Aspergillus section Candidi encompasses white- or yellow-sporulating species mostly isolated from indoor and cave environments, food, feed, clinical material, soil and dung. Their identification is non-trivial due to largely uniform morphology. This study aims to re-evaluate the species boundaries in the section Candidi and present an overview of all existing species along with information on their ecology. For the analyses, we assembled a set of 113 strains with diverse origin. For the molecular analyses, we used DNA sequences of three house-keeping genes (benA, CaM and RPB2) and employed species delimitation methods based on a multispecies coalescent model. Classical phylogenetic methods and genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) approaches were used for comparison. Phenotypic studies involved comparisons of macromorphology on four cultivation media, seven micromorphological characters and growth at temperatures ranging from 10 to 45 °C. Based on the integrative approach comprising four criteria (phylogenetic and phenotypic), all currently accepted species gained support, while two new species are proposed (A. magnus and A. tenebricus). In addition, we proposed the new name A. neotritici to replace an invalidly described A. tritici. The revised section Candidi now encompasses nine species, some of which manifest a high level of intraspecific genetic and/or phenotypic variability (e.g., A. subalbidus and A. campestris) while others are more uniform (e.g., A. candidus or A. pragensis). The growth rates on different media and at different temperatures, colony colours, production of soluble pigments, stipe dimensions and vesicle diameters contributed the most to the phenotypic species differentiation. Taxonomic novelties: New species: Aspergillus magnus Glässnerová & Hubka; Aspergillus neotritici Glässnerová & Hubka; Aspergillus tenebricus Houbraken, Glässnerová & Hubka. Citation: Glässnerová K, Sklenář F, Jurjević Ž, Houbraken J, Yaguchi T, Visagie CM, Gené J, Siqueira JPZ, Kubátová A, Kolařík M, Hubka V (2022). A monograph of Aspergillus section Candidi. Studies in Mycology 102: 1-51. doi: 10.3114/sim.2022.102.01.

• Klíčová slova
• Aspergillus candidus, Aspergillus tritici, genealogical concordance, integrative taxonomy, intraspecific variability, multispecies coalescent model,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The Aspergillus series Nigri contains biotechnologically and medically important species. They can produce hazardous mycotoxins, which is relevant due to the frequent occurrence of these species on foodstuffs and in the indoor environment. The taxonomy of the series has undergone numerous rearrangements, and currently, there are 14 species accepted in the series, most of which are considered cryptic. Species-level identifications are, however, problematic or impossible for many isolates even when using DNA sequencing or MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, indicating a possible problem in the definition of species limits or the presence of undescribed species diversity. To re-examine the species boundaries, we collected DNA sequences from three phylogenetic markers (benA, CaM and RPB2) for 276 strains from series Nigri and generated 18 new whole-genome sequences. With the three-gene dataset, we employed phylogenetic methods based on the multispecies coalescence model, including four single-locus methods (GMYC, bGMYC, PTP and bPTP) and one multilocus method (STACEY). From a total of 15 methods and their various settings, 11 supported the recognition of only three species corresponding to the three main phylogenetic lineages: A. niger, A. tubingensis and A. brasiliensis. Similarly, recognition of these three species was supported by the GCPSR approach (Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition) and analysis in DELINEATE software. We also showed that the phylogeny based on benA, CaM and RPB2 is suboptimal and displays significant differences from a phylogeny constructed using 5 752 single-copy orthologous proteins; therefore, the results of the delimitation methods may be subject to a higher than usual level of uncertainty. To overcome this, we randomly selected 200 genes from these genomes and performed ten independent STACEY analyses, each with 20 genes. All analyses supported the recognition of only one species in the A. niger and A. brasiliensis lineages, while one to four species were inconsistently delimited in the A. tubingensis lineage. After considering all of these results and their practical implications, we propose that the revised series Nigri includes six species: A. brasiliensis, A. eucalypticola, A. luchuensis (syn. A. piperis), A. niger (syn. A. vinaceus and A. welwitschiae), A. tubingensis (syn. A. chiangmaiensis, A. costaricensis, A. neoniger and A. pseudopiperis) and A. vadensis. We also showed that the intraspecific genetic variability in the redefined A. niger and A. tubingensis does not deviate from that commonly found in other aspergilli. We supplemented the study with a list of accepted species, synonyms and unresolved names, some of which may threaten the stability of the current taxonomy. Citation: Bian C, Kusuya Y, Sklenář F, D'hooge E, Yaguchi T, Ban S, Visagie CM, Houbraken J, Takahashi H, Hubka V (2022). Reducing the number of accepted species in Aspergillus series Nigri. Studies in Mycology 102: 95-132. doi: 10.3114/sim.2022.102.03.

