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Reinhard Berndt - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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First catalogue of the rust fungi of French Guiana, northern South America
Mycological Progress, 2013Co-Authors: Reinhard BerndtAbstract:An annotated list of the rust fungi (Uredinales or Pucciniales) of French Guiana is presented. It enumerates 68 species of which 57 are new reports for the department and 3, Aecidium plukenetiae , Puccinia kourouensis and P. parianicola , are new to science. Dicheirinia guianensis and Hapalophragmium angylocalycis are excluded from the French Guianan Mycobiota. New host plants are reported for Batistopsora crucis-filii , B. pistila , Cerotelium ficicola , C. sabiceae , Crossopsora piperis , Desmella aneimiae , Endophyllum guttatum , Kweilingia divina , Puccinia lateritia , Uredo anthurii and Uromyces anguriae . Previously undescribed characters are presented for Achrotelium lucumae , Chaconia ingae , Cerotelium sabiceae , Prospodium amapaensis , Sphenospora smilacina and Uromyces wulffiae-stenoglossae . Chaconia ingae showed haustorial complexes comprising both intracellular hyphae and D-haustoria. In Cerotelium sabiceae , the haustorial mother cells retained the nuclei while D-haustoria were enucleate. The occurrence of these haustorial types in tropical rust fungi is discussed. Internal basidium formation is described for the first time in Sphenospora : teliospores of S. smilacina produced external or internal basidia. The species richness and composition of the French Guianan rust Mycobiota are discussed in a neotropical context.
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First catalogue of the rust fungi of French Guiana, northern South America
Mycological Progress, 2013Co-Authors: Reinhard BerndtAbstract:An annotated list of the rust fungi (Uredinales or Pucciniales) of French Guiana is presented. It enumerates 68 species of which 57 are new reports for the department and 3, Aecidium plukenetiae , Puccinia kourouensis and P. parianicola , are new to science. Dicheirinia guianensis and Hapalophragmium angylocalycis are excluded from the French Guianan Mycobiota. New host plants are reported for Batistopsora crucis-filii , B. pistila , Cerotelium ficicola , C. sabiceae , Crossopsora piperis , Desmella aneimiae , Endophyllum guttatum , Kweilingia divina , Puccinia lateritia , Uredo anthurii and Uromyces anguriae . Previously undescribed characters are presented for Achrotelium lucumae , Chaconia ingae , Cerotelium sabiceae , Prospodium amapaensis , Sphenospora smilacina and Uromyces wulffiae-stenoglossae . Chaconia ingae showed haustorial complexes comprising both intracellular hyphae and D-haustoria. In Cerotelium sabiceae , the haustorial mother cells retained the nuclei while D-haustoria were enucleate. The occurrence of these haustorial types in tropical rust fungi is discussed. Internal basidium formation is described for the first time in Sphenospora : teliospores of S. smilacina produced external or internal basidia. The species richness and composition of the French Guianan rust Mycobiota are discussed in a neotropical context.
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the rust Mycobiota of southern africa species richness composition and affinities
Fungal Biology, 2008Co-Authors: Reinhard BerndtAbstract:The rust Mycobiota (Uredinales, Basidiomycota) of southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa) is analysed with regard to species richness, generic composition, and similarities to the rust Mycobiotas of the remaining African continent and other regions of the world. Southern Africa is home to about 546 rust species: ca 522 species have been reported from South Africa, 73 from Namibia, and less than ten from Botswana. Thirty-two species were considered to be exotics. Two hundred and twenty-five of the species are restricted to southern Africa, suggesting an endemism rate of ca 44 %. At present, the rust fungus:host ratio is 1:38.5, which is much lower than expected from other regions of the world. This low ratio may partly be due to under-exploration of the area, but the results presented here indicate that a natural paucity of rust fungi on certain, especially species-rich plant taxa centred in southern Africa and possibly environmental factors are more important reasons. The predominant genera are Puccinia and Uromyces accounting for ca 59 % of the rust species. The genera Hemileia, Phakopsora and especially Ravenelia, centred in tropical regions, are well represented and sum up to 8 % of the species. Members of Melampsoraceae and Phragmidiaceae, common in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, are scarce. Most of the other 28 recorded teleomorph genera are only represented by three or less species. In an African context, most species are shared with central and east Africa (almost 16 %). Only a few species are disjunct between southern and West Africa or Madagascar. Ca 10 % of the species are shared only with other parts of the paleotropics, especially the Indian subcontinent. Disjunctions of native species with the New World, Australia/New Zealand, or Europe are rare.
