Ziziphi Spinosae Semen is one of the Chinese herbal medicine being susceptible to aflatoxins contamination. To investigate the sources of aflatoxins contamination and toxigenic fungi species on Ziziphi Spinosae Semen,32 samples were collected from multiple steps during the post-harvest processing in this study. Aflatoxins in these samples were determined by immunoaffinity column and HPLC coupled with post-column photochemical derivatization. The dilution-plate method was applied to the fungi isolation. The isolated fungi strains were identified by morphological characterization and molecular approaches. The results showed that aflatoxins were detected in 28 samples from every step during the processing of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen. Three samples were detected with aflatoxin B_1 and 2 samples with both aflatoxin B_1 and total aflatoxin exceeding the limit of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Especially the samples from the washing step,with the highest detected amounts of AFB_1 and AFs were reached 94. 79,121. 43 μg·kg~(-1),respectively. All 32 samples were contaminated by fungi. The fungal counts on the newly harvested samples were 2. 20 × 10~2 CFU·g~(-1). Moreover,it increased as tphreocessing progresses,and achieved 1. 16×10~6 CFU·g~(-1) after washing. A total of 321 isolates were identified to 17 genera. Aspergillus flavus was the main source of aflatoxins during the processing and storage of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen. One isolate of A. flavus was confirmed producing AFB_1 and AFB_2. The fungal count was significantly increased by composting,and Aspergillus was the predominant genus after shell breaking. The contamination level of aflatoxins was increased by composting and washing.
Aflatoxins ; analysis ; Aspergillus ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Fungi ; isolation & purification ; Seeds ; chemistry ; microbiology ; Ziziphus ; chemistry

Cross Infection ; microbiology ; therapy ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Fungal ; Fungi ; classification ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Mycoses ; microbiology ; therapy ; Patient Care Management ; methods ; Singapore

The present study investigated the chemical composition of ethylacetate extracts from an endophytic actinomycete Streptomyces sp. A0916 and its host Polygonum cuspidatum. A comparative analysis of the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the extracts was also conducted. 32 compounds of P. cuspidatum and 23 compounds of Streptomyces sp. A0916 were isolated and identified by GC/MS. Antimicrobial activities of the extracts were evaluated using eight microbial strains (3 Gram-positive bacteria, 3 Gram-negative bacteria, and 2 fungi). The Streptomyces sp. A0916 extracts showed a wide range of antimicrobial activities and presented greater antimicrobial effectiveness than the P. cuspidatum extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Streptomyces sp. A0916 extracts against the ampicillin-resistant strain Enterococcus faecium SIIA843 was 32 μg·mL(-1). Furthermore, the extracts had greater antimicrobial effect against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria. Finally, the antioxidant activity of the Streptomyces sp. A0916 extracts was equal to that of the P. cuspidatum extracts. In conclusion, our results suggest that the endophytic actinomycetes of the medicinal plants are an important source of bioactive substances.
Anti-Infective Agents ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; Fallopia japonica ; chemistry ; microbiology ; Fungi ; drug effects ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Streptomyces ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification

Marine ecological niches have recently been described as "particularly promising" sources for search of new antimicrobials to combat antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms. Marine organisms are excellent sources for many industrial products, but they are partly explored. Over 30 000 compounds have been isolated from marine sources. Bacteria, fungi, and cyanobacteria obtained from various marine sources secret several industrially useful bioactive compounds, possessing antibacterial, antifungal, and antimycobacterial activities. Sustainable cultivation methods for promising marine organisms and biotechnological processes for selected compounds can be developed, along with the establishment of biosensors for monitoring the target compounds. The semisynthetic modifications of marine-based bioactive compounds produce their new derivatives, structural analogs and mimetics that could serve as novel lead compounds against resistant pathogens. The present review focuses on promising antimicrobial compounds isolated from marine microbes from 1991-2013.
Anti-Infective Agents ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Fungi ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Seawater ; microbiology

Marine sediment samples were collected from the coastal areas of Southern India, particularly in Kanyakumari District. Twenty-eight different fungal strains were isolated. The screening of fungi from marine sediment was done to isolate a potent fungus that can produce bioactive compounds for biomedical applications. Only three strains viz Trichoderma gamsii SP4, Talaromyces flavus SP5 and Aspergillus oryzae SP6 were screened for further studies. The intracellular bioactive compounds were extracted using solvent extraction method. The crude extracts were tested for its anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties and analytically characterized using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). All the three extracts were active, but the extract from T. flavus SP5 was found to be more active against various human pathogens, viz., Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 (17.8 ± 0.1), Escherichia coli ATCC 52922 (18.3 ± 0.3), and Candida tropicalis ATCC 750 (17.7 ± 0.4). It also exhibited cytotoxic activity against HEp2 carcinoma cell line with the LC value of 25.7 μg·L. The GC-MS data revealed the presence of effective bioactive compounds. These results revealed that the extract from isolated fungus T. flavus SP5 acted as a potent antimicrobial, antifungal, and anticancer agent, providing basic information on the potency of marine fungi towards biomedical applications; further investigation may lead to the development of novel anticancer drugs.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Fungi ; drug effects ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Geologic Sediments ; microbiology ; Humans ; India ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Talaromyces ; chemistry ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; metabolism

The present study aimed at determining the chemical constituents of Solanum coagulans and their antimicrobial activities. The compounds were isolated by various chromatographic techniques and their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, chemical methods, and comparison with reported spectroscopic data. One new phenolic glycoside, methyl salicylate 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), together with 12 known compounds (2-13), were isolated from the aerial parts of Solanum coagulans. Compound 1 was a new phenolic glycoside, and 2-6 were isolated from Solanum genus for the first time. The antimicrobial activities of the isolated compounds were also evaluated. Compound 7 showed remarkable antifungal activity against T. mentagrophytes, M. gypseum and E. floccosum with MIC values being 3.13, 1.56 and 3.13 μg·mL(-1), respectively.
Anti-Infective Agents ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Fungi ; drug effects ; Glycosides ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Molecular Structure ; Solanum ; chemistry

All kinds of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) differed from each other with different chemical components and properties. Owing to poor conditions and technologies, and the lack of scientific preservation, most TCMs will easily become mouldy during the processes of growth, harvest, handling, translation and especially storage, which will not only influence the quality, safety and efficacy of TCMs, but also cause serious waste and economic losses, and even do great harm to human health. The process of storage is closely related to the qualities of TCMs with many interference factors. Therefore, scientific preservation of TCM during storage is crucial to prevent them from being mouldy. This review analyzed the important harm of mouldy TCMs, summarized the internal and external factors of resulting in TCMs to become mouldy. Based on the above discussion, together with the characteristics and limitations of current TCM preservation techniques, we prospect novel, scientific and reasonable preservation techniques, expecting to provide references for scientific preservation of TCMs to avoid becoming mouldy and guarantee their qualities.
Drug Contamination ; prevention & control ; Drug Storage ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Fungi ; growth & development ; isolation & purification ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; microbiology

In this paper, the varying pattern of the amount of rhizospheric microorganisms, including bacteria, actinomycetes and fungus, was observed during the cultivation of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis. And the correlations between number of rhizospheric microorganisms and the quality of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis were also studied. The results showed that the rhizospheric microorganism source of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis was rich. The distribution of rhizospheric microorganisms (soil bacteria, fungus, actinomycetes, potassium-solubilizing bacteria, inorganic phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria, organic phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria) collected from different origin places existed significant difference (P < 0.05). The varying pattern for the amount of rhizospheric microorganisms was showed as following: the amount of bacteria > the amount of actinomycetes > the amount of fungus. The medicinal quality of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis was influenced by their habits, and the increase of cultivation years caused the obvious decrease of the quality of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. Therefore, the increase of cultivation years will cause the variation of the soil micro-ecology flora, and decrease the nutrient absorption and the utilization of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis, which will make the decrease of the medical quality of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis.
Bacteria ; genetics ; growth & development ; isolation & purification ; Biodiversity ; China ; Fungi ; genetics ; growth & development ; isolation & purification ; Liliaceae ; chemistry ; microbiology ; Plant Extracts ; analysis ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; microbiology ; Rhizosphere ; Saponins ; analysis ; Soil Microbiology

OBJECTIVETo establish a method for detecting 3 common toxigenic molds (Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium) based on non-modified magnetic beads coupled with multiple real-time PCR (NMB-multiple qPCR).

METHODSThe primers and genus-specific probes were designed based on the rDNA sequences to develop a multiple real-time PCR using non-modified magnetic bead to enrichment of fungal spores. The sensitivity, specificity and repeatability of this assay were evaluated.

RESULTSThe detection limit of this assay for spiked samples was 10(4) CFU/g, demonstrating a 10-fold greater detection sensitivity of this assay than that of real-time PCR. The NMB-multiple qPCR assay also showed good specificity and reproducibility and yielded comparable results with those by traditional colony counting method for spiked samples (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONNMB-multiple qPCR assay we established allows rapid and sensitive detection of common mycotoxigenic fungi in paprika.

Aspergillus ; Capsicum ; microbiology ; DNA Primers ; Food Contamination ; analysis ; Food Microbiology ; Fungi ; isolation & purification ; Fusarium ; Magnetic Phenomena ; Penicillium ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity

To study the ecological distribution and diversity of endophytic fungi associated with Ferula of medicinal plants in Xinjiang. The endophytic fungi were isolated from roots, stems and leaves of Ferula by microbiology research methods and technology. The endophytic fungi were identified using ITS rDNA sequence analysis and morphology analysis. The composition, diversity and preference of endophytic fungal community were analyzed with Shannon-Wiener biodiversity index (H') and Sorensen coefficient (Cs). A total of 337 strains endophytic fungi were isolated and classified into 38 genera, Alternaria, Aureobasidium and Fusarium were the dominant genera. Among the 337 isolates, the endophytic fungi of F. sinkiangensis were the most, The Shannon-Wiener biodiversity index (H') associated with roots of F. fukanensis was the highest, reached 1.85. The highest Sorensen coefficient ( Cs) was between leaf of F. sinkiangensis and leaf of F. ovina, reached 0.75. From the result, endophytic fungi were widely distributed in six Ferula, there are some notable differences between distribution and composition of the endophytic fungi isolated from different issues and different species of Ferula, show a certain degree of species and tissue preference. The results obtained in this study will provide realistic basis and theoretical basis for further study the secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi associated with Ferula, and the relationship between endophytic fungi and their host plants.
Biodiversity ; Ecology ; Endophytes ; isolation & purification ; Ferula ; microbiology ; Fungi ; classification ; isolation & purification ; metabolism