This study was aimed at evaluating the growth promoting effect of symbiotic algal polyol (ribitol) and plant hormones on the lichen-forming fungi (LFF), Ramalina farinacea (CH050010 and 40403) and Ramalina fastigiata. The addition of ribitol to basal (malt-yeast extract) medium enhanced the relative growth rates of all three LFF. R. farinacea (CH050010), R. farinacea (40403) and R. fastigiata (H06127) showed 35.3%, 29.0% and 29.3% higher growth rates, respectively, compared to the control. IBA (indole-3-butyric acid) and TIBA (2,3,5-tridobenzoic acid) also increased growth rates of the LFF by 34 to 64% and 7 to 28%, respectively, compared to the control. The combination of ribitol with IBA or TIBA synergistically increased the growth of all LFF. For example, ribitol and IBA treatments increased growth rates of R. farinacea (CH050010), R. farinacea (40403) and R. fastigiata (H06127) by 79.4%, 40.3% and 72.8% in, respectively, compared to those grown on the basal medium. The stimulating effect of ribitol and IBA on the LFF growth induced vertical development of the fungal mass in culture. We suggest that lichen-forming fungal growth of Ramalina lichens can be stimulated aposymbiotically by supplementing polyols and plant hormones to the basal medium in the mass production of lichen secondary metabolites under large scale culture conditions.
Fungi ; Indoles ; Lichens ; Plant Growth Regulators ; Plants ; Polymers ; Ribitol ; Triiodobenzoic Acids

BACKGROUND: The selection of identification (ID) system of Enterobacteriaceae depends mainly on accuracy of identification system, cost of operation and convenience of testing. Commercial ID kits are easy to use but too expensive. Therefore, we designed a computerized ID system based on 10 tubes which were composed of 14 conventional biochemical tests to identify the Enterobacteriaceae and Vibrionaceae. The purpose of this present study was to assess the clinical usefulness of 10 tube system as an identification system for Enterobacteriaceae in clinical microbiology laboratories. METHODS: During the period of January 1998, 189 Enterobacteriaceae and 2 Aeromonas spp. consecutively isolated from clinical specimens were simultaneously identified by 10 tube system and the API rapid ID 32 E. Fourteen conventional biochemical tests used in 10 tube system were lactose, sucrose, and H2S in Kligler's iron agar media; motility, indole, and ornithine decarboxylase in motility-indole-ornithine decarboxylase agar media; citrate, urease, lysine decarboxylase, phenylalanine deaminase, arginine dihydrolase, arabinose, trehalose, and adonitol. Identification program used in 10 tube system were % ID method and ID score method. RESULTS: Among the 191 isolates, agreement rate of identification between 10 tube system and API rapid ID 32 E were 96.0% to the species level and 99.4% to the genus level. And identification accuracy of 10 tube system was 90.6% to the species level and 93.2% to the genus level. CONCLUSIONS: 10 tube system has been shown to be an accurate, cost-effective alternative to the use of commercial kit systems for identification of Enterobacteriaceae.
Aeromonas ; Agar ; Arabinose ; Arginine ; Citric Acid ; Enterobacteriaceae* ; Iron ; Lactose ; Lysine ; Ornithine Decarboxylase ; Phenylalanine ; Ribitol ; Sucrose ; Trehalose ; Urease ; Vibrionaceae

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constituents from the mycelia of Flammulina velutipes.

METHODThe compounds were isolated with silica gel column chromatography and their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical evidences and spectral analysis (IR, EI-MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR).

RESULTFive compounds were identified as 5alpha,8alpha-epidioxy-(22E,24R)-ergost-6,22-dien-3beta-ol (1), ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (2), sterpuric acid (3), mannitol (4), ribitol (5).

CONCLUSIONThe compounds (2)-(5) were isolated for the first time from the mycelia of Flammulina velutipes.

Agaricales ; chemistry ; Cholestenones ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Fermentation ; Mannitol ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Mycelium ; chemistry ; Ribitol ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

BACKGROUND: To access the accuracy and clinical usefulness of microplate identification (ID) system for the identification of Enterobacteriaceae, we compared microplate ID system with API 20E(bioMerieux, Etoile, France). METHODS: Ninety-two cultures of Enterobacteriaceae and one isolate of Aeromonas species were simultaneously identified by microplate ID system and the API 20E. Twenty biochemical tests used in microplate ID system were lactose, sucrose, and H2S in Kligler's iron agar media; indole, sucrose, raffinose, arabinose, trehalose, adonitol, dulcitol, sorbitol, cellibiose, methy-red, phenylalanine deaminase, ornithine decarboxylase, lysine decarboxylase, arginine dihydrolase, urease, and citrate in microplate; and oxidase test. The identification was obtained by considering percent likelihood(% ID), modal frequency and ID score method. RESULTS: Among the 92 cultures of Enterobacteriaceae and one isolate of Aeromonas species, agreement rate of identification according to the % ID between microplate ID system and API 20E were 90.3% to the species level and 97.8% to the genus level. CONCLUSIONS: For the identification of clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates, the microplate ID system compares favorably with API 20E in identification accuracy and have the advantage of costsaving and easy to use.
Aeromonas ; Agar ; Arabinose ; Arginine ; Citric Acid ; Enterobacteriaceae* ; Galactitol ; Iron ; Lactose ; Lysine ; Ornithine Decarboxylase ; Oxidoreductases ; Phenylalanine ; Raffinose ; Ribitol ; Sorbitol ; Sucrose ; Trehalose ; Urease