David Underhill - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Expansion of commensal fungus Wallemia mellicola in the gastrointestinal Mycobiota enhances the severity of allergic airway disease in mice.
PLOS Pathogens, 2018Co-Authors: Joseph H. Skalski, Jose J. Limon, Purnima Sharma, Matthew Gargus, Timothy R. Crother, Ana Lucia Coelho, Cory M Hogaboam, Christopher Nguyen, Jie Tang, David UnderhillAbstract:The gastrointestinal microbiota influences immune function throughout the body. The gut-lung axis refers to the concept that alterations of gut commensal microorganisms can have a distant effect on immune function in the lung. Overgrowth of intestinal Candida albicans has been previously observed to exacerbate allergic airways disease in mice, but whether subtler changes in intestinal fungal microbiota can affect allergic airways disease is less clear. In this study we have investigated the effects of the population expansion of commensal fungus Wallemia mellicola without overgrowth of the total fungal community. Wallemia spp. are commonly found as a minor component of the commensal gastrointestinal Mycobiota in both humans and mice. Mice with an unaltered gut microbiota community resist population expansion when gavaged with W. mellicola; however, transient antibiotic depletion of gut microbiota creates a window of opportunity for expansion of W. mellicola following delivery of live spores to the gastrointestinal tract. This phenomenon is not universal as other commensal fungi (Aspergillus amstelodami, Epicoccum nigrum) do not expand when delivered to mice with antibiotic-depleted microbiota. Mice with Wallemia-expanded gut Mycobiota experienced altered pulmonary immune responses to inhaled aeroallergens. Specifically, after induction of allergic airways disease with intratracheal house dust mite (HDM) antigen, mice demonstrated enhanced eosinophilic airway infiltration, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine challenge, goblet cell hyperplasia, elevated bronchoalveolar lavage IL-5, and enhanced serum HDM IgG1. This phenomenon occurred with no detectable Wallemia in the lung. Targeted amplicon sequencing analysis of the gastrointestinal Mycobiota revealed that expansion of W. mellicola in the gut was associated with additional alterations of bacterial and fungal commensal communities. We therefore colonized fungus-free Altered Schaedler Flora (ASF) mice with W. mellicola. ASF mice colonized with W. mellicola experienced enhanced severity of allergic airways disease compared to fungus-free control ASF mice without changes in bacterial community composition.
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Expansion of commensal fungus Wallemia mellicola in the gastrointestinal Mycobiota enhances the severity of allergic airway disease in mice.
PLOS Pathogens, 2018Co-Authors: Joseph H. Skalski, Jose J. Limon, Purnima Sharma, Matthew Gargus, Timothy R. Crother, Ana Lucia Coelho, Cory M Hogaboam, Christopher Nguyen, Jie Tang, David UnderhillAbstract:The gastrointestinal microbiota influences immune function throughout the body. The gut-lung axis refers to the concept that alterations of gut commensal microorganisms can have a distant effect on immune function in the lung. Overgrowth of intestinal Candida albicans has been previously observed to exacerbate allergic airways disease in mice, but whether subtler changes in intestinal fungal microbiota can affect allergic airways disease is less clear. In this study we have investigated the effects of the population expansion of commensal fungus Wallemia mellicola without overgrowth of the total fungal community. Wallemia spp. are commonly found as a minor component of the commensal gastrointestinal Mycobiota in both humans and mice. Mice with an unaltered gut microbiota community resist population expansion when gavaged with W. mellicola; however, transient antibiotic depletion of gut microbiota creates a window of opportunity for expansion of W. mellicola following delivery of live spores to the gastrointestinal tract. This phenomenon is not universal as other commensal fungi (Aspergillus amstelodami, Epicoccum nigrum) do not expand when delivered to mice with antibiotic-depleted microbiota. Mice with Wallemia-expanded gut Mycobiota experienced altered pulmonary immune responses to inhaled aeroallergens. Specifically, after induction of allergic airways disease with intratracheal house dust mite (HDM) antigen, mice demonstrated enhanced eosinophilic airway infiltration, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine challenge, goblet cell hyperplasia, elevated bronchoalveolar lavage IL-5, and enhanced serum HDM IgG1. This phenomenon occurred with no detectable Wallemia in the lung. Targeted amplicon sequencing analysis of the gastrointestinal Mycobiota revealed that expansion of W. mellicola in the gut was associated with additional alterations of bacterial and fungal commensal communities. We therefore colonized fungus-free Altered Schaedler Flora (ASF) mice with W. mellicola. ASF mice colonized with W. mellicola experienced enhanced severity of allergic airways disease compared to fungus-free control ASF mice without changes in bacterial community composition.
