• Mycobiology
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.237-247
• /
• 2016

Aspergillus (Trichocomaceae, Eurotiales, and Ascomycota) is a genus of well-defined asexual spore-forming fungi that produce valuable compounds such as secondary metabolites and enzymes; however, some species are also responsible for diseases in plants and animals, including humans. To date, 26 Aspergillus species have been reported in Korea, with most species located in terrestrial environments. In our study, Aspergillus species were isolated from mudflats and sea sand along the western and southern coasts of Korea. A total of 84 strains were isolated and identified as 17 Aspergillus species in 11 sections on the basis of both morphological characteristics and sequence analysis of the calmodulin gene (CaM) locus. Commonly isolated species were A. fumigatus (26 strains), A. sydowii (14 strains), and A. terreus (10 strains). The diversity of Aspergillus species isolated from mudflats (13 species) was higher than the diversity of those from sea sand (five species). Four identified species-A. caesiellus, A. montenegroi, A. rhizopodus, and A. tabacinus-are in the first records in Korea. Here, we provide detailed descriptions of the morphological characteristics of these four species.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.15-21
• /
• 2016

Aspergillus is the most common opportunistic fungus causing infection. Aspergillus is the most morphologically identified in the laboratory. Recently, molecular genetic methods have been proposed for identification of fungi that unidentified morphologically or identified genus level. Of 475 cases of Aspergillus isolated from clinical specimens, there were Aspergillus fumigatus 257 (54.1%), A. niger 101 (21.3%), A. flavus 43 (9.1%), A. terreus 29 (6.1%), Aspergillus nidulans 2 (0.4%), Aspergillus clavatus 1 (0.2%), and the Aspergillus species 42 (8.8%). Eleven cases of unidentified or identified at the genus level included Aspergillus fumigatus 5, Aspergillus falvus 1, Aspergillus terreus 1, and Aspergillus lentulus 1 was identified in the sequencing of the strain level. It was identified as Aspergillus versicolor 2, and Emericella parvathecia 1. 92.2% of Aspergillus was identified as a possible morphological, 8.8% could not be identified at the species level. Sequence-based molecular analysis using the ITS and D1D2 is considered useful for identification of the species level.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.207-219
• /
• 2016

Aspergillus, Penicillium, and their teleomorphic genera have a worldwide distribution and large economic impacts on human life. The names of species in the genera that have been reported in Korea are listed in this study. Fourteen species of Aspergillus, 4 of Eurotium, 8 of Neosartorya, 47 of Penicillium, and 5 of Talaromyces were included in the National List of Species of Korea, Ascomycota in 2015. Based on the taxonomic system of single name nomenclature on ICN (International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants), Aspergillus and its teleomorphic genera such as Neosartorya, Eurotium, and Emericella were named as Aspergillus and Penicillium, and its teleomorphic genera such as Eupenicillium and Talaromyces were named as Penicillium (subgenera Aspergilloides, Furcatum, and Penicillium) and Talaromyces (subgenus Biverticillium) in this study. In total, 77 species were added and the revised list contains 55 spp. of Aspergillus, 82 of Penicillium, and 18 of Talaromyces.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.334-336
• /
• 2014

A new species named Aspergillus cumulatus sp. nov. is described in Aspergillus section Aspergillus (Eurotium state). The type strain (KACC $47316^T$) of this species was isolated from rice straw used in meju fermentations in Korea, and other strains were isolated from the air in a meju fermentation room. The species is characterized by growth at a wide range of water activities and the formation of aerial hyphae on malt extract 60% sucrose agar (ME60S) that resemble a cumulus cloud. Furthermore, A. cumulatus produces yellow ascomata containing small lenticular ascospores (5.1-5.7 ${\mu}m$) with a wide furrow, low equatorial crests, and tuberculate convex surface. The species is phylogenetically distinct from the other reported Aspergillus section Aspergillus species based on multilocus sequence typing using rDNA-ITS, ${\beta}$-tubulin, calmodulin, and RNA polymerase II genes.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.51 no.6
• /
• pp.436-444
• /
• 2023

