Review of Dactylosternum Wollaston, 1854 from China and Japan (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Sphaeridiinae)

The species of the genus Dactylosternum Wollaston, 1854 occurring in China and Japan are reviewed. Ten species are recognized to occur in China, two of which were also recorded from Japan. Four new species are described from China: Dactylosternum nanlingensis Mai et Jia, sp. nov. (Guangdong, Jiangxi) from fungal hyphae on fallen wood, D. songxiaobini Mai et Jia, sp. nov. (Guangxi) from fallen wood with termites, D. pseudolatum Mai et Jia, sp. nov. (Guangdong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hainan, Yunnan) and D. frater Mai et Jia, sp. nov. (Yunnan) from banana trees. Dactylosternum latum (Sharp, 1873) and D. salvazai Orchymont, 1925 are reported for the first time from China, and species recorded previously (D. abdominale (Fabricius, 1792), D. corbetti Balfour-Browne, 1942, D. hydrophiloides (MacLeay, 1825) and D. pui Jia, 2002) are redescribed or diagnosed. Dactylosternum abdominale (Fabricius, 1792) is confirmed to occur in Japan. Dactylosternum latum is only known from Japan based on type specimens believed to be collected in Nagasaki by G. Lewis in late 19th century; since the species was never re-collected in Japan later, its distribution in Japan seems doubtful. Dactylosternum vitalisi Orchymont, 1925 is synonymized with D. latum (Sharp, 1873), the variability of the latter species is discussed. We moreover found that the type series of D. vitalisi contains two species, with some paratypes actually belonging to D. pseudolatum Mai et Jia, sp. nov. All species of Dactylosternum living in China and Japan are diagnosed and illustrated and a key allowing their identification is provided. We infer that the compact antennal club and paralleled body form are characters related to the life inside of plant tissues, while loose antennal club and rounded body form is present in free living Dactylosternum species. The combination of characters for distinguishing Dactylosternum from other genera of Coelostomatini is also provided.

Acute Rhino-orbital-cerebral Mucormycosis in a Patient with COVID – 19

COVID-19 patients are known to have immunosuppression due to decreased lymphocytes and increased susceptibility to co-infections (Bacterial and fungal). We present a case of 61-year-old patient who had diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease with COVID-19 infection admitted after RT-PCR positive result. He developed rhino-orbital Mucormycosis during treatment. He received Remdesivir with parenteral Methylprednisolone and Meropenem. While admitted in the ward, he developed signs of orbital cellulitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, orbits, and paranasal sinuses revealed right frontal, ethmoidal, and maxillary sinusitis with the extension of the sinisuidal disease to the orbit. A nasal biopsy revealed broad aseptate filamentous fungal hyphae suggestive of Mucormycosis. Long-term use of steroids/monoclonal antibodies/broad-spectrum antibiotics may contribute to the predisposition to fungal disease. Early diagnosis and prompt management are warranted to avoid morbidity. Key Words: Mucormycosis, COVID – 19, Orbital Cellulitis.

Differences in clinical and imaging presentation of maxillary sinus fungus ball with and without intralesional hyperdensity

Maxillary sinus fungal balls (MSFBs) mostly occur in older individuals and demonstrate female predominance. Early diagnosis is important to avoid treatment delays. Intralesional hyperdensity (IH) indicates the presence of heavy metal deposition within fungal hyphae and has been the most specific characteristic of MSFB on computed tomography (CT). For those without IH on CT, the diagnosis of MSFB remains challenging. This study aimed to characterize clinical presentation of MSFB with and without IH and to study factors contributing to MSFB with no IH formation. We retrospectively identified 588 patients with MSFB. The clinical characteristics and CT findings were reviewed. Patients with unilateral MSFB had a mean age of 57.4 years and demonstrated female predominance (64.63%). The female-to-male ratio was highest at 51–60 years (2.02) and rose to 2.60 in MSFB with IH only. Compared to those with IH, MSFB without IH was significantly more common in males (OR = 2.49), in those with diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR = 1.87), adjacent maxillary odontogenic pathology (OR = 1.75). Complete opacification on CT was less common in MSFB without IH (OR = 0.60). Patients with MSFB without IH were more likely to have DM, no female predominance, adjacent maxillary odontogenic pathology, and partial opacification of the sinus, compared to those with IH. These may be helpful in better understanding of the formation of MSFBs without IH, early identification of them and prevention of post-operative recurrence.

Illuminate the hidden: in vivo mapping of microscale pH in the mycosphere using a novel whole-cell biosensor

The pH of an environment is both a driver and the result of diversity and functioning of microbial habitats such as the area affected by fungal hyphae (mycosphere). Here we used a novel pH-sensitive bioreporter, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803_peripHlu, and ratiometric fluorescence microscopy, to spatially and temporally resolve the mycosphere pH at the micrometre scale. Hyphae of the basidiomycete Coprionopsis cinerea were allowed to overgrow immobilised and homogeneously embedded pH bioreporters in an agarose microcosm. Signals of >700 individual cells in an area of 0.4 × 0.8 mm were observed over time and used to create highly resolved (3 × 3 µm) pH maps using geostatistical approaches. C. cinerea changed the pH of the agarose from 6.9 to ca. 5.0 after 48 h with hyphal tips modifying pH in their vicinity up to 1.8 mm. pH mapping revealed distinct microscale spatial variability and temporally stable gradients between pH 4.4 and 5.8 over distances of ≈20 µm. This is the first in vivo mapping of a mycosphere pH landscape at the microscale. It underpins the previously hypothesised establishment of pH gradients serving to create spatially distinct mycosphere reaction zones.

Maxillary necrosis by Mucormycosis: A Case Report

A 50-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes was referred to the hospital with a 4-week history of a facial redness that proceeded to significant midface ulceration and bilateral vision loss. Her nasal bridge was completely collapsed, she had naso-palatal ulceration with black eschars on the mucosa, and her fasting blood sugar was significantly increased. Her blood sugar was controlled with soluble insulin through sliding scale, and surgical debridement was performed, which revealed fungal hyphae on histo-pathological assessment. Ketoconazole, an antifungal drug, was commenced immediately. She progressed slowly but steadily after that and her wound became clear with fresh granulation tissue. Keywords: Mucormycosis, Uncontrolled diabetic mellitus

The factors that influence the reestablishment of Podocarpus totara (totara) and Dacrycarpus dacrydioides (kahikatea) in a freshwater New Zealand wetland

<p>Wetlands are productive transitional lands between terrestrial and aquatic systems. They provide social, economic and cultural values, while providing valuable services such as carbon storage, water purification, flood abatement and biodiversity support. While wetlands only cover ~3% of the globe, they contribute up to 40% of these global renewable ecosystem services. Worldwide degradation of wetlands through urbanisation, conversion to agriculture and flood management schemes has resulted in a 50% loss of the worlds original wetlands, with New Zealand being one of the most extreme examples of this with >90% of the original extent of wetlands being lost. Wetlands unique hydrology results in distinct plant zonation and community composition and seedling survival is the primary factor that influences stand structure and community composition. However, restoring degraded wetlands is challenging because the alterations to the hydrology through filling or diverting water will impact the effect of physical, chemical and biotic environmental variables on native plant establishment. The use of facilitation in restoration through successional planting using nurse trees, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is common in restoration, however research into the effectiveness of these techniques in wetland systems is lacking. This thesis is comprised of two studies with aims to determine the factors that had the biggest impact on the survival and growth of kahikatea and totara in Wairio wetland and inform future restoration. Wairio wetland has large isolated remnant kahikatea trees, so my first study focused on how these established trees and a connection to fungal hyphae networks influenced the survival and growth of newly planted saplings. One sapling of each species was planted at the dripline of the remnant tree, and another sapling of each species was planted 2 metres from that point. Out of the 16 remnant kahikatea trees used, 8 were ‘disturbance’ plots where saplings were planted in 35μm mesh bags that excluded roots but fungal hyphae could penetrate, in slotted pots which were turned every 3 months. In the 8 remaining ‘undisturbed’ plots, saplings were planted into the ground. I assessed the influence of distance and disturbance on sapling survival and growth using a chi-square test of independence and general linear models. Results showed that kahikatea trees survived better than totara overall. The survival of totara was significantly reliant on a close proximity to the remnant kahikatea, and a connection with mycorrhizal networks. Kahikatea had greater biomass than totara, however they suffered strong conspecific competition with the remnant trees, with kahikatea saplings planted at the dripline having 51.28g greater biomass with regular disturbance of AMF mycelium. Kahikatea trees are light demanding species, and therefore growing under the canopy of a parent tree has a negative impact on kahikatea saplings growth. Knowing that kahikatea and totara trees respond differently to nurse trees and AMF, my second study focused on how nurse effects and AMF association changes with chemical, physical and environmental stressors. The survival and growth of 5-year-old kahikatea and totara trees, with or without a nurse across 10 blocks in Wairio wetland were analysed. At each tree, soil moisture and root available nutrients were measured and soil cores were taken to determine gravimetric soil moisture, reduction-oxidation reaction (redox), pH, soil carbon content and I counted the presence of AMF spores in two size classes. I assessed tree survival and growth against these variables using a chi-squared test of independence and general linear models. The results of this study showed that kahikatea survived better than totara trees in the very wet blocks, where no other species survived. Totara trees survived in the upland sites of the wetland and had better growth than kahikatea trees. Moreover, totara trees grew 24cm taller in the presence of a nurse tree, and were strongly positively associated with spore number. Nurse trees further benefitted totara trees by increasing plant available soil nitrate and potassium by almost double.</p>

The factors that influence the reestablishment of Podocarpus totara (totara) and Dacrycarpus dacrydioides (kahikatea) in a freshwater New Zealand wetland

<p>Wetlands are productive transitional lands between terrestrial and aquatic systems. They provide social, economic and cultural values, while providing valuable services such as carbon storage, water purification, flood abatement and biodiversity support. While wetlands only cover ~3% of the globe, they contribute up to 40% of these global renewable ecosystem services. Worldwide degradation of wetlands through urbanisation, conversion to agriculture and flood management schemes has resulted in a 50% loss of the worlds original wetlands, with New Zealand being one of the most extreme examples of this with >90% of the original extent of wetlands being lost. Wetlands unique hydrology results in distinct plant zonation and community composition and seedling survival is the primary factor that influences stand structure and community composition. However, restoring degraded wetlands is challenging because the alterations to the hydrology through filling or diverting water will impact the effect of physical, chemical and biotic environmental variables on native plant establishment. The use of facilitation in restoration through successional planting using nurse trees, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is common in restoration, however research into the effectiveness of these techniques in wetland systems is lacking. This thesis is comprised of two studies with aims to determine the factors that had the biggest impact on the survival and growth of kahikatea and totara in Wairio wetland and inform future restoration. Wairio wetland has large isolated remnant kahikatea trees, so my first study focused on how these established trees and a connection to fungal hyphae networks influenced the survival and growth of newly planted saplings. One sapling of each species was planted at the dripline of the remnant tree, and another sapling of each species was planted 2 metres from that point. Out of the 16 remnant kahikatea trees used, 8 were ‘disturbance’ plots where saplings were planted in 35μm mesh bags that excluded roots but fungal hyphae could penetrate, in slotted pots which were turned every 3 months. In the 8 remaining ‘undisturbed’ plots, saplings were planted into the ground. I assessed the influence of distance and disturbance on sapling survival and growth using a chi-square test of independence and general linear models. Results showed that kahikatea trees survived better than totara overall. The survival of totara was significantly reliant on a close proximity to the remnant kahikatea, and a connection with mycorrhizal networks. Kahikatea had greater biomass than totara, however they suffered strong conspecific competition with the remnant trees, with kahikatea saplings planted at the dripline having 51.28g greater biomass with regular disturbance of AMF mycelium. Kahikatea trees are light demanding species, and therefore growing under the canopy of a parent tree has a negative impact on kahikatea saplings growth. Knowing that kahikatea and totara trees respond differently to nurse trees and AMF, my second study focused on how nurse effects and AMF association changes with chemical, physical and environmental stressors. The survival and growth of 5-year-old kahikatea and totara trees, with or without a nurse across 10 blocks in Wairio wetland were analysed. At each tree, soil moisture and root available nutrients were measured and soil cores were taken to determine gravimetric soil moisture, reduction-oxidation reaction (redox), pH, soil carbon content and I counted the presence of AMF spores in two size classes. I assessed tree survival and growth against these variables using a chi-squared test of independence and general linear models. The results of this study showed that kahikatea survived better than totara trees in the very wet blocks, where no other species survived. Totara trees survived in the upland sites of the wetland and had better growth than kahikatea trees. Moreover, totara trees grew 24cm taller in the presence of a nurse tree, and were strongly positively associated with spore number. Nurse trees further benefitted totara trees by increasing plant available soil nitrate and potassium by almost double.</p>

Screening of antimicrobial potential of methanolic, acetone and quencher extracts from Cladonia rangiformis Hoffm. and Cladonia pocillum Ach.

This study compared the efficacy of two species of lichen located in Tunisia belonging to <i>Cladonia rangiformis</i> and <i>Cladonia pocillum</i> species. The antibacterial and antifungal potentials of methanol, acetone and quencher extracts of <i>C. rangiformis</i> and <i>C. pocillum</i> and the lysozyme activity of both methanol extracts were investigated. The results showed that the examined extracts had antimicrobial properties against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and anti-Candida properties and that they also limited the spore germination of Penicillium and Aspergillus. Further results showed that the largest diameter of the inhibition zone was obtained by the methanolic extract of <i>C. pocillum</i> with 31 mm and 27.5 mm against <i>E. cloacae</i> and <i>E. coli</i>, respectively. MIC values of bactericidal and fungicidal activities of both Cladonia extracts ranged from 0.25 mg/mL to 2 mg/mL. <i>C. pocillum</i> possess superior lysozyme activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Furthermore, the methanol