. A 43-year-old man with acute myeloid leukemia underwent two courses of chemotherapy and experienced prolonged neutropenia. Treatment with amphotericin B was given for persistent fever. While he was receiving amphotericin B, a progressive opacity developed in the upper right lobe. Lung tissue obtained through pulmonary wedge resection for histology showed a mold with septate hyphae, consistent with IPA due to Aspergillus. A. ustus was grown in culture. The patient was then treated with voriconazole and remained in remission of the mold infection in spite of additional chemotherapy and a leukemic relapse. In summary, this report describes the successful treatment of invasive pulmonary A. ustus infection by lung resection and antifungal treatment with voriconazole in a neutropenic patient.

An 18,22-cyclosterol, Mer-NF8054X (1), first isolated from a shaken culture of Aspergillus ustus as a strong antifungal agent with activity against Aspergillus fumigatus, was isolated from the culture filtrate of Emericella heterothallica. The absolute structure of 1 was established as 11-oxo-18,22-cycloergosta-6,8(14)-diene-3β,5β,9β,23S- tetraol by spectroscopic and chemical investigation, and X-ray crystallographic analysis

The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis patterns of water-soluble proteins and the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) patterns of whole-cell lysates from 21 Aspergillus ustus isolates, including 11 reference strains and 10 patient and environmental strains from one hospital, were investigated. All isolates showed identical protein patterns. The RAPD assay discriminated between all reference strains. Comparison of hospital isolates showed identical RAPD patterns in some of the patient and environmental isolates. The data indicate that the RAPD technique is useful for fingerprinting A. ustus .

Five xylanolytic fungi were isolated from saw dust samples collected from a saw mill dump in Ibadan, Nigeria. The effect of lignocellulosic substrates on the production of xylanases was studied in shake flasks. Trichoderma sp. Fd4 produced high yield of the enzyme when grown in 2% wheat bran. Similarly, xylan, lactose and maltose, used as carbon sources induced the production of high levels of xylanase. Trichoderma viride Fd18 produced 10.4 U/ml of xylanase using NH4Cl as nitrogen source, while NH 4 NO 3 repressed enzyme production by Aspergillus ustus Fb2. The fungal isolates produced good amount of xylanase at 30-40 o C, pH 4.5-6.0, 7 days of incubation, initial spore size of 10 6 and in presence of NaCl and KCl in the basal medium. Keywords: Xylanase, fungi, lignocellulosic waste, submerged fermentation, optimization

The objective of this survey was to study the diversity of soil fungi, as they play an important role in knowing the soil quality and increase plant productivity. In this work, the chemical composition of soil samples in newly reclaimed localities at Assiut Governorate was studied; mycobiota of those areas were studied reporting some medically important substances produced by three fungal species, namely Aspergillus terreus , Emericella nidulans , and Penicillium chrysogenum , which recorded the highest occurrence all over the year in different studied areas. Soil samples were collected monthly for a whole year from the four selected reclaimed regions at Assiut Governorate, namely Protectorate of Assiut (PR), El-Ghorayeb (GH), El-Wady El-Assiuty (WA), and Petroleum's Farm (PF), and samples were identified using the morphological and microscopic features according to many references and confirmed by Assiut University Mycological Center (AUMC) followed by physiochemical analysis of soil, including measuring total soluble salts and determining the organic matter content, maximum and minimum temperatures, relative humidity, and soil texture. The highest numbers of fungal genera and species were recorded in PR followed by WA and PF, whereas the lowest numbers were recorded in GH. E. nidulans var. acristata and Penicillium funiculosum were isolated with moderate frequency from GH; Aspergillus aegyptiacus and Aspergillus ustus were isolated with moderate frequency from WA; A. aegyptiacus , Eurotium amstelodami , and Fusarium solani were isolated with moderate frequency from PF; Eurotium repens was isolated only from GH; Arthrinium sacchari , Cochliobolus sativus , and Fusarium xylarioides were isolated only from WA; Aspergillus deflectus , Penicillium expansum , and Rhizopus arrhizus were isolated only from PF; Aspergillus niger , Fusarilla indica , Fusarium semitectum , and Trimmatostroma eriodictyonis were isolated only from PR. There are no adequate mycological studies carried out to describe the fungal flora of these areas. Hence, any information on the endemic mycobiota is of great significance.