• Klíčová slova
• Aspergillus luchuensis, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tubingensis, clinical fungi, indoor fungi, infraspecific variability, multigene phylogeny, multispecies coalescence model, ochratoxin A, species delimitation,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Since the last revision in 2015, the taxonomy of section Flavipedes evolved rapidly along with the availability of new species delimitation techniques. This study aims to re-evaluate the species boundaries of section Flavipedes members using modern delimitation methods applied to an extended set of strains (n = 90) collected from various environments. The analysis used DNA sequences of three house-keeping genes (benA, CaM, RPB2) and consisted of two steps: application of several single-locus (GMYC, bGMYC, PTP, bPTP) and multi-locus (STACEY) species delimitation methods to sort the isolates into putative species, which were subsequently validated using DELINEATE software that was applied for the first time in fungal taxonomy. As a result, four new species are introduced, i.e. A. alboluteus, A. alboviridis, A. inusitatus and A. lanuginosus, and A. capensis is synonymized with A. iizukae. Phenotypic analyses were performed for the new species and their relatives, and the results showed that the growth parameters at different temperatures and colonies characteristics were useful for differentiation of these taxa. The revised section harbors 18 species, most of them are known from soil. However, the most common species from the section are ecologically diverse, occurring in the indoor environment (six species), clinical samples (five species), food and feed (four species), droppings (four species) and other less common substrates/environments. Due to the occurrence of section Flavipedes species in the clinical material/hospital environment, we also evaluated the susceptibility of 67 strains to six antifungals (amphotericin B, itraconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, isavuconazole, terbinafine) using the reference EUCAST method. These results showed some potentially clinically relevant differences in susceptibility between species. For example, MICs higher than those observed for A. fumigatus wild-type were found for both triazoles and amphotericin B for A. ardalensis, A. iizukae, and A. spelaeus whereas A. lanuginosus, A. luppiae, A. movilensis, A. neoflavipes, A. olivimuriae and A. suttoniae were comparable to or more susceptible as A. fumigatus. Finally, terbinafine was in vitro active against all species except A. alboviridis.

• Klíčová slova
• Antifungal susceptibility testing, Aspergillus alboluteus F. Sklenar, Jurjević, Ezekiel, Houbraken & Hubka, Aspergillus alboviridis J.P.Z. Siqueira, Gené, F. Sklenar & Hubka, Aspergillus flavipes, Aspergillus inusitatus F. Sklenar, C. Silva Pereira, Houbraken & Hubka, Aspergillus lanuginosus F. Sklenar & Hubka, Clinical fungi, Indoor fungi, Multigene phylogeny, Soil-borne fungi, Species delimitation,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Fungal contamination in stored food grains is a global concern and affects food economics and human and animal health. It is clear that there is a need to develop new technologies with improved performances that are also eco-friendly in nature. Due to the bioactivity of essential oils (EOs) in the vapor phase, their low toxicity for humans, and their biodegradability and antifungal properties, EOs could be a suitable solution. In this study, we explored the potential of thyme, oregano, lemongrass, clove, and cajeput EOs in the vapor phase. For 17 days, inhibitory activity was assessed against five strains of postharvest pathogens-Aspergillus spp., Fusarium s. l. spp., and Penicilliumochrochloron-isolated from cereal grains. A modified disc volatilization method was used, which is more effective in comparison to traditional screening methods. Three concentrations were tested (250, 125, and 62.5 μL/L). The two highest concentrations resulted in complete inhibition of fungal growth; however, even 62.5 μL/L showed a significant antifungal effect. The efficiency of EOs followed this order: thyme > oregano > lemongrass > clove > cajeput. From our findings, it appears that the use of EOs vapors is a better option not only for laboratory experiments, but for subsequent practice.

