A survey of xerophilic Aspergillus from indoor environment, including descriptions of two new section Aspergillus species producing eurotium-like sexual states

Cobus M Visagie,Mark W Sumarah,Vit Hubka,Martin Meijer,Keith A Seifert,Amanda J Chen,Justin B Renaud,Jens C Frisvad,Neriman Yilmaz

doi:10.3897/mycokeys.19.11161

Cobus M Visagie, Mark W Sumarah + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.19.11161

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Abstract

A survey of xerophilic Aspergillus from indoor environment, including descriptions of two new section Aspergillus species producing eurotium-like sexual states

Highlights

IntroductionSpecies of Aspergillus section Aspergillus, the “A. glaucus” group of Thom and Raper (1941) and Raper and Fennell (1965), typically produce yellow cleistothecia (white in A. leucocarpus) with lenticular ascospores and the section includes species that were traditionally classified in the genus Eurotium
Species of Aspergillus section Aspergillus, the “A. glaucus” group of Thom and Raper (1941) and Raper and Fennell (1965), typically produce yellow cleistothecia with lenticular ascospores and the section includes species that were traditionally classified in the genus Eurotium
Modifications included the use of 48-well titre plates rather than 96-well microtube plates and the use of Dichloran 18% Glycerol agar (DG18; (Hocking and Pitt 1980)), Malt extract yeast extract 10% glucose 12% NaCl agar (MY10-12) and Malt extract yeast extract 50% glucose agar (MY50G) (Samson et al 2010) isolation media to select for xerophilic fungi

Summary

Introduction

Species of Aspergillus section Aspergillus, the “A. glaucus” group of Thom and Raper (1941) and Raper and Fennell (1965), typically produce yellow cleistothecia (white in A. leucocarpus) with lenticular ascospores and the section includes species that were traditionally classified in the genus Eurotium. Species of section Aspergillus have a broad distribution in nature, but their xerophilic physiology makes them significant for the built environment and the food industry. Of concern is the growth of these fungi in museums or libraries on historic artefacts such as books, carpets or paintings. They commonly grow on/ in leather, dust, softwood, a variety of textiles and even dried specimens in herbaria (Cavka et al 2010; Micheluz et al 2015; Pinar et al 2013; Pinar et al 2015; Pitt and Hocking 2009; Raper and Fennell 1965; Samson et al 2010). These species have an economic impact because they can grow on stored grain, cereals or preserved foods with high sugar (i.e. jams, maple syrup) or salt content (i.e. biltong, dried fish) (Pitt and Hocking 2009; Samson et al 2010)

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