Severe Disseminated Necrotizing and Granulomatous Lymphadenitis and Encephalitis in a Dog Due to Sporotrichum pruinosum (Teleomorph: Phanerochaete chrysosporium)

A 9-year-old female mixed breed dog presented for an acute onset of anorexia, vomiting, and cough. Initial examination and diagnostics revealed a large multilobular cranial mediastinal mass with unidentified fungal organisms on cytology. The disease progressed in spite of therapy until the dog was euthanized 8 months later. Gross necropsy findings were a large multilobular intrathoracic mass, mild pleuritis, and generalized lymphadenopathy. Histologic evaluation showed granulomatous inflammation and necrosis with numerous 20- to 70-micron, periodic acid–Schiff- and Gomori methenamine silver-positive spherules effacing lymph node parenchyma, as well as severe inflammation within the midbrain. Endosporulation was a common finding, and large numbers of fungal hyphae were also present in affected areas. Ribosomal RNA gene sequencing found 100% identity to published sequences of Phanerochaete chrysosporium, the teleomorph form of Sporotrichum pruinosum. This is the first published report of disease caused by natural infection with this basidiomycete organism in animals.

Enzymatic Biodegradation of Lignin-Cellulose Complex in Plant Origin Material

Lignin and cellulose are chemically hardly destructible complex polymeric materials of organic origin. The main enzymes of fungi taking part in lignin degradation are phenoloxidases: lignin peroxidase, Mn-peroxidase and lacase, while in cellulose - endoglucanase. The aim of the investigation was to define the degradation of lignin and cellulose in the later stages of fungi cultivation, to determine the activity of phenoloxidases and endoglucanase and their abilities to degrade this complex. It was shown that the greatest lignin and cellulose degradation was measured after Galactomyces geotrichum 012 30 and 60 cultivation days. Galactomyces geotrichum 012 showed the greatest peroxidase (68.13 a.u./g) and tyrosinase (0.33 c.u./g) activity, meanwhile laccase activity reached its peak (0.068 ext. coef.) after Sporotrichum pruinosum 60 cultivation days. The greatest endoglucanase activity was observed after Galactomyces geotrichum and Sporotrichum pruinosum in the course of whole cultivation period.http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.17.1.258

β-D-1, 3 GLUCANASES IN FUNGI

β-D-1,3 Glucanases are of common occurrence in fungi, being detected in the culture nitrates of 96% of the organisms tested in shake flasks and in the sporophores of six basidiomycetcs. The enzyme is constitutive. Basidiomycete QM 806 and Sporotrichum pruinosum QM 826 are excellent sources of β-D-1,3 glucanase of the exo-type giving glucose as the sole reducing product of laminarin hydrolysis. Rhizopus arrhizus QM 1032 produces a β-D-1,3 glucanase of the endo-type giving laminaribiose and higher oligosaccharides as the products of hydrolysis of β-D-1,3 glucans. By controlling the conditions of growth β-D-1,3 glucanases can be produced free of β-1,4 glucanase (cellulase).