A 19-year-old woman with myelodysplastic syndrome underwent reduced-intensity stem cell transplantation [RIST: (cladribine 0.11 mg/kg for 6 days, busulfan 4 mg/kg for 2 days, and rabbit antithymocyte globulin)] from her one HLA-mismatched mother. Prophylaxis against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was performed with cyclosporine A (CSA) alone. Severe acute GVHD in the skin, gut, and liver developed concurrently with stable engraftment, and methylprednisolone was administered (1-2 mg/kg per day, then pulse therapy with 1 g/day for 3 days) until day 40 of transplant, when a necrotic lesion of 10 mm in diameter appeared on the right cheek. The initial skin biopsy of the affected area showed a nonspecific inflammatory change. Routine X-ray and computed tomography examinations of the sinuses, chest, and abdomen disclosed no particular abnormalities. Despite intensive antibiotic therapy, the lesion rapidly extended to form an ulcer. A second biopsy specimen obtained from the lesion showed massive septa hyphae, suggesting mold infection. Although we immediately started amphotericin B, she died of multiorgan failure on day 68. Postmortem DNA sequence analysis of the specimen using the polymerase chain reaction identified Aspergillus ustus. Although this is an extremely rare complication after transplantation, this case highlights that we should pay more attention to primary cutaneous aspergillosis in severely immunosuppressed patients.

Phenylahistin (1), a fungal metabolite from Aspergillus ustus NSC-F038, belongs to a new class of peptidic colchicine-like microtubule-binding agents that exhibits cytotoxic activity against a wide variety of tumor cell lines [1]. (-)-Phenylahistin (-)-1, a diketopiperazine derivative, consists of L-phenylalanine and a unique isoprenylated dehydrohistidine residue with a quaternary carbon at the 5-position of the imidazole ring. To develop more potent anti-tumor agents based on this diketopiperazine derivative, it is important to elucidate the structural components necessary for the anti-microtubule activity of (-)-1. The total synthesis of 1 will establish the synthetic route for its derivatives.

A description is provided for Aspergillus ustus . Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: Found in all soil types (DOMSCH et al. , 1980), but also isolated from radio equipment, polyurethane foam, flannel bag, sugar and fermented cocoa (CABI BIOSCIENCE, 1999). DISEASE: On man it has been implicated in a case of primary cutaneous infection following a liver transplant (STILLER et al. , 1994), isolated from invasive aspergillosis (VERWEU et al. , 1999) and disseminated aspergillosis (IWEN et al. , 1998). GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: World-wide, but with preference for tropical and subtropical regions.

The first case of disseminated aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus ustus in an allogeneic peripheral stem cell transplant patient is described. The patient, a 46-year-old female with a history of myelodysplastic syndrome, underwent high-dose chemotherapy and total body irradiation prior to transplantation. She was released from the hospital 49 days posttransplant (p.t.) in a stable condition with an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 2,700 cells per μl. Multiple antimicrobial agents, including itraconazole (ITR), were prescribed during hospitalization and at the time of discharge. Three days after discharge, the patient was readmitted with hemorrhagic cystitis, persistent thrombocytopenia, and bilateral pulmonary consolidation, although no fever was present. The ANC at the time of readmission was 3,500. Upon detection of a pulmonary nodule (day 67 p.t.), a bronchoalveolar lavage was performed; the lavage fluid was positive for both cytomegalovirus and parainfluenza virus and negative for fungus. The patient was placed on ganciclovir. A biopsy specimen from a leg lesion also noted on day 67 p.t. revealed septate hyphae consistent with Aspergillus species, and a culture subsequently yielded Aspergillus ustus . Confirmation detection of A. ustus was made by demonstration of characteristic reproductive structures with the presence of Hülle cells. On day 67 p.t., ITR was discontinued and liposomal amphotericin B (AMB) was initiated. The patient’s condition worsened, and she died 79 days p.t. At the time of autopsy, septate hyphae were present in heart, thyroid, and lung tissues, with lung tissue culture positive for A. ustus . In vitro susceptibility testing indicated probable resistance to AMB but not to ITR. This case supports the need for the development of rapid methods to determine antifungal susceptibility.

We report the first case of primary cutaneous aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus ustus , a species that seldom infects human beings. The patient, a 62-year-old liver transplant recipient with end-stage hepatitis C-induced cirrhosis, was receiving the experimental immunosuppressive drug FK-506. Trauma to the skin of the right arm from tape and from an arm board holding intravenous and intraarterial catheters in place and to the left leg from an occlusive knee brace may have contributed to this unusual mycosis. The patient's cutaneous aspergillosis responded to a combination of intravenous amphotericin B and topical terbinafine cream. Although the patient died shortly thereafter from hepatic failure, there was no evidence of systemic aspergillosis. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1994;31:344-7.)

Plant wastes are very important part of biomass used and investigated for energy, chemical, and fuel production. Cellulose is the major renewable form of carbohydrate in the world, about 10{sup 11} tons of which is synthesized annually. For general use, it must be hydrolyzed first, either chemically or by cellulases derived from a few specialized microorganisms. Enzymes are acceptable environmentally but expensive to produce. Certainly, induction of mutations and selection of high cellulose microbial strains with significant adaptability to degrade cellulose to glucose is promising solutions. Induction of mutations in other fungi and Aspergillus sp. rather than Aspergillus niger was reported. Aspergillus ustus and Trichoderma harzianum were induced by gamma irradiation indicating mutants that excrete higher cellulose yields, particularly exocellobiohydrolase (Avicelase) than their respective wild types. Mutants from the celluiolytic fungus Penicillium pinophilum were induced by chemical and UV-irradiation. Enhancing the production of endo-1,4-{Beta}-D-glucanase (CMCase) and particularly {Beta}-glucosidase was obtained by gamma irradiation of Altemaria alternate. To overcome the lower activity of {beta}-glucosidase in certain fungi species rather than A. niger, mixed cultures of different species were tried. Thus, Aspergillus phonicis with Trichoderma reesei Rut 30, produced a cellulose complex that improved activity twofold over cellulose from Trichoderma alone.

We describe the second case of primary cutaneous Aspergillus ustus infection in an immunocompromised patient. Cutaneous aspergillosis was confirmed both by culture and positive fluorescent antibody staining. Few species of Aspergillus are pathogenic in human beings, and fewer still cause primary cutaneous disease. The only other reported case of aspergillosis from Aspergillus ustus occurred in an immunosuppressed patient who was temporally and geographically separated from ours. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;38:797-8.)

Mycotoxins constitute a group of toxic secondary fungal metabolites. Fungi that produce these toxins frequently contaminate food and feed, creating a potential threat to human and animal health. Biological activities of mycotoxins include, amongst others: toxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity, which can be expressed with or without metabolic activation. Austocystins are similar in structure to aflatoxin B/sup 1/ and are probably synthesized in a similar manner. The Ames Salmonella test, a widely accepted method employed for the detection of mutagenic activity of various chemical compounds was used for testing the mutagenic activity of different mycotoxins. As aflatoxin B/sup 1/ was found by the Ames test to be highly mutagenic, the same test was applied for the study of possible mutagenicity of the austocystins. The mutagenic activity of these compounds was studied with and without metabolic activation using two tester strains of S. typhimurium, one capable of detecting frame shift mutation (strain TA98) and the other capable of detecting base pair substitution (strain TA100).

Extraction of maize meal cultures of Aspergillus ustus gave six novel metabolites, designated austocystins, to which were assigned the substituted 3a, 12a-dihydrofuro[3′,2′:4,5]furo[3,2-b]xanthen-5-one structures (1), (20), (21), (23), (26), and (29). The substitution pattern of the austocystins was confirmed by the results of chemical degradation as well as by use of n.m.r. techniques such as acetylation shifts, benzene-induced solvent shifts, and nuclear Overhauser effect experiments.

Cellulase [see 1,4-(1,3;1,4)-β- d -glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.4], β- d -glucosidase (β- d -glucoside glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21) and d -xylanase (1,4-β- d -xylan xylanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.8) production by Aspergillus ustus, Sporotrichum pulverulentum, Trichoderma sp. (a), Trichoderma sp. (b) and Botrytis sp. in solid state fermentation on different compounded media containing wheat bran (WB), rice straw (RS) and minerals was studied. Toyama's mineral solution mixed with RS was found to be a better substrate for cellulase and d -xylanase while with WB it induced higher β- d -glucosidase production. A ratio of substrate to mineral solution (w/v) of 1:4 or 1:5 supported high d -xylanase and cellulase production whereas a ratio of 1:2 gave the highest β- d -glucosidase activity. Among the fungal isolates , Aspergillus ustus gave the highest β- d -glucosidase activity of 60 U g −1 WB and the highest d -xylanase activity of 740 U g −1 was obtained with RS. A mixture of seven parts of RS and three of WB, mixed with 40 parts of Toyama's mineral solution yielded 6 U filter paper activity, 40 U β- d -glucosidase, 12 U carboxymethylcellulase and 650 U d -xylanase g −1 substrate .

Enzyme preparation obtained cultivating Aspergillus ustus on rice straw-wheat bran mixture (7:3) possessed cellulase, D-xylanase, β-D-glucosidase, α-amylase, amyloglucosidase and pectinase activities. Used at 2% level with tapioca starch residue (TSR) slurry gelatinized at 80°C or pressure cooked, it yielded 45–60% reducing sugar and degraded 52–65% of the fiber material. Enhanced saccharification (72%), fiber degradation (75%) could be achieved by pretreating the substrate with mineral acid. Fermentation of the hydrolysates with Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced 29–36 ml alcohol per 100 g of sun dried TSR. Data on TSR hydrolysis by α-amylase and amyloglucosidase, A. ustus enzyme preparation individually and in combination with amyloglucosidase, in acid pretreated or untreated TSR are presented. Verzuckerung von Tapioka-Reststarke mittels eines Multienzym-Praparates von Aspergillus ustus. Ein durch Zuchtung von Aspergillus ustus einer Mischung von Reisstroh und Weizenkleie (7:3) erhaltenes Enzympraparat besas Cellulase-, D-Xylanase-, β-D-Glucosidase-, α-Amylase-, Amyloglucosidase- und Pektionase-Aktivitaten. Die Anwendung von 2% auf eine bei 80°C verkleisterte order druckgekochte Suspension von Tapiokastarke-Restmaterial (TSR) ergab 45–60% reduzierende Zucker und baute 52–65% des Fasermaterials ab. Durch Vorbehandlung des Substrates mit Mineralsaure konnten erhohte Verzuckerung (72%) und verstarkter Faserabbau (75%) erzielt werden. Die Vergarung des Hydrolysates mit Saccharomyces cerevisiae ergab 29–36 ml Alkohol je 100 g des sonnengetrockneten TSR. Daten uber die TSR-Hydrolyse durch α-Amylase und Amyloglucosidase, A. ustus-Enzympraparat allein und in Kombination mit Amyloglucosidase bei saurebehandeltem oder unbehandeltem TSR werden mitgeteilt.

The isolation and characteristics of 12 biosynthetically related metabolites, austalides A–L from cultures of Aspergillus ustus are reported. The structure elucidation of the austalides A–F is based on a detailed study of their high-field 1H and 13C n.m.r. spectra and especially on the three- and two-bond (C,H) connectivity pattern as determined by heteronuclear 13C-{1H} selective population inversion (SPI) experiments. The conformation and relative configuration of austalides A and D were deduced from the observed proton–proton nuclear Overhauser effects (n.O.e.s) and the magnitude of the proton–proton coupling constants. Base-catalysed hydrogen–deuterium exchange on the diketone derivative (18), obtained by Jones oxidation of austalide F, leads to the regio- and stereo-specific incorporation of deuterium atoms at C-12, C-18, and C-21. A mechanism is proposed to explain the incorporation of a deuterium atom at C-21, a position γ to the C-13 carbonyl group.

The mutants Aspergillus ustus M35 and Trichoderma harzianum M5 were selected for their ability to grow faster on crystalline cellulose as sole carbon source and to excrete higher cellulase yields, particularly exo-cellobiohydrolase (1,4-β- d -glucan cellobiohydrolase EC 3.2.1.91), than the wild types. At optimum pH and temperature of enzyme activity the respective yields of exo-cellobiohydrolase, endo-1,4-β- d -glucanase [1,4-(1,3;1,4)-β- d -glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.4] and β- d -glucosidase (β- d -glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21) were 1.0, 69.0 and 19.2 U ml −1 culture fluid for A. ustus M35 and 1.0, 33.5 and 2.5 U ml −1 culture fluid for T. harzianum M5. The exo-cellobiohydrolase yields were among, if not the highest reported in the literature .

The growth of eight fungi is reduced as atmospheric oxygen concentration is reduced. In seven cases growth reduction is most severe on a defined medium, less so on a medium containing potato extract. Potato extract allowed three fungi, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium solani and Rhizopus sp., to grow appreciably at a lower oxygen concentration (0.01 %, v/v) than other fungi tested. Yeast and liver extracts and egg yolk emulsion could replace potato extract. A vitamin mixture provided a partial replacement but no other group of compounds had an effect when used alone. Carbon dioxide, up to 4 % (v/v), was generally stimulatory to fungi growing at 0.1 % oxygen and never inhibitory. Stimulation was only marked in the cases of Aspergillus ustus and F. solani where carbon dioxide accelerated spore germination.

Enzymic saccharification of alkali-treated sugar-cane bagasse was improved when a mixture of cellulases obtained from Aspergillus ustus and Trichoderma viride was used. Ninety per cent conversion was achieved when the substrate concentration was 8% suspended in 0.1 m citrate buffer and the enzyme dose was 1.0 U ml−1. The optimum reaction temperature was 50°C and the period of hydrolysis was 72 h. Glucose and xylose were the main products of hydrolysis and they were found in the ratio of 3 : 1. No cellobiose was detected in the hydrolysate.

Isolement de 2 nouveaux metabolites d'A. ustus, leur structure moleculaire est precisee. On etudie leur activite biologique sur le coleophile de ble (inhibition de la croissance), sur les cultures bacteriennes (Bacillus subtilis et Escherichia coli) sur le poussin (hyperacusie)

Four attributes required by microorganisms for biocontrol of plant diseases caused by sclerotium-forming fungi, where the strategy is to reduce the number of sclerotia, are (1) an ability to adversely affect propagule germination and (or) viability, (2) growth potential through soil, (3) activity over a range of environmental conditions, and (4) survival and reproductive potential. Three methods of assessment (soil plate, SPM; soil immersion, SIM; inert carrier, ICM) were evaluated to assess biocontrol agents with regard to attributes 1 and 3. Based on the method of assessment, the fungal antagonists (Gliocladium roseum, G. catenulatum, Trichoderma harzianum, Tr. pseudokoningii, Aspergillus ustus, A. versicolor, Penicillium crustosum, Fusarium solani, Chaetomium globosum, and Stilbum sp.) were grouped by their ability to colonize sclerotia of Phymatotrichum omnivorum in nonsterile soil. Group 1 strains colonized greater than 50% of the sclerotia with any method. Group 2 strains failed to colonize greater than 18% of the sclerotia with any method. Group 3 strains effectively colonized sclerotia when assessed by the SPM but not the ICM; opposite results were obtained with group 4 isolates. With the three methods of assessment, Gliocladium roseum (strain 1620) colonized sclerotia at 19, 23, 27, and 31 °C. Colonization with the SPM or SIM was not temperature dependent, but colonization significantly decreased with increased temperature (27 and 31 °C) for the ICM. The method of assessment altered conclusions about the effectiveness of these potential biocontrol agents.

The structure elucidation of austalides G–L, based on a study of their 1H and 13C n.m.r. spectra and chemical derivatization, is described.

Aspergillus ustus is a soil residing fungus that rarely has been implicated in human infections. A 72-year-old man who had undergone surgery for mitral valve replacement and triple coronary artery bypass developed progressive pneumonia with A. ustus . The infection had spread to other organs and finally was diagnosed at postmortem examination.

Sclerotia of Phymatotrichum omnivorum were buried in nylon bags at a depth of 45 cm in Houston black clay at three sites in Temple, Texas. The crop history at each site was native prairie; agricultural rotation of cotton, corn and sorghum; or continuous cotton. Sclerotia were retrieved monthly and assessed for viability and associated fungi by washing, surface disinfesting, and then plating onto minimal salt agar, P. omnivorum sclerotium agar, or moistened filter paper. Total number of species and species diversity were significantly higher at the rotation site than at the prairie or cotton site. Percentage germination of sclerotia recovered from the cotton site was significantly greater than from the other two sites. Fusarium solani, Penicillium crustosum and P. purpurogenum were most frequently isolated from the rotation site, Gliocladium roseum and Trichoderma pseudokoningii from the prairie site and Aspergillus ustus from the continuous cotton site. Isolation medium did not significantly influence the total number of fungi isolated.

The degradation of fifteen sugars, sugar acids and related substrates were examined using cellfree extracts of Aspergillus ustus growing on D-glucose, D-mannose, D-galactose or D-gluconate as the only carbon source. D-gluconate was superior for the induction of the enzymes capable for the degradation of some of these substrates. The addition of 0.5% malt extract with D-gluconate to the growth medium or the presence of shaking conditions resulted to an increase in the degradation of those substrates, whileas the incorporation of 0.5% malt extract alone to the medium has no effect. Extracts of D-gluconate-grown mycelia of A. ustus degraded D-gluconate > D-galactonate > 1 : 5 gluconolactone and > L-arabonate nonphosphorolytically more effectively. Optimum pH and temperature for the degradation of D-gluconate were found to be 8.0 and 40°C, respectively. Thermal stability studies on the behaviour of D-gluconate dehydratase showed that this enzyme was stable at 50°C and 60°C for 30 and 5 minutes, respectively. Specific activity of this enzyme was increased three times when cell-free extracts were incubated at 60°C for 5 minutes. MgCl2 and CoSO4 were good activators, while CaCl2 p-mercurychlorobenzoate (PMCB), sodium arsenite, ZnSO4, CuSO4, iodoacetic acid, MnCl2 and FeSO4 were potent inhibitors for D-gluconate dehydratase activity. Km was calculated for D-gluconate and found to be 2.5 × 10−2 M.

Ten Aspergilli and Penicillia were tested for the capabilities of their extracts in degrading L-arabinose or L-arabonate nonphosphorolytically. L-arabonate dehydratase was nearly absent, while the reverse reaction of 2-keto-3-deoxy-L-arabonate (KDA) aldolase was operative in extracts of all the tested organisms grown on L-arabinose or L-arabonate as the sole carbon source. Degradation of different related substrates by cell-free extracts of Aspergillus ustus showed that L-arabonate, D-gluconate, D-galactonate and D-galactonic acid-γ-lactone were degraded under these conditions. Chromatographic studies identified the L-arabonate degrading products of such degradation in A. ustus as KDA (traces), pyruvic acid and α-ketoglutaric acid.

A new enzyme responsible for the oxidation of d-glutamic acid was obtained from the mycelium of Aspergillus ustus strain f isolated from the soil. Many properties of this enzyme in the state of dried cell or crude extract were studied. The enzyme preparation strongly oxidizes d-glutamic and d-aspartic acids but does not affect any other dl-amino acids at all. A new micro-determination method for d-glutamic acid has been devised by means of this enzyme.

Evidence is presented which confirms the structures of the five metabolites as shown in 1–5. The absolute configuration of compounds 1 and 2 was established; for compound 5 the absolute configuration was established at position 12 only.

SUMMARY: In detailed studies of the growth of Aspergillus ustus, Penicillium oxalicum, P. frequentans and P. notatum in whey with fat production in view, the first two showed the highest lactose utilization and felt weights in shaken cultures while the last two gave as good or better felt yields in stationary cultures. When A. ustus was grown in shaken culture in whey with and without the addition of 1·14 g/1. of ammonium nitrate, the extra nitrogen led to the production of larger amounts of fat, but P. frequentans did not form additional fat in these circumstances. A. ustus was the best mould; in whey plus ammonium nitrate it utilized up to 96% of the lactose and formed, per litre of whey, about 17 g of mycelial felt containing 13% of protein and 28% of fat.

It is confirmed by a new method for the determination of d-glutamic acid, that Aerobacter strain A rapidly metabolizes d-glutamic acid, while it only shows feeble metabolic activity towards l-glutamic acid when it is grown on a dl-glutamate-K2HPO4 medium. A specific d-glutamic oxidase is demonstrated in the cell-free extracts of Aerobacter strain A. This enzyme seems to be different from d-glutamic-aspartic oxidase obtained from Aspergillus ustus by the authors, since the former has no activity towards d-aspartic acid.

Based on phylogenetic analysis of sequence data, Aspergillus section Usti includes 21 species, inclucing two teleomorphic species Aspergillus heterothallicus (= Emericella heterothallica) and Fennellia monodii. Aspergillus germanicus sp. nov. was isolated from indoor air in Germany. This species has identical ITS sequences with A. insuetusCBS 119.27, but is clearly distinct from that species based on β-tubulin and calmodulin sequence data. This species is unable to grow at 37 °C, similarly to A. keveii and A. insuetus. Aspergillus carlsbadensis sp. nov. was isolated from the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. This taxon is related to, but distinct from a clade including A. calidoustus, A. pseudodeflectus, A. insuetus and A. keveii on all trees. This species is also unable to grow at 37 °C, and acid production was not observed on CREA. Aspergillus californicus sp. nov. is proposed for an isolate from chamise chaparral (Adenostoma fasciculatum) in California. It is related to a clade including A. subsessilis and A. kassunensis on all trees. This species grew well at 37 °C, and acid production was not observed on CREA. The strain CBS 504.65 from soil in Turkey showed to be clearly distinct from the A. deflectus ex-type strain, indicating that this isolate represents a distinct species in this section. We propose the name A. turkensis sp. nov. for this taxon. This species grew, although rather restrictedly at 37 °C, and acid production was not observed on CREA. Isolates from stored maize, South Africa, as a culture contaminant of Bipolaris sorokiniana from indoor air in Finland proved to be related to, but different from A. ustus and A. puniceus. The taxon is proposed as the new species A. pseudoustus. Although supported only by low bootstrap values, F. monodii was found to belong to section Usti based on phylogenetic analysis of either loci BLAST searches to the GenBank database also resulted in closest hits from section Usti. This species obviously does not belong to the Fennellia genus, instead it is a member of the Emericella genus. However, in accordance with the guidelines of the Amsterdam Declaration on fungal nomenclature (Hawksworth et al. 2011), and based on phylogenetic and physiological evidence, we propose the new combination Aspergillus monodii comb. nov. for this taxon. Species assigned to section Usti can be assigned to three chemical groups based on the extrolites. Aspergillus ustus, A. granulosus and A. puniceus produced ustic acid, while A. ustus and A. puniceus also produced austocystins and versicolorins. In the second chemical group, A. pseudodeflectus produced drimans in common with the other species in this group, and also several unique unknown compounds. Aspergillus calidoustus isolates produced drimans and ophiobolins in common with A. insuetus and A. keveii, but also produced austins. Aspergillus insuetus isolates also produced pergillin while A. keveii isolates produced nidulol. In the third chemical group, E. heterothallica has been reported to produce emethallicins, 5'-hydroxyaveranthin, emeheterone, emesterones, 5'-hydroxyaveranthin. Taxonomic novelties:Aspergillus carlsbadensis Frisvad, Varga & Samson sp. nov., Aspergillus californicus Frisvad, Varga & Samson sp. nov., Aspergillus germanicus Varga, Frisvad & Samson sp. nov., Aspergillus monodii (Locquin-Linard) Varga, Frisvad & Samson comb. nov., Aspergillus pseudoustus Frisvad, Varga & Samson sp. nov., Aspergillus turkensis Varga, Frisvad & Samson sp. nov.

A number of species belonging to the genus Aspergillus were evaluated for their toxicity to ducklings and the ability to produce sterigmatocystin. Three new species capable of producing sterigmatocystin were found, namely, Aspergillus aurantio-brunneus, Aspergillus quadrilineatus, and Aspergillus ustus. All three were toxic to ducklings. The production of sterigmatocystin by Aspergillus rugulosus was confirmed, and the toxicity of Aspergillus stellatus and Aspergillus multicolor is described.

Prolyl-2-(1′,1′-dimethylallyl)tryptophyldiketopiperazine and 12,13-dehydroprolyl-2-(1′,1′-dimethylallyl)tryptophyldiketopiperazine, known metabolites of Aspergillus ustus , were produced in low yield by Penicillium italicum in liquid culture and on unsterilized orange peel.