• Mycobiology
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.47-50
• /
• 2002

Seed-borne fungi of some maize cultivars/lines grown during the months from May to September of 2001, collected from Dongguk University farm, Go Young City, IL Sang Gu, Korea were detected by blotter method. In all six fungi namely Alternaria alternata(Fr.) Keissler, Aspergillus niger Van Tiegh, Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon, Fusarium sp., Penicillium sp. and Ustilago zeae Unger. were found to associated with maize seeds. Prevalence of seed-borne fungi also varied. The highest percentages of seed-borne fungi were recorded with Fusarium moniliforme and the lowest in Penicillium sp. Transmission of all seed-borne pathogens from seeds to seedlings were also detected by test tube seedling symptom test. Among the seed-borne fungi, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium moniliforme and Fusarium sp. produced distinct seed rot and seedling infection symptoms. All the transmitted seed-borne fungi might be caused primary source of infection to the maize crop.

• Journal of the korean veterinary medical association
• /
• v.19 no.12
• /
• pp.54-60
• /
• 1983

This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of yeast-like fungi in vagina of 924 dairy cows in Gyeongbug area. Attempts were made to isolate and identify yeast-like fungi from vaginal samples from normal cows and those with abortion or vaginit

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
• /
• 2017.05a
• /
• pp.105-106
• /
• 2017

Background: Atopic dermatitis one of the most common chronic skin diseases, is caused by various environmental and genetic factors. Methods: A total of 2609 healthy newborns who were enrolled in the COCOA study (COCOA) from 2008 to 2015 were surveyed for indoor environmental exposure to fungi during gestation and then diagnosed postnatally for atopic dermatitis. The fungi collected during the gestation of 20 normal subjects and 20 infants that developed atopic dermatitis were identified using Illumina's MiSeq platform and analyzed for their diversity and species. Results: A total of 2,609 respondents were surveyed (52.8% male and 47.2% female) Children, 1, 2, and 3 years old diagnosed with atopic dermatitis comprised 15.2%, 15.7%, and 14.1% of the respondents, respectively. The prevalence of exposure to mold during gestation was 1.46 (95% CI, 1.05-2.04) and 1.52 (95% CI, 0.95-2.43), in the first and third years after birth, respectively. One-year-old children with atopic dermatitis and no fungal markers detected in the bathroom environment during gestation accounted for less than 5% (aOR, 1.51; 95%CI, 0.96-2.38) and in the group less than 5 ~ 30% (aOR, 2.21; 95%CI, 1.00-4.89), 3-year-old children had an increased prevalence of atopic dermatitis of more than 30% (aOR, 9.48, 95%CI 1.42-63.13). Conclusions: Exposure to indoor fungi during gestation and infancy is associated with the development of atopic dermatitis in children. The phyla and genera of the fungi in the indoor house dust differed during gestation. This suggests that exposure to indoor fungi during gestation may be associated with the development of atopic dermatitis in children. Future research will be necessary to establish the underlying mechanisms.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.438-446
• /
• 2013

Objectives: This study was performed in order to determine airborne fungi levels in homes and find related factors that may affect airborne fungi concentration. Methods: Fifty homes were study subjects for measuring airborne fungi. For sampling airborne fungi, the impaction method on agar plates was used and samples were counted as colony forming units per cubic meter of air ($CFU/m^3$). In addition, information regarding housing characteristics and atopic disease in each home were collected via questionnaire. Results: The geometric means (GM) of airborne fungi concentrations in fifty living rooms and bedrooms were 68.03 and 62.93 $CFU/m^3$, respectively. The GM of airborne fungi concentration in atopy homes was 78.42 $CFU/m^3$. This was higher than non-atopy homes' 54.34 $CFU/m^3$ (p-value=0.051). In the results of the multiple regression analysis, outdoor airborne fungal concentration proved a strong effective factor on indoor airborne fungal concentration. Also, construction year, floor area of house, indoor smoking and frequency of ventilation were factors that showed a significant association with indoor airborne fungi concentration. Conclusions: The results of this study show that some housing and living characteristics may affect the development and increase of airborne fungi. In addition, exposure to airborne fungi may be a risk factor for the prevalence of childhood atopic diseases.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.157-161
• /
• 2003

Various soil samples were collected from twenty-four areas of ten different poultry farms in Korea and screened for prevalence of keratinolytic fungi. Fourteen species of feather-associated fungi belonging to ten genera Acremonium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Curvularia, Fusarium, Monascus, Mucor, Penicillum, and Verticillium isolated from poultry soils were grown on keratin medium. Especially, Aspergillus spp. populations associated with the soil sample is $1{\times}10^5$ cfu/g. A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. nidulans, and A. terreus could utilize keratin of chicken feather and degrade it, producing sulphydryl-containing compounds detected as keratinase, cysteine and total proteins. Keratinolytic activities of five Aspergillus species also changed the pH of the medium more alkaline than those that were less keratinolytic.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.47-53
• /
• 2007

