ASPERGILLUS-IMPLICATUS, A NEW SPECIES ISOLATED FROM IVORY-COAST FOREST SOIL

Aspergillus implicatus sp. nov. is described from tropical forest soil in Tai National Park (Ivory Coast). The species shows an affinity with species of Section Candidi and is characterized by the peculiar presence of parallel sterile hyphae surrounding the conidiophore

Saprotrophic soil fungi to improve phosphorus solubilisation and release. In vitro abilities of several species

Modern agriculture is dependent on phosphate rock (PR), which is a nonrenewable resource. Improvement of phosphorus (P) availability for crops in agricultural soils represents a key strategy to slow down the depletion of PR. The aim of this study was to identify potential P biofertilisers among saprotrophic fungal species. We tested 30 fungal strains belonging to 28 taxa (4 Zygomycota and 24 Ascomycota) and with different life strategies. The study showed that many saprotrophic fungi have the ability to mobilise P from insoluble forms according to a variety of mechanisms. Our results expand the pool of P solubilising fungal species, also suggesting a new solubilisation index and shedding light on parameters that could be basic in the selection of efficient soil P-biofertilisers fungi. Rhizopus stolonifer var. stolonifer, Aspergillus niger and Alternaria alternata were found to be the best performing strains in terms of amounts of TCP solubilisation

Fungi and arsenic. Tolerance and bioaccumulation by soil saprotrophic species

Increasing arsenic environmental concentrations are raising worldwide concern for its impacts on human health and ecosystem functionality. In order to cope with arsenic contamination, bioremediation using fungi can represent an efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective technological solution. Fungi can mitigate arsenic contamination through different mechanisms including bioaccumulation. In this work, four soil saprotrophic fungi Absidia spinosa, Purpureocillium lilacinum, Metarhizium marquandii, and Cephalotrichum nanum, isolated from soils with naturally high arsenic concentrations, were tested for their ability to tolerate different sodium arsenite concentrations and accumulate As in different cultural conditions. pH medium after fungal growth was measured to study pH variation and metabolic responses. Arsenic bioaccumulation and its influence on the uptake of other elements were investigated through multi-elemental analysis using hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Considering the increasing interest in siderophore application for metal bioremediation, the production of siderophores and their affinity for both Fe and As were also evaluated. All species were able to tolerate and accumulate As in their biomass in all of the tested conditions and produced siderophores with different affinities for Fe and As. The results suggest that the tested fungi are attractive potential candidates for the bioremediation of As contaminated soil and worthy of further investigation

Roles of saprotrophic fungi in biodegradation or transformation of organic and inorganic pollutants in co-contaminated sites

For decades, human activities, industrialization, and agriculture have contaminated soils and water with several compounds, including potentially toxic metals and organic persistent xenobiotics. The co-occurrence of those toxicants poses challenging environmental problems, as complicated chemical interactions and synergies can arise and lead to severe and toxic effects on organisms. The use of fungi, alone or with bacteria, for bioremediation purposes is a growing biotechnology with high potential in terms of cost-effectiveness, an environmental-friendly perspective and feasibility, and often representing a sustainable nature-based solution. This paper reviews different ecological, metabolic, and physiological aspects involved in fungal bioremediation of co-contaminated soils and water systems, not only addressing best methods and approaches to assess the simultaneous presence of metals and organic toxic compounds and their consequences on provided ecosystem services but also the interactions between fungi and bacteria, in order to suggest further study directions in this field

Metabolic synergies in the biotransformation of organic and metallic toxic compounds by a saprotrophic soil fungus

The saprotrophic fungus Penicillium griseofulvum was chosen as model organism to study responses to a mixture of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, δ-HCH) and of potentially toxic metals (vanadium, lead) in solid and liquid media. The P. griseofulvum FBL 500 strain was isolated from polluted soil containing high concentrations of HCH isomers and potentially toxic elements (Pb, V). Experiments were performed in order to analyse the tolerance/resistance of this fungus to xenobiotics, and to shed further light on fungal potential in inorganic and organic biotransformations. The aim was to examine the ecological and bioremedial potential of this fungus verifying the presence of mechanisms that allow it to transform HCH isomers and metals under different, extreme, test conditions. To our knowledge, this work is the first to provide evidence on the biotransformation of HCH mixtures, in combination with toxic metals, by a saprotrophic non-white-rot fungus and on the metabolic synergies involved