• Klíčová slova
• antifungal, cereal, essential oil, fast screening, fungi, inhibition, vapour phase,
• MeSH
• antifungální látky farmakologie   MeSH
• houby účinky léků   růst a vývoj   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• jedlá semena chemie   MeSH
• oleje prchavé farmakologie   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antifungální látky MeSH
• oleje prchavé MeSH

We investigated ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination in raisin samples purchased from Slovak markets and determined the diversity of black-spored aspergilli as potential OTA and fumonisin (FB1 and FB2) producers. The taxonomic identification was performed using sequences of the nuclear ITS1-5.8s-ITS2 region, the calmodulin and beta-tubulin genes. We obtained 239 isolates from eight fungal genera, of which 197 belonged to Aspergillus (82%) and 42 strains (18%) to other fungal genera. OTA contamination was evidenced in 75% of the samples and its level ranged from 0.8 to 10.6 µg/kg. The combination of all three markers used enabled unambiguous identification of A. carbonarius, A. luchuensis, A. niger, A. tubingensis and A. welwitschiae. The dominant coloniser, simultaneously having the highest within-species diversity isolated from our raisin samples, was A. tubingensis. Out of all analysed strains, only A. carbonarius was found to produce OTA, but in relatively high quantity (2477-4382 µg/kg). The production of FB1 and FB2 was evidenced in A. niger strains only.

• Klíčová slova
• HPLC, beta-tubulin, calmodulin, food spoilage, fungal diversity, mycotoxin,
• MeSH
• Aspergillus genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• fumonisiny metabolismus   toxicita   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• genetická variace * MeSH
• hodnocení rizik MeSH
• konzervace potravin MeSH
• ochratoxiny metabolismus   toxicita   MeSH
• ovoce mikrobiologie   MeSH
• potravinářská mikrobiologie MeSH
• Vitis mikrobiologie   MeSH
• vysoušení MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• fumonisin B1 MeSH Prohlížeč
• fumonisin B2 MeSH Prohlížeč
• fumonisiny MeSH
• ochratoxin A MeSH Prohlížeč
• ochratoxiny MeSH

The Eurotiales is a relatively large order of Ascomycetes with members frequently having positive and negative impact on human activities. Species within this order gain attention from various research fields such as food, indoor and medical mycology and biotechnology. In this article we give an overview of families and genera present in the Eurotiales and introduce an updated subgeneric, sectional and series classification for Aspergillus and Penicillium. Finally, a comprehensive list of accepted species in the Eurotiales is given. The classification of the Eurotiales at family and genus level is traditionally based on phenotypic characters, and this classification has since been challenged using sequence-based approaches. Here, we re-evaluated the relationships between families and genera of the Eurotiales using a nine-gene sequence dataset. Based on this analysis, the new family Penicillaginaceae is introduced and four known families are accepted: Aspergillaceae, Elaphomycetaceae, Thermoascaceae and Trichocomaceae. The Eurotiales includes 28 genera: 15 genera are accommodated in the Aspergillaceae (Aspergillago, Aspergillus, Evansstolkia, Hamigera, Leiothecium, Monascus, Penicilliopsis, Penicillium, Phialomyces, Pseudohamigera, Pseudopenicillium, Sclerocleista, Warcupiella, Xerochrysium and Xeromyces), eight in the Trichocomaceae (Acidotalaromyces, Ascospirella, Dendrosphaera, Rasamsonia, Sagenomella, Talaromyces, Thermomyces, Trichocoma), two in the Thermoascaceae (Paecilomyces, Thermoascus) and one in the Penicillaginaceae (Penicillago). The classification of the Elaphomycetaceae was not part of this study, but according to literature two genera are present in this family (Elaphomyces and Pseudotulostoma). The use of an infrageneric classification system has a long tradition in Aspergillus and Penicillium. Most recent taxonomic studies focused on the sectional level, resulting in a well-established sectional classification in these genera. In contrast, a series classification in Aspergillus and Penicillium is often outdated or lacking, but is still relevant, e.g., the allocation of a species to a series can be highly predictive in what functional characters the species might have and might be useful when using a phenotype-based identification. The majority of the series in Aspergillus and Penicillium are invalidly described and here we introduce a new series classification. Using a phylogenetic approach, often supported by phenotypic, physiologic and/or extrolite data, Aspergillus is subdivided in six subgenera, 27 sections (five new) and 75 series (73 new, one new combination), and Penicillium in two subgenera, 32 sections (seven new) and 89 series (57 new, six new combinations). Correct identification of species belonging to the Eurotiales is difficult, but crucial, as the species name is the linking pin to information. Lists of accepted species are a helpful aid for researchers to obtain a correct identification using the current taxonomic schemes. In the most recent list from 2014, 339 Aspergillus, 354 Penicillium and 88 Talaromyces species were accepted. These numbers increased significantly, and the current list includes 446 Aspergillus (32 % increase), 483 Penicillium (36 % increase) and 171 Talaromyces (94 % increase) species, showing the large diversity and high interest in these genera. We expanded this list with all genera and species belonging to the Eurotiales (except those belonging to Elaphomycetaceae). The list includes 1 187 species, distributed over 27 genera, and contains MycoBank numbers, collection numbers of type and ex-type cultures, subgenus, section and series classification data, information on the mode of reproduction, and GenBank accession numbers of ITS, beta-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) gene sequences.