The prevalence and population density of the mycobiota of 50 samples belonging to 10 kinds of spices (anise, black pepper, red pepper, black cumin, peppermint, cardamom, clove, cumin, ginger and marjoram) which collected from different places in Jeddah Governorate were studied. The natural occurrence of mycotoxins in those samples was also investigated. Fifteen genera and thirty-one species of fungi in addition to one species variety were isolated and identified during this study. The most common genera were Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium. Aflatoxins ($12{\sim}40\;{\mu}g/kg$) were detected in the extract of 5 samples of each of anise seeds and black pepper fruits; three samples of black cumin seeds and on sample only of each of peppermint and marjoram leaves out of 5 samples tested of each. Sterigmatocystin ($15{\sim}20\;{\mu}g/kg$) was detected in some samples of red pepper, cumin and marjoram. The inhibitory effects of 10 kinds of powdered spices were tested against 3 toxigenic isolates of fungi (Aspergillus flavus, A. versicolor and Penicillium citrinum). Clove proved to be antimycotic compounds. It inhibited the growth of the tested toxigenic fungi. Black pepper, peppermint, cardamom, cumin and marjoram completely inhibited aflatoxins production, while black pepper and cardamom also completely inhibited sterigmatocystin production.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.64 no.2
• /
• pp.343-352
• /
• 2022

Pig slaughterhouses harbor high humidity because of the necessary cleaning that takes place simultaneously with slaughter, which facilitates the existence of mold. Due to the enclosed space, there are several limitations to the control of mold growth with respect to cleaning, ventilation, and drying. In this study, the prevalence of fungi was investigated in four pig slaughterhouses in Korea. Four fungi (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium commune, Penicillium oxalicum, and Cladosporium cladosporioides) were detected with the highest frequency. These four strains were subjected to various treatments to reduce their growth. The fungi were inoculated onto stainless steel (SS) chips and treated with ultraviolet (UV)-C irradiation and hot water. Individual treatments with UV-C (15, 30, 90, 150, 300, and 600 mJ/cm²), and hot water (60, 65, 70, and 83℃) were performed to sanitize the SS chips. Simultaneous cleaning with 60℃ hot water and more than 150 mJ/cm² of UV-C reduced the fungal incidence by > 6.5 Log from 6.6-7.0 Log CFU/cm² (initial count). Our results demonstrate that a combined treatment of UV-C and hot water is the most economical and convenient way to prevent microbiological contamination of small tools (such as knives and sharpeners) and steel surfaces in slaughterhouses.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.13 no.9
• /
• pp.369-375
• /
• 2015

We investigated the prevalence of fungi isolated from a university-affiliated hospital during 6 years (2006-2011) to provide relevent information for the patient management. The general characteristics of the clinical isolates and gender, age, and type of specimens were analyzed. Among a total of 163,530 requested samples to culture for the Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Hospital in the Republic of Korea, 5,387 (3.3%) showd positive results for fungi. The most prevalent isolates were Candida albicans 41.9%, Candida glabrata 15.5%, and Candida tropicalis 14.6%. Total isolates of fungi increased from 526 in 2006 to 1,145 in 2011. They were most commonly isolated from sixties (27.0%) and seventies (26.5%). The most common clinical specimen was urine (44.8%). Males (52.4%) were slightly more than females (47.6%). In the future, a nationwide survey and additional antifungal convergence drugs susceptibility results will provide more useful information.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2019

Mycotoxin contamination is a global phenomenon and causes a wide array of negative effects and other complications. This study focused on commonly found mycotoxins in Africa and the possible means of prevention or reduction of their contaminating effects. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of mold and fungi; they are generally toxic to living organisms. Hundreds of mycotoxins have been identified thus far, with some, such as aflatoxins, ochratoxins, trichothecenes, zearalenone, fumonisins, and patulin, considered agro-economically important. Several factors contribute to the presence of mycotoxins in food, such as climatic conditions, pest infestation, and poor harvest and storage practices. Exposure to mycotoxins, which occurs mostly by ingestion, leads to various diseases, such as mycotoxicoses and mycoses that may eventually result in death. In light of this, this review of relevant literature focuses on mycotoxin contamination, as well as various methods for the prevention and control of their prevalence, to avert its debilitating consequences on human health. Clear evidence of mycotoxin contamination is present in Africa, and it was therefore recommended that adequate prevention and control of these toxic substances in our food system should be encouraged and that appropriate measures must be taken to ensure food safety as well as the enhanced or long-lifespan of the African populace. Governments, research institutions, and non-governmental organizations should tailor the limited resources available to tackle mycotoxin prevalence, as these will offer the best prospects for successful development of a sustainable food system in Africa.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.84-88
• /
• 2017

Background: Workers in slaughterhouses are exposed to a wide range of biological contaminants, such as bacteria and fungi, due to their working environment. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of respiratory disorders among workers in slaughterhouses. Methods: This study was conducted on 81 workers in slaughterhouses and 81 healthy office workers as a reference group. The American Thoracic Society standard respiratory symptoms questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of respiratory disorders. Besides, lung function tests were conducted using a calibrated spirometer at the beginning (preshift) and at the end (postshift) of the $1^{st}$ working day. Single-stage Anderson sampler was used to measure the concentration of bioaerosols in different parts of slaughterhouses. Results: The prevalence of respiratory disorders, such as cough, productive cough, breathlessness, phlegm, and wheezing, was 3.17, 4.02, 3.07, 4.66, and 3.94 times, respectively, higher among workers in slaughterhouses compared with the reference group. Conclusion: The prevalence of respiratory disorders was significantly higher among workers in slaughterhouses. Thus, the significant reduction in the percentage predicted lung function among workers in slaughterhouses might be associated with exposure to bioaerosols in their work environment.