Abstract
The fungal genus Wallemia of the order Wallemiales (Wallemiomycotina, Basidiomycota) comprises the most xerotolerant, xerophilic and also halophilic species worldwide. Wallemia spp. are found in various osmotically challenged environments, such as dry, salted, or highly sugared foods, dry feed, hypersaline waters of solar salterns, salt crystals, indoor and outdoor air, and agriculture aerosols. Recently, eight species were recognized for the genus Wallemia, among which four are commonly associated with foods: W. sebi, W. mellicola, W. muriae and W. ichthyophaga. To date, only strains of W. sebi, W. mellicola and W. muriae have been reported to be related to human health problems, as either allergological conditions (e.g., farmer’s lung disease) or rare subcutaneous/cutaneous infections. Therefore, this allergological and infective potential, together with the toxins that the majority of Wallemia spp. produce even under saline conditions, defines these fungi as filamentous food-borne pathogenic fungi.
Highlights
Low availability of water is one of the most life-limiting factors, and only specially adapted organisms can cope with such stress in their environment
Xerophily and halophily are rare in the phylum Basidiomycota, the Wallemia spp. represent one of the most xerophilic fungal taxa, and include the most xerophilic, osmophilic, and even halophilic and chaophilic microorganisms described to date [5,6,7]
The ecology of these fungi is in line with their xerophilic character, whereby the majority of habitats from which strains of Wallemia spp. have been isolated are osmotically challenging, as either extremely dry and saline environments, and/or highly salted or sugared foods [5,6,7,8,9]
Summary
Low availability of water is one of the most life-limiting factors, and only specially adapted organisms can cope with such stress in their environment. Xerophily and halophily are rare in the phylum Basidiomycota, the Wallemia spp. represent one of the most xerophilic fungal taxa, and include the most xerophilic, osmophilic, and even halophilic and chaophilic microorganisms described to date [5,6,7] The ecology of these fungi is in line with their xerophilic character, whereby the majority of habitats from which strains of Wallemia spp. have been isolated are osmotically challenging, as either extremely dry and saline environments, and/or highly salted or sugared foods [5,6,7,8,9]. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the majority of the fish caught along this coast was cod (Gadus spp.), sold as klipfish This was preserved with plenty of salt, and left to dry on the rocks beneath the cliffs, to provide food for consumption outside the hunting season [10]. This review focuses on the latest contributions to the phylogenetic resolution, ecophysiology, and pathogenic and mycotoxigenic potential of strains of the genus Wallemia
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