• Klíčová slova
• Acidotalaromyces Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Acidotalaromyces lignorum (Stolk) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Ascospirella Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Ascospirella lutea (Zukal) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Aspergillus chaetosartoryae Hubka, Kocsubé & Houbraken, Classification, Evansstolkia Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Evansstolkia leycettana (H.C. Evans & Stolk) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Hamigera brevicompacta (H.Z. Kong) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Infrageneric classification, New combinations, series, New combinations, species, New genera, New names, New sections, New series, New taxa, Nomenclature, Paecilomyces lagunculariae (C. Ram) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Penicillaginaceae Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Penicillago kabunica (Baghd.) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Penicillago mirabilis (Beliakova & Milko) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Penicillago moldavica (Milko & Beliakova) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Phialomyces arenicola (Chalab.) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Phialomyces humicoloides (Bills & Heredia) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Phylogeny, Polythetic classes, Pseudohamigera Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Pseudohamigera striata (Raper & Fennell) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Talaromyces resinae (Z.T. Qi & H.Z. Kong) Houbraken & X.C. Wang, Talaromyces striatoconidius Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Taxonomic novelties: New family, Thermoascus verrucosus (Samson & Tansey) Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, Thermoascus yaguchii Houbraken, Frisvad & Samson, in Aspergillus: sect. Bispori S.W. Peterson, Varga, Frisvad, Samson ex Houbraken, in Aspergillus: ser. Acidohumorum Houbraken & Frisvad, in Aspergillus: ser. Inflati (Stolk & Samson) Houbraken & Frisvad, in Penicillium: sect. Alfrediorum Houbraken & Frisvad, in Penicillium: ser. Adametziorum Houbraken & Frisvad, in Penicillium: ser. Alutacea (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Crypta Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Eremophila Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Formosana Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Griseola Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Inusitata Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Lasseniorum Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Polypaecilum Houbraken & Frisvad, sect. Raperorum S.W. Peterson, Varga, Frisvad, Samson ex Houbraken, sect. Silvatici S.W. Peterson, Varga, Frisvad, Samson ex Houbraken, sect. Vargarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Alliacei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Ambigui Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Angustiporcata Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Arxiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Atramentosa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Aurantiobrunnei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Avenacei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Bertholletiarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Biplani Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Brevicompacta Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Brevipedes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Brunneouniseriati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Buchwaldiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Calidousti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Canini Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Carbonarii Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Cavernicolarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Cervini Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Chevalierorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Cinnamopurpurea Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Circumdati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Clavigera Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Conjuncti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Copticolarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Coremiiformes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Corylophila Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Costaricensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Cremei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Crustacea (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Dalearum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Deflecti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Egyptiaci Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Erubescentia (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Estinogena Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Euglauca Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Fennelliarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Flavi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Flavipedes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Fortuita Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Fumigati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Funiculosi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Gallaica Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Georgiensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Goetziorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Gracilenta Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Halophilici Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Herqueorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Heteromorphi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Hoeksiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Homomorphi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Idahoensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Implicati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Improvisa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Indica Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Japonici Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Jiangxiensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Kalimarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Kiamaensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Kitamyces Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Lapidosa (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Leporum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Leucocarpi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Livida Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Longicatenata Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Macrosclerotiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Monodiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Multicolores Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Neoglabri Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Neonivei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nidulantes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nigri Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nivei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nodula Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Nomiarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Noonimiarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Ochraceorosei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Olivimuriarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Osmophila Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Paradoxa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Paxillorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Penicillioides Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Phoenicea Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Pinetorum (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Polypaecilum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Pulvini Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Quercetorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Raistrickiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Ramigena Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Restricti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Robsamsonia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Rolfsiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Roseopurpurea Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Rubri Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Salinarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Samsoniorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Saturniformia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Scabrosa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sclerotigena Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sclerotiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sheariorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Simplicissima Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Soppiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sparsi Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Spathulati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Spelaei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Speluncei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Spinulosa Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Stellati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Steyniorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sublectatica Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Sumatraensia Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Tamarindosolorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Teporium Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Terrei Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Thermomutati Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Thiersiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Thomiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Unguium Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Unilaterales Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Usti Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Verhageniorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Versicolores Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Virgata Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Viridinutantes Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Vitricolarum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Wentiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Westlingiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Whitfieldiorum Houbraken & Frisvad, ser. Xerophili Houbraken & Frisvad, series Tularensia (Pitt) Houbraken & Frisvad,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Aflatoxins and ochratoxins are among the most important mycotoxins of all and producers of both types of mycotoxins are present in Aspergillus section Flavi, albeit never in the same