Michael W Taylor - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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characterizing the human Mycobiota a comparison of small subunit rrna its1 its2 and large subunit rrna genomic targets
Frontiers in Microbiology, 2018Co-Authors: Michael Hoggard, Anna Vesty, Giselle Wong, Johanna M Montgomery, Chantelle Fourie, Richard G Douglas, Kristi Biswas, Michael W TaylorAbstract:Interest in the human microbiome has increased dramatically in the last decade. However, much of this research has focused on bacteria, while the composition and roles of their fungal counterparts remain less understood. Furthermore, a variety of methodological approaches have been applied, and the comparability between studies is unclear. This study compared four primer pairs targeting the small subunit (SSU) rRNA (18S), ITS1, ITS2, and large subunit (LSU) rRNA (26S) genomic regions for their ability to accurately characterize fungal communities typical of the human Mycobiota. All four target regions of 21 individual fungal mock community taxa were capable of being amplified adequately and sequenced. Mixed mock community analyses revealed marked variability in the ability of each primer pair to accurately characterize a complex community. ITS target regions outperformed LSU and SSU. Of the ITS regions, ITS1 failed to generate sequences for Yarrowia lipolytica and all three Malassezia species when in a mixed community. These findings were further supported in studies of human sinonasal and mouse fecal samples. Based on these analyses, previous studies using ITS1, SSU, or LSU markers may omit key taxa that are identified by the ITS2 marker. Of methods commonly used in human Mycobiota studies to date, we recommend selection of the ITS2 marker. Further investigation of more recently developed fungal primer options will be essential to ultimately determine the optimal methodological approach by which future human Mycobiota studies ought to be standardized.
Joseph H. Skalski - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Expansion of commensal fungus Wallemia mellicola in the gastrointestinal Mycobiota enhances the severity of allergic airway disease in mice.
PLOS Pathogens, 2018Co-Authors: Joseph H. Skalski, Jose J. Limon, Purnima Sharma, Matthew Gargus, Timothy R. Crother, Ana Lucia Coelho, Cory M Hogaboam, Christopher Nguyen, Jie Tang, David UnderhillAbstract:The gastrointestinal microbiota influences immune function throughout the body. The gut-lung axis refers to the concept that alterations of gut commensal microorganisms can have a distant effect on immune function in the lung. Overgrowth of intestinal Candida albicans has been previously observed to exacerbate allergic airways disease in mice, but whether subtler changes in intestinal fungal microbiota can affect allergic airways disease is less clear. In this study we have investigated the effects of the population expansion of commensal fungus Wallemia mellicola without overgrowth of the total fungal community. Wallemia spp. are commonly found as a minor component of the commensal gastrointestinal Mycobiota in both humans and mice. Mice with an unaltered gut microbiota community resist population expansion when gavaged with W. mellicola; however, transient antibiotic depletion of gut microbiota creates a window of opportunity for expansion of W. mellicola following delivery of live spores to the gastrointestinal tract. This phenomenon is not universal as other commensal fungi (Aspergillus amstelodami, Epicoccum nigrum) do not expand when delivered to mice with antibiotic-depleted microbiota. Mice with Wallemia-expanded gut Mycobiota experienced altered pulmonary immune responses to inhaled aeroallergens. Specifically, after induction of allergic airways disease with intratracheal house dust mite (HDM) antigen, mice demonstrated enhanced eosinophilic airway infiltration, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine challenge, goblet cell hyperplasia, elevated bronchoalveolar lavage IL-5, and enhanced serum HDM IgG1. This phenomenon occurred with no detectable Wallemia in the lung. Targeted amplicon sequencing analysis of the gastrointestinal Mycobiota revealed that expansion of W. mellicola in the gut was associated with additional alterations of bacterial and fungal commensal communities. We therefore colonized fungus-free Altered Schaedler Flora (ASF) mice with W. mellicola. ASF mice colonized with W. mellicola experienced enhanced severity of allergic airways disease compared to fungus-free control ASF mice without changes in bacterial community composition.
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Expansion of commensal fungus Wallemia mellicola in the gastrointestinal Mycobiota enhances the severity of allergic airway disease in mice.
PLOS Pathogens, 2018Co-Authors: Joseph H. Skalski, Jose J. Limon, Purnima Sharma, Matthew Gargus, Timothy R. Crother, Ana Lucia Coelho, Cory M Hogaboam, Christopher Nguyen, Jie Tang, David UnderhillAbstract:The gastrointestinal microbiota influences immune function throughout the body. The gut-lung axis refers to the concept that alterations of gut commensal microorganisms can have a distant effect on immune function in the lung. Overgrowth of intestinal Candida albicans has been previously observed to exacerbate allergic airways disease in mice, but whether subtler changes in intestinal fungal microbiota can affect allergic airways disease is less clear. In this study we have investigated the effects of the population expansion of commensal fungus Wallemia mellicola without overgrowth of the total fungal community. Wallemia spp. are commonly found as a minor component of the commensal gastrointestinal Mycobiota in both humans and mice. Mice with an unaltered gut microbiota community resist population expansion when gavaged with W. mellicola; however, transient antibiotic depletion of gut microbiota creates a window of opportunity for expansion of W. mellicola following delivery of live spores to the gastrointestinal tract. This phenomenon is not universal as other commensal fungi (Aspergillus amstelodami, Epicoccum nigrum) do not expand when delivered to mice with antibiotic-depleted microbiota. Mice with Wallemia-expanded gut Mycobiota experienced altered pulmonary immune responses to inhaled aeroallergens. Specifically, after induction of allergic airways disease with intratracheal house dust mite (HDM) antigen, mice demonstrated enhanced eosinophilic airway infiltration, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine challenge, goblet cell hyperplasia, elevated bronchoalveolar lavage IL-5, and enhanced serum HDM IgG1. This phenomenon occurred with no detectable Wallemia in the lung. Targeted amplicon sequencing analysis of the gastrointestinal Mycobiota revealed that expansion of W. mellicola in the gut was associated with additional alterations of bacterial and fungal commensal communities. We therefore colonized fungus-free Altered Schaedler Flora (ASF) mice with W. mellicola. ASF mice colonized with W. mellicola experienced enhanced severity of allergic airways disease compared to fungus-free control ASF mice without changes in bacterial community composition.
Prabhugouda Siriyappagouder - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The Intestinal Mycobiota in Wild Zebrafish Comprises Mainly Dothideomycetes While Saccharomycetes Predominate in Their Laboratory-Reared Counterparts
Frontiers in microbiology, 2018Co-Authors: Prabhugouda Siriyappagouder, Viswanath Kiron, Jep Lokesh, Moger Rajeish, Martina Kopp, Jorge M.o. FernandesAbstract:As an integral part of the resident microbial community of fish intestinal tract, the Mycobiota is expected to play important roles in health and disease resistance of the host. The composition of the diverse fungal communities, which colonize the intestine, is greatly influenced by the host, their diet and geographic origin. Studies of fungal communities are rare and majority of previous research have relied on culture-based methods. In particular, fungal communities in fish are also poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to provide an in-depth overview of the intestinal Mycobiota in a model fish species (zebrafish, Danio rerio) and to determine differences in fungal composition between wild and captive specimens. We have profiled the intestinal Mycobiota of wild-caught (Sharavati river, India), laboratory-reared (Bodo, Norway) and wild-caught-laboratory-kept (Uttara, India) zebrafish by sequencing the fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 region on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Wild fish were exposed to variable environmental factors, whereas both laboratory groups were kept in controlled conditions. There were also differences in husbandry practice between Bodo and Uttara, particularly diet, and zebrafish from Bodo were reared in the laboratory for over 10 generations, while wild-caught-laboratory-kept fish from Uttara were housed in the laboratory for only two months before sample collection. The intestine of zebrafish contained members of more than 15 fungal classes belonging to the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Zygomycota. Fungal species richness and diversity distinguished the wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish communities. Wild-caught zebrafish-associated Mycobiota comprised mainly Dothideomycetes in contrast to their Saccharomycetes-dominated laboratory-reared counterparts. The predominant Saccharomycetes in laboratory-reared fish belonged to the saprotrophic guild. Another characteristic feature of laboratory-reared fish was the significantly higher abundance of Cryptococcus (Trellomycetes) compared to wild fish. This pioneer study has shed light into the differences in the intestinal fungal communities of wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish and the baseline data generated will enrich our knowledge on fish Mycobiota.
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2018Co-Authors: Prabhugouda Siriyappagouder, Viswanath Kiron, Jep Lokesh, Moger Rajeish, Martina Kopp, Jorge FernandesAbstract:As an integral part of the resident microbial community of fish intestinal tract, the Mycobiota is expected to play important roles in health and disease resistance of the host. The composition of the diverse fungal communities, which colonize the intestine, is greatly influenced by the host, their diet and geographic origin. Studies of fungal communities are rare and the majority of previous studies have relied on culture-based methods. In particular, fungal communities in fish are also poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to provide an in-depth overview of the intestinal Mycobiota in a model fish species (zebrafish, Danio rerio) and to determine differences in fungal composition between wild and captive specimens. We have profiled the intestinal Mycobiota of wild-caught (Sharavati River, India), laboratory-reared (Bodø, Norway) and wild-caught-laboratory-kept (Uttara, India) zebrafish by sequencing the fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 region on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Wild fish were exposed to variable environmental factors, whereas both laboratory groups were kept in controlled conditions. There were also differences in husbandry practices at Bodø and Uttara, particularly diet. Zebrafish from Bodø were reared in the laboratory for over 10 generations, while wild-caught-laboratory-kept fish from Uttara were housed in the laboratory for only 2 months before sample collection. The intestine of zebrafish contained members of more than 15 fungal classes belonging to the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota. Fungal species richness and diversity distinguished the wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish communities. Wild-caught zebrafish-associated Mycobiota comprised mainly Dothideomycetes in contrast to their Saccharomycetes-dominated laboratory-reared counterparts. The predominant Saccharomycetes in laboratory-reared fish belonged to the saprotrophic guild. Another characteristic feature of laboratory-reared fish was the significantly higher abundance of Cryptococcus (Tremellomycetes) compared to wild fish. This pioneer study has shed light into the differences in the intestinal fungal communities of wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish and the baseline data generated will enrich our knowledge on fish Mycobiota.
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Table_1.PDF
2018Co-Authors: Prabhugouda Siriyappagouder, Viswanath Kiron, Jep Lokesh, Moger Rajeish, Martina Kopp, Jorge FernandesAbstract:As an integral part of the resident microbial community of fish intestinal tract, the Mycobiota is expected to play important roles in health and disease resistance of the host. The composition of the diverse fungal communities, which colonize the intestine, is greatly influenced by the host, their diet and geographic origin. Studies of fungal communities are rare and the majority of previous studies have relied on culture-based methods. In particular, fungal communities in fish are also poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to provide an in-depth overview of the intestinal Mycobiota in a model fish species (zebrafish, Danio rerio) and to determine differences in fungal composition between wild and captive specimens. We have profiled the intestinal Mycobiota of wild-caught (Sharavati River, India), laboratory-reared (Bodø, Norway) and wild-caught-laboratory-kept (Uttara, India) zebrafish by sequencing the fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 region on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Wild fish were exposed to variable environmental factors, whereas both laboratory groups were kept in controlled conditions. There were also differences in husbandry practices at Bodø and Uttara, particularly diet. Zebrafish from Bodø were reared in the laboratory for over 10 generations, while wild-caught-laboratory-kept fish from Uttara were housed in the laboratory for only 2 months before sample collection. The intestine of zebrafish contained members of more than 15 fungal classes belonging to the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota. Fungal species richness and diversity distinguished the wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish communities. Wild-caught zebrafish-associated Mycobiota comprised mainly Dothideomycetes in contrast to their Saccharomycetes-dominated laboratory-reared counterparts. The predominant Saccharomycetes in laboratory-reared fish belonged to the saprotrophic guild. Another characteristic feature of laboratory-reared fish was the significantly higher abundance of Cryptococcus (Tremellomycetes) compared to wild fish. This pioneer study has shed light into the differences in the intestinal fungal communities of wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish and the baseline data generated will enrich our knowledge on fish Mycobiota.
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The Intestinal Mycobiota in Wild Zebrafish Comprises Mainly Dothideomycetes While Saccharomycetes Predominate in Their Laboratory-Reared Counterparts
Frontiers Media S.A., 2018Co-Authors: Prabhugouda Siriyappagouder, Viswanath Kiron, Jep Lokesh, Moger Rajeish, Martina Kopp, Jorge FernandesAbstract:As an integral part of the resident microbial community of fish intestinal tract, the Mycobiota is expected to play important roles in health and disease resistance of the host. The composition of the diverse fungal communities, which colonize the intestine, is greatly influenced by the host, their diet and geographic origin. Studies of fungal communities are rare and the majority of previous studies have relied on culture-based methods. In particular, fungal communities in fish are also poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to provide an in-depth overview of the intestinal Mycobiota in a model fish species (zebrafish, Danio rerio) and to determine differences in fungal composition between wild and captive specimens. We have profiled the intestinal Mycobiota of wild-caught (Sharavati River, India), laboratory-reared (Bodø, Norway) and wild-caught-laboratory-kept (Uttara, India) zebrafish by sequencing the fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 region on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Wild fish were exposed to variable environmental factors, whereas both laboratory groups were kept in controlled conditions. There were also differences in husbandry practices at Bodø and Uttara, particularly diet. Zebrafish from Bodø were reared in the laboratory for over 10 generations, while wild-caught-laboratory-kept fish from Uttara were housed in the laboratory for only 2 months before sample collection. The intestine of zebrafish contained members of more than 15 fungal classes belonging to the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota. Fungal species richness and diversity distinguished the wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish communities. Wild-caught zebrafish-associated Mycobiota comprised mainly Dothideomycetes in contrast to their Saccharomycetes-dominated laboratory-reared counterparts. The predominant Saccharomycetes in laboratory-reared fish belonged to the saprotrophic guild. Another characteristic feature of laboratory-reared fish was the significantly higher abundance of Cryptococcus (Tremellomycetes) compared to wild fish. This pioneer study has shed light into the differences in the intestinal fungal communities of wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish and the baseline data generated will enrich our knowledge on fish Mycobiota
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The Intestinal Mycobiota in Wild Zebrafish Comprises Mainly Dothideomycetes While Saccharomycetes Predominate in Their Laboratory-Reared Counterparts
'Frontiers Media SA', 2018Co-Authors: Prabhugouda Siriyappagouder, Kiron Viswanath, Lokesh Jep, Rajeish Moger, Kopp, Martina Elisabeth Luise, Fernandes, Jorge Manuel De OliveiraAbstract:As an integral part of the resident microbial community of fish intestinal tract, the Mycobiota is expected to play important roles in health and disease resistance of the host. The composition of the diverse fungal communities, which colonize the intestine, is greatly influenced by the host, their diet and geographic origin. Studies of fungal communities are rare and majority of previous research have relied on culture-based methods. In particular, fungal communities in fish are also poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to provide an in-depth overview of the intestinal Mycobiota in a model fish species (zebrafish, Danio rerio) and to determine differences in fungal composition between wild and captive specimens. We have profiled the intestinal Mycobiota of wild-caught (Sharavati river, India), laboratory-reared (Bodø, Norway) and wild-caught-laboratory-kept (Uttara, India) zebrafish by sequencing the fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 region on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Wild fish were exposed to variable environmental factors, whereas both laboratory groups were kept in controlled conditions. There were also differences in husbandry practice between Bodø and Uttara, particularly diet, and zebrafish from Bodø were reared in the laboratory for over 10 generations, while wild-caught-laboratory-kept fish from Uttara were housed in the laboratory for only two months before sample collection. The intestine of zebrafish contained members of more than 15 fungal classes belonging to the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Zygomycota. Fungal species richness and diversity distinguished the wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish communities. Wild-caught zebrafish-associated Mycobiota comprised mainly Dothideomycetes in contrast to their Saccharomycetes-dominated laboratory-reared counterparts. The predominant Saccharomycetes in laboratory-reared fish belonged to the saprotrophic guild. Another characteristic feature of laboratory-reared fish was the significantly higher abundance of Cryptococcus (Trellomycetes) compared to wild fish. This pioneer study has shed light into the differences in the intestinal fungal communities of wild-caught and laboratory-reared zebrafish and the baseline data generated will enrich our knowledge on fish Mycobiota.publishedVersio