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

On ecology of post-fire soil fungi: Assessing impact of disturbance utilizing species-abundance models as measure of community organization

Mediterranean ecosystems are among those most significantly modified by fires, with evident disturbance of the above- and below-ground ecosystem components, at various spatial and temporal scales, including that of soil microfungi. The ecological parameters used to measure the effects of disturbance on the soil fungal community include species-abundance distribution patterns, which reflect changes in the relationships between species number and their relative abundance, as a critical measure of community organization. Species-abundance distribution patterns were used to assess the disturbance impact of experimental fires on soil fungal communities in the short- to mid-term in Mediterranean maquis (southern Italy). The trend in the distribution patterns of xerotolerant and heat-stimulated soil fungi over time, their different responses to experimental low- and high-intensity fire, the efficiency of the soil germplasm bank and the pivotal role of Neosartorya spp in post-fire community structure in Mediterranean burned soils will be presented and discussed

Fungal Species Conservation: Alessioporus ichnusanus (Alessio, Galli & Littini) Gelardi, Vizzini & Simonini and Poronia punctata (L.) Fr. two new entries IUCN red list in 2019 thanks to a national collaboration network

On the 30 November 2018 in Rome was held the Workshop “Matching fungal conservation in Italy: the current state and future challenges” sponsored by The Italian Botanical Society and organized by the mycology working group with the participation of Anders Dahlberg. Following the workshop, the mycology working group committed to work, within The Global Fungal Red List Initiative, on the assessment of the threat status of two fungal species, in order to get them included in the IUCN red list. To pursue the assessment in the best possible way, thanks to a first opportunity of collaboration during the workshop, was promoted the initiative of developing a national collaboration network including the Italian Botanical Society mycology working group, research institutes and amateur associations. The two species that were chosen to be assessed within The Global Fungal Red List Initiative were Alessioporus ichnusanus (Alessio, Galli &amp; Littini) Gelardi, Vizzini &amp; Simonini (Basidiomycota) and Poronia punctata (L.) Fr. (Ascomycota). Alessioporus ichnusanus is an ectomycorrhizal species that grows in thermophilous broadleaved forests, associated with pure or mixed evergreen sclerophyllous and deciduous oak communities (1). The analysed data showed that this species has a range restricted to European Mediterranean region and grows in small scattered localities. Poronia punctata is a coprophilous fungal species mainly associated with horse dung. Therefore, major threats to this species include the reduction of natural grazing of equines and other domestic animals and the reduction or loss of typical semi-natural habitats (2). Despite this species has a worldwide distribution, a substantial decline and several local extinctions have been observed during the last century in its population. Data provided by members of the Italian Botanical Society Mycology Working Group, ISPRA Special Fungi Project, Associazione Micologica Ecologica Romana (AMER) and Agaricwatching Mycology Association, together with data reported in literature and in online databases, were crucial to estimate the current distribution and geographic range of these species. The assessments proposed by this working group to The Global Fungal Red List Initiative (http://iucn.ekoo.se/en) have been reviewed within the ECCF Workshop in Cambridge, 25–29 March 2019 during which the following assessments have been formalized. Alessioporus ichnusanus qualifies for the IUCN red list as Endangered under criterion C2a(i) because of less than 250 mature individuals in largest subpopulation and population decline. Poronia punctata is assessed as Least Concern, because, even though the magnitude of its past population decline and several local extinctions, the risk of global extinction is currently low. However, Poronia punctata is considered of conservation concern and in case the decline restart, then it may quickly move towards a threatened category. The upcoming publication (2019) of these two fungal species in the IUCN red list represents a remarkable result in order to promote fungal species conservation. Moreover, this experience showed the great importance of a collaboration network in order to achieve relevant results in nature conservation both on a national and international level