species. Some of the most efficient producers of aflatoxins and ochratoxins have not been described yet. Using a polyphasic approach combining phenotype, physiology, sequence and extrolite data, we describe here eight new species in section Flavi. Phylogenetically, section Flavi is split in eight clades and the section currently contains 33 species. Two species only produce aflatoxin B1 and B2 (A. pseudotamarii and A. togoensis), and 14 species are able to produce aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2: three newly described species A. aflatoxiformans, A. austwickii and A. cerealis in addition to A. arachidicola, A. minisclerotigenes, A. mottae, A. luteovirescens (formerly A. bombycis), A. nomius, A. novoparasiticus, A. parasiticus, A. pseudocaelatus, A. pseudonomius, A. sergii and A. transmontanensis. It is generally accepted that A. flavus is unable to produce type G aflatoxins, but here we report on Korean strains that also produce aflatoxin G1 and G2. One strain of A. bertholletius can produce the immediate aflatoxin precursor 3-O-methylsterigmatocystin, and one strain of Aspergillus sojae and two strains of Aspergillus alliaceus produced versicolorins. Strains of the domesticated forms of A. flavus and A. parasiticus, A. oryzae and A. sojae, respectively, lost their ability to produce aflatoxins, and from the remaining phylogenetically closely related species (belonging to the A. flavus-, A. tamarii-, A. bertholletius- and A. nomius-clades), only A. caelatus, A. subflavus and A. tamarii are unable to produce aflatoxins. With exception of A. togoensis in the A. coremiiformis-clade, all species in the phylogenetically more distant clades (A. alliaceus-, A. coremiiformis-, A. leporis- and A. avenaceus-clade) are unable to produce aflatoxins. Three out of the four species in the A. alliaceus-clade can produce the mycotoxin ochratoxin A: A. alliaceus s. str. and two new species described here as A. neoalliaceus and A. vandermerwei. Eight species produced the mycotoxin tenuazonic acid: A. bertholletius, A. caelatus, A. luteovirescens, A. nomius, A. pseudocaelatus, A. pseudonomius, A. pseudotamarii and A. tamarii while the related mycotoxin cyclopiazonic acid was produced by 13 species: A. aflatoxiformans, A. austwickii, A. bertholletius, A. cerealis, A. flavus, A. minisclerotigenes, A. mottae, A. oryzae, A. pipericola, A. pseudocaelatus, A. pseudotamarii, A. sergii and A. tamarii. Furthermore, A. hancockii produced speradine A, a compound related to cyclopiazonic acid. Selected A. aflatoxiformans, A. austwickii, A. cerealis, A. flavus, A. minisclerotigenes, A. pipericola and A. sergii strains produced small sclerotia containing the mycotoxin aflatrem. Kojic acid has been found in all species in section Flavi, except A. avenaceus and A. coremiiformis. Only six species in the section did not produce any known mycotoxins: A. aspearensis, A. coremiiformis, A. lanosus, A. leporis, A. sojae and A. subflavus. An overview of other small molecule extrolites produced in Aspergillus section Flavi is given.

• Klíčová slova
• A. Nováková, A. vandermerwei Frisvad, Aflatoxins, Arzanlou & Samson, Aspergillus, Aspergillus aflatoxiformans Frisvad, Aspergillus aspearensis Houbraken, Aspergillus austwickii Frisvad, Aspergillus cerealis Houbraken, Aspergillus neoalliaceus A. Nováková, Aspergillus pipericola Frisvad, Aspergillus subflavus Hubka, Cyclopiazonic acid, Ezekiel, Ezekiel & Samson, Frisvad, Frisvad & Houbraken, Hubka, Samson, Samson & Houbraken, Section Flavi, Tenuazonic acid,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Although Aspergillus fumigatus is the major agent of invasive aspergillosis, an increasing number of infections are caused by its cryptic species, especially A. lentulus and the A. viridinutans species complex (AVSC). Their identification is clinically relevant because of antifungal drug resistance and refractory infections. Species boundaries in the AVSC are unresolved since most species have uniform morphology and produce interspecific hybrids in vitro. Clinical and environmental strains from six continents (n = 110) were characterized by DNA sequencing of four to six loci. Biological compatibilities were tested within and between major phylogenetic clades, and ascospore morphology was characterised. Species delimitation methods based on the multispecies coalescent model (MSC) supported recognition of ten species including one new species. Four species are confirmed opportunistic pathogens; A. udagawae followed by A. felis and A. pseudoviridinutans are known from opportunistic human infections, while A. felis followed by A. udagawae and A. wyomingensis are agents of feline sino-orbital aspergillosis. Recently described human-pathogenic species A. parafelis and A. pseudofelis are synonymized with A. felis and an epitype is designated for A. udagawae. Intraspecific mating assay showed that only a few of the heterothallic species can readily generate sexual morphs in vitro. Interspecific mating assays revealed that five different species combinations were biologically compatible. Hybrid ascospores had atypical surface ornamentation and significantly different dimensions compared to parental species. This suggests that species limits in the AVSC are maintained by both pre- and post-zygotic barriers and these species display a great potential for rapid adaptation and modulation of virulence. This study highlights that a sufficient number of strains representing genetic diversity within a species is essential for meaningful species boundaries delimitation in cryptic species complexes. MSC-based delimitation methods are robust and suitable tools for evaluation of boundaries between these species.

• Klíčová slova
• Aspergillus felis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Neosartorya udagawae, invasive aspergillosis, mating-type genes, multispecies coalescence model, scanning electron microscopy, soil fungi,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Movile Cave, a unique groundwater ecosystem in southern Romania, was discovered in 1986. This chemoautotrophic cave contains an abundant and diverse fauna with terrestrial and aquatic invertebrate communities, including 33 endemic species. Since its discovery, studies have focused mainly on cave chemoautotrophic bacteria, while the microfungal community has been largely neglected. In this study, we determined the microfungal species living on various substrates in Movile Cave and compared this spectrum with the mycobiota detected outside the cave (outside air-borne and soil-borne microfungi). To investigate all of the niches, we collected samples for two consecutive years from the dry part of the cave (cave air and sediment, corroded limestone walls, isopod feces, and isopod and spider cadavers) and from the post-siphon part of the cave, i.e., Airbell II (sediment and floating microbial mat). A total of 123 microfungal species were identified from among several hundred isolates. Of these, 96 species were only detected in the cave environment and not outside of the cave, while 90 species were from the dry part of the cave and 28 were from Airbell II. The most diverse genera were Penicillium (at least 18 species) and Aspergillus (14 species), followed by Cladosporium (9 species). Surprisingly, high CFU counts of air-borne microfungi were found inside the cave; they were even higher than outside the cave during the first year of investigation.

• MeSH
• chemoautotrofní růst MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• houby klasifikace   růst a vývoj   izolace a purifikace   metabolismus   MeSH
• jeskyně chemie   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• mikroskopie MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Aspergillus section Aspergillus (formerly the genus Eurotium) includes xerophilic species with uniseriate conidiophores, globose to subglobose vesicles, green conidia and yellow, thin walled eurotium-like ascomata with hyaline, lenticular ascospores. In the present study, a polyphasic approach using morphological characters, extrolites, physiological characters and phylogeny was applied to investigate the taxonomy of this section. Over 500 strains from various culture collections and new isolates obtained from indoor environments and a wide range of substrates all over the world were identified using calmodulin gene sequencing. Of these, 163 isolates were subjected to molecular phylogenetic analyses using sequences of ITS rDNA, partial β-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) genes. Colony characteristics were documented on eight cultivation media, growth parameters at three incubation temperatures were recorded and micromorphology was examined using light microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy to illustrate and characterize each species. Many specific extrolites were extracted and identified from cultures, including echinulins, epiheveadrides, auroglaucins and anthraquinone bisanthrons, and to be consistent in strains of nearly all species. Other extrolites are species-specific, and thus valuable for identification. Several extrolites show antioxidant effects, which may be nutritionally beneficial in food and beverages. Important mycotoxins in the strict sense, such as sterigmatocystin, aflatoxins, ochratoxins, citrinin were not detected despite previous reports on their production in this section. Adopting a polyphasic approach, 31 species are recognized, including nine new species. ITS is highly conserved in this section and does not distinguish species. All species can be differentiated using CaM or RPB2 sequences. For BenA, Aspergillus brunneus and A. niveoglaucus share identical sequences. Ascospores and conidia morphology, growth rates at different temperatures are most useful characters for phenotypic species identification.

• Klíčová slova
• A. aurantiacoflavus Hubka, A.J. Chen, Jurjević & Samson, A. caperatus A.J. Chen, Frisvad & Samson, A. endophyticus Hubka, A.J. Chen, & Samson, A. levisporus Hubka, A.J. Chen, Jurjević & Samson, A. porosus A.J. Chen, Frisvad & Samson, A. tamarindosoli A.J. Chen, Frisvad & Samson, A. teporis A.J. Chen, Frisvad & Samson, A. zutongqii A.J. Chen, Frisvad & Samson, Ascomycota, Aspergillaceae, Aspergillus aerius A.J. Chen, Frisvad & Samson, Aspergillus proliferans, Eurotiales, Eurotium amstelodami, Extrolites, Multi-gene phylogeny,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH