Identification of some Pathogenic Organisms Involved in Rotting of the Libyan Tirmania Truffles

Truffles are ectomycorrhizal fungi that grow symbiotically with several trees. Truffles are highly valued edible mycorrhizae fungi in economic and gastronomic terms. Desert truffles have been traditionally used as food in Libya. The rotting of truffle due to environmental factors is very common in Libya. The mechanism of truffle rot is complex and attributed mainly due to the infection with fungi, followed by bacteria. In order to document and highlight the rotting of Libyan Desert truffle phenomenon, the existence of microorganisms in the infected fruit body of Tirmania truffles has been investigated. The investigations showed changes in physical characteristics such as color, hardness, and humidity of the studied truffle samples. Also, the results showed a diversity of pathogens involved in the deterioration of truffle includes bacteria (Bacillus pumilus, Citrobacteryoungea), saprophytic fungi (Fusarium solani, Alternariachlamydosporia, and Rhizopusstolonifer). This study concluded the importance of studying microbial flora living in truffle and their environment. Keywords: Libyan Desert truffle; Tirmania; Rotting; Pathogens

Phytonutrients and Antimicrobial Activities of Methanolic Extract from Hafr Al-Batin Truffles

The desert truffle is a wild mushroom, also referred to as Kamah or Fagaa. Kamah is a rich source of polysaccharides that have medicinal, antitumoral, antibacterial, and immune-stimulant effects. Studies of hypogeous fungi, especially desert truffles, have recently entered traditional studies of epigeous higher Basidiomycetes. Based on the tasty desert truffle Kamah obtained from Hafr Al-Batin Governorate, Saudi Arabia, as a source of potential antimicrobial agents with both the aim of obtaining novel agents toward bacteria and Fungi of clinical significance. We specifically tested the antibacterial and antifungal efficacy of methanol extracts of Kamah against the Gram-negative bacterial pathogens reference strains E. coli ATCC® 8739, P. Aeruginosa ATCC®9027, S. aureus ATCC®6538, Enterococci NCTC®775 and opportunistic fungus C. albicans ATCC®1231.The extract had MIC (minimum inhibitory concentrations) varying from 100 g/ml to 500 g/ml against the pathogens examined. The LC-QTOF-MS (liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry) phytoconstituents assay chromatogram indicated that the methanol extracts of Kamah comprises 264 with retention periods varying from 1.04 to 18.86, which were categorized as unsaturated and saturated natural ingredients sch as aromatic compounds, carboxylic acids, oxygenated hydrocarbons, fatty acids, amino acids, and vitamins).The main compounds were discovered to be 21 with peak areas larger than 2X10-5 and retention periods varying from 2.3 to 9.13.The main known substances with the maximum peaks were adenosine (11.724), phenylalanine (7.711), phenprobamate (7.711), and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5.711). Such preliminary findings, we assume, are encouraging in terms of obtaining a beneficial antibiotic substitute to battle antibiotic-resistant pathogens especially eye infections.

Molecular Docking Evaluation of the Desert Truffles as Potent Antifungal Inhibitors

The research investigated the possible antifungal behavior of forty-four truffles bioactive compounds conducted to investigate the interaction modes of these inhibitors against three different types of the fungal proteins: Candida albicans, Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Ganoderma microsporum. The applied method in contrast to ketoconazole and griseofulvin revealed the possible anti-fungal agents ergosterol, Catechin gallate and rutin. With respect to Candida Albicans, the maximum possible binding energy was ergosterol (-11.75 Kcal/mol), followed then by catechin gallate (-11.46 Kcal/mol) then rutin (-9.90 Kcal/mol). Compared to Blastomyces, Ganoderma microsporum fungal protein with most negative binding energy among other components of the truffle is found to be of a relatively similar behavior for the same compounds. Ergosterol demonstrated the highest binding capacity for dermatitidis, while rutin scored the lowest against Ganoderma microsporum. The possible anti-fungal components of desert truffle have yet to be studied in vitro in the future.

Morphological Characterization of the In Vitro Mycorrhizae Formed between Four Terfezia Species (Pezizaceae) with Cistus salviifolius and Cistus ladanifer—Towards Desert Truffles Production in Acid Soils

Terfezia species are obligate symbiotic partners of several xerophytic host plants, mainly belonging to the Cistaceae. Yet, their mycorrhizal associations with members of the genus Cistus remain poorly characterized and their potential application in desert truffle cultivation remains unexplored. This work provides the first anatomic descriptions of the mycorrhizae formed in vitro by four Terfezia species (i.e., T. arenaria; T. extremadurensis; T. fanfani, T. pini) with C. ladanifer and C. salviifolius, two of the most widespread and common Cistus species in acidic soils. All the tested associations resulted in the formation of ectomycorrhizae with well-developed Hartig net, but with a varying degree of mantle development. Our results also demonstrate that all the experimented Terfezia-Cistus combinations expressed high mycorrhization rates. Moreover, the present work shows that C. salviifolius and C. ladanifer are suitable plant hosts for Terfezia species, including some that are, to date, known to be only associated with annual herbs or tree species. This new evidence might aid in broadening the number of situations whereby Terfezia spp. can be cultivated in acid soils.