Aspergillus species play a crucial role in terrestrial environments as degraders and are well known for producing various secondary metabolites. Recently, Aspergillus species have been discovered in marine environments, exhibiting adaptability to high salinity and producing diverse secondary metabolites with valuable properties. However, limited research has focused on their marine diversity, leading to inaccurate species identification. The current study addresses this gap by investigating diverse marine habitats in the Republic of Korea, including sediment, seawater, seaweed, and marine animals. From three coasts of the Korean Peninsula, 472 Aspergillus strains were isolated from the various marine habitats. A total of 41 species were accurately identified using multigenetic markers: internal transcribed spacer, calmodulin, and b-tubulin. The findings underscore the importance of accurate identification and provide a basis for elucidating the functional role of marine-derived Aspergillus species in marine ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 1977

Two hundred and twenty five strains which belong to the genus Aspergillus were isolated from specimens collected throughout the southern coastal areas of Korea, Fifteen species and one variety throughout the nine species groups including A. itaconicus and A.unguis, which are unrecorded in Korea, were identified according to Raper-Fennell's classification key.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.218-224
• /
• 2015

Aspergillus is an important fungal genus used for the fermentation of Asian foods; this genus is referred to as koji mold in Japan and China. A. oryzae, A. sojae, and A. tamari are used in the production of miso and shoyu in Japan, but a comprehensive taxonomic study of Aspergillus isolated from Meju, a fermented soybean starting material for traditional soy sauce and soybean paste in Korea, has not been conducted. In this study, various Aspergillus species were isolated during a study of the mycobiota of Meju, and the aspergilli were identified based on phenotypic characteristics and sequencing of the ${\beta}$-tubulin gene. Most strains of Aspergillus were found to belong to the following sections: Aspergillus (n = 220), Flavi (n = 213), and Nigri (n = 54). The most commonly identified species were A. oryzae (n = 183), A. pseudoglaucus (Eurotium repens) (n = 81), A. chevalieri (E. chevalieri) (n = 62), A. montevidensis (E. amstelodami) (n = 34), A. niger (n = 21), A. tamari (n = 15), A. ruber (E. rubrum) (n = 15), A. proliferans (n = 14), and A. luchuensis (n = 14); 25 species were identified from 533 Aspergillus strains. Aspergillus strains were mainly found during the high temperature fermentation period in the later steps of Meju fermentation.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.346-354
• /
• 2021

The genus Aspergillus is commonly isolated from various marine and terrestrial environments; however, only a few species have been studied in rhizosphere soil. As part of the Korean indigenous fungal excavation project, we investigated fungal diversity from rhizosphere soil, focusing on Aspergillus species. A total of 13 strains were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of three different plants. Based on phylogenetic analysis of β-tubulin and calmodulin and morphological characteristics, we identified five Aspergillus species. A. calidoustus and A. pseudodeflectus were commonly isolated from the rhizosphere soil. Four species were confirmed as unrecorded species in Korea: A. calidoustus, A. dimorphicus, A. germanicus, and A. pseudodeflecuts. The detailed morphological descriptions of these unrecorded species are provided.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.96-98
• /
• 2022

The Aspergilli of the section Nidulantes series Versicolores are among the most recurrent molds in indoor environments. These species cause damage to the quality of air. Indeed, they are responsible for allergies, aggravation of asthma and can even cause infections in immunocompromised patients. Molds belonging to the Versicolores series also produce sterigmatocystin, a mycotoxin classified as potential human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (group 2B). Here, we provide for the first time the genome of three species of the series Versicolores: Aspergillus creber, Aspergillus jensenii and Aspergillus protuberus which are the most abundant species of this series in bioaerosols. The genomes of these three species could be assembled with a percentage of completeness of 97.02%, 96.21% and 95.35% for Aspergillus creber, A. jensenii and A. protuberus respectively. These data will allow to study the genes and gene clusters responsible for the expression of virulence factors, the biosynthesis of mycotoxins and the proliferation of these ubiquitous and recurrent molds.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.158-168
• /
• 1987

Several species of the fungi were isolated from cassava(Manihot esculenta Gruntz) starch which had formed into pellet, those had been stored for a while in southern part of Thailand. The species of Rhizopus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus fumigatus were identified. The experimental results are as follows; Dry weight increases were checked during the static liquid culture with modified Czapek Dox medium to which cassava starch was partly replaced to sugar, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus had grown more than Rizopus species when 6% cassava starch was replaced to sugar and had been cultured for 72 hours. Amounts of mycelial protein of Aspergillus niger were checked, the highest amount was shown in 6% cassava starch involved medium. When nitrogen sources were varied such as ammonium sulfate or urea against sodium nitrate, there was no significant difference in mycelial production. Alpha amylase activity of each fungus isolated here was checked, those of Aspergillus niger have shown the highest peak at 72 hours.