Ohcratoxin producing Aspergillus spp. isolated from tropical soils in Sarawak, Malaysia

Aspergillus strains isolated from tropical soils were selected for additional characterization and for ochratoxin analysis, which was determined by ELISA method and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profiles. Because of its great morphological variability and mycotoxin production availability, 18 isolates of Aspergillus species were selected for this study. Only two isolates of these tropical soils, A. sulphureus and A. carbonarius, showed positive results for ohcratoxin (OA) in lower concentration (0.05-0.10 µg/ml). Ochratoxin production by these species was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography. HPLC analysis for ochratoxin producing A. sulphureus and A. carbonarius showed retention time, Rt value = 4.417 and Rt value = 4.081 respectively

Distribution and ethnomycological knowledge of wild edible mushrooms in Sabah (Northern Borneo), Malaysia

Ethnomycological knowledge is a combination of biological resources, cultural and human patterns, in particular collective traditional uses and the importance of fungi in daily life. Despite the large number of ethnic groups in Sabah, the native ethnomycological knowledge of wild edible mushrooms and poisonous mushrooms are poorly documented. This study attempted to document wild edible mushrooms and their ethnomycological uses and practices in the tropical rainforest of Sabah, Borneo. Opportunistic samplings and ethnomycological surveys were made within the indigenous communities of Sabah. Collectively, 50 respondents from four different ethnic communities i.e. Dusun, Kadazan, Orang Sungai, and Bisaya were interviewed. A total of 25 wild mushroom species were documented as edible mushroom for food, and five species for medicinal uses. The highest number of wild edible mushroom collected and reported were of the Pleurotaceae family (five species), followed by Polyporaceae family (three species) and Auriculariaceae family (three species). The results also showed that Schizophyllum commune (Kulat Kodop), Volvariella volvacea (Kulat Sawit), Pleurotus spp., (Cendawan Tiram) Auricularia spp., (Kulat Korong) and Marasmiellus species were mostly consumed by the indigenous people of Sabah as part of their daily diet. Local names, culinary, and the edibility types were distinct among the different local communities. Elderly indigenous people possess vast knowledge on uses of wild mushrooms compared to the younger generation. Women play an important role in wild mushroom collection and its edibility, uses and practices. The findings from this study showed that ethnomycological knowledge of wild mushroom in Sabah is still lacking and more attention is needed. A study on the ethnomycological aspect in Borneo is a necessity in creating awareness among the public on edible and poisonous mushrooms, and its culinary and medicinal properties

First report of Colleothrichum spp causing diseases in Capsichum spp in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Blackish or orange liquid-like spots were found on (n=100) fruits of chillies (Capsicum) sold in five local markets in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. capsici were identified as the causal agents of an anthracnose disease. This is the first report of Colletotrichum spp. as the causal agent of anthracnose infected chillies in Sabah

Bats (chiropteran) reported with Aspergillus species from Kubah National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia.

A preliminary survey of chiropterans (bats) with potential zoonotic fungi was conducted as part of the Sowell-UNIMAS Expedition 2006. This survey was conducted at Kubah National Park, Matang, Sarawak from 14th to 16th August 2006. The main aim of this survey was to document variety of fungal isolates from bats external (ears) and internal (saliva and anal) swabs. All of the fungi species were subjected to both macroscopic and microscopic observations to characterize their morphology. Out of 23 species of bats observed, 13 (56.5%) species were found to contain 17 fungi isolates of the genus Aspergillus from five subgenera, five sections and six species. The fungi isolates were Aspergillus restrictus, A. sydowii, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. clavatus and A. japonicus. The highest numbers of isolates recorded was for A. restrictus with six isolates followed by A. fumigatus and A. sydowii with two isolates respectively. Where as, A. niger, A. clavatus and A. japonicus each recorded with one isolate only. Aspergillus fumigatus was the first record isolated from bats the samples (n = 64) from Sarawak. It was reported that this isolate is a pathogenic and thermophilic (able to grow up to 65°C) isolate which was found to be on a lesion near ear opening of Hipposideros cervinus. Further work should be done to discover potential mycoflora in wildlife mammals

First report of Colletotrichum spp.causing diseases on Capsicum spp. in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Blackish or orange liquid-like spots were found on (n=100) fruits of chillies (Capsicum) sold in five local markets in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. capsici were identified as the causal agents of an anthracnose disease. This is the first report of Colletotrichum spp. as the causal agent of anthracnose infected chillies in Sabah

New Record of Edible Chicken of the Wood Mushroom, Laetiporus versisporus (Lloyd) Imazeki (Fomitopsidaceae, Polyporales) from Sabah (Northern Borneo), Malaysia

The genus Laetiporus has been previously reported from Mesilau in Sabah, Northern Borneo in 1964. To date, no further documentation of the Laetiporus genus has been reported in Sabah, Malaysia. This study provides an overview of recent literature on taxonomic updates, distribution and sequence data of Laetiporus in Malaysia. During the period March – June 2020, two Laetiporus specimens were collected in Maliau Basin Conservation Area and Sipitang. These two specimens were identified as L. versisporus based on morphological characteristics and molecular methods. Interestingly, no sequence data for this particular species have been documented for Malaysian Borneo. This study represents the initial documentation of L. versisporus in Sabah (Northern Borneo) that have potential applications in medicine and food industry and provide insights into its phylogenetic relationship within the genus Laetiporus

First report of Colletotrichum spp. causing diseases on Capsicum spp. in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Blackish or orange liquid-like spots were found on (n=100) fruits of chillies (Capsicum) sold in five local markets in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. capsici were identified as the causal agents of an anthracnose disease. This is the first report of Colletotrichum spp. as the causal agent of anthracnose infected chillies in Sabah

Revision of Protohydnum (Auriculariales, Basidiomycota)

Three species currently addressed to Protohydnum (Auriculariales) are studied with morphological and DNA methods. The genus Protohydnum is retained for the type species only, P. cartilagineum, recently re-collected in Brazil. The European species, P. piceicola, is not congeneric with P. cartilagineum and, therefore, placed in its own genus, Hyalodon, gen. nov. Another Hyalodon species, H. antui, is described from East Asia. The third member of Protohydnum sensu lato, P. sclerodontium from South-East Asia, is transferred to Elmerina.Peer reviewe

The discovery of novel coronaviruses in bat guano, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Purpose Virological surveillance was conducted in to determine the presence of bat CoVs in the bat population in Wind Cave Nature Reserve, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Methods & Materials Partial RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene sequences of 11 bat-CoV positive guano collected in Wind Cave Nature Reserve was analysed. Five pellets of fresh guano from insectivorous bats were collected on plastic tarp and pooled in 500uL of ice-cold viral transport medium. The 440-bp gene was amplified using family-wide hemi-nested RT-PCR for phylogenetic analysis. Amplicon sequences were analysed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool software (BLAST) to determine their corresponding species. Sequence alignment was carried out without primer sequence and phylogenetic tree with Maximum Likelihood bootstrap-Bayesian inference value (MLb/PPv) support. Results The positive rate was 47.6% (10/21) with the distribution of 60% (n=6/10) and 40% (n=4/10) Alpha and Beta-coronaviruses respectively. BatCoVs identified in this study formed four novel monophyletic clades referred to as Borneo Alpha-1 and -2, and Borneo Beta-1 and -2. Borneo Alpha-1 and -2 viruses diverged to form a monophyletic clade with Decacovirus-1 and Decacovirus-2 respectively (83.0-85.1% and 80.7-81.0% nucleotide identity) with batCoV found in Sabah (NCBI Accession# KX284940). Borneo Beta-1 viruses are also closely related to BatCoV found in Sabah (KX284939) (86.5-87.5% nt identity), forming a monophyletic group with Sarbecovirus. Meanwhile, Borneo Beta-2 are closer to BatCoVs in Loas (MN312609) (89.7-90.4% nt identity), forming a monophyletic clade with Hibecovirus. It is worthy to note that viruses found in the Sarbecovirus subgenus such as SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 attributed to two zooneses with Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) over the past two decades. However, Borneo Beta-1 viruses are distant to the RaTG13 (MN996532) (69.1-697% nt identity), the proposed progenitor of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion The study has discovered both novel alpha and beta bat-coronaviruses in 40% of the guano sampled in Wind Cave Nature Reserve, Sarawak, East Malaysia based on the phylogeny of the partial RdRp gene sequence. The batCoVs are phylogenetically grouped into four clades via phylogeny confirms the presence of Borneo Beta-1 clade being monophyletic to the epidemic Sarbecoviruses

Ecological surveillance of bat coronaviruses in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Objective: Coronaviruses (CoVs) are natural commensals of bats. Two subgenera, namely Sarbecoviruses and Merbecoviruses have a high zoonotic potential and have been associated with three separate spillover events in the past 2 decades, making surveillance of bat-CoVs crucial for the prevention of the next epidemic. The study was aimed to elucidate the presence of coronavirus in fresh bat guano sampled from Wind Cave Nature Reserve (WCNR) in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Samples collected were placed into viral transport medium, transported on ice within the collection day, and preserved at − 80 °C. Nucleic acid was extracted using the column method and screened using consensus PCR primers targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene. Amplicons were sequenced bidi‑ rectionally using the Sanger method. Phylogenetic tree with maximum-likelihood bootstrap and Bayesian posterior probability were constructed. Results: CoV-RNA was detected in ten specimens (47.6%, n =21). Six alphacoronavirus and four betacoronaviruses were identified. The bat-CoVs can be phylogenetically grouped into four novel clades which are closely related to Decacovirus-1 and Decacovirus-2, Sarbecovirus, and an unclassified CoV. CoVs lineages unique to the Island of Borneo were discovered in Sarawak, Malaysia, with one of them closely related to Sarbecovirus. All of them are distant from currently known human coronaviruses. Keywords: Bat, Cave, Coronavirus, Guano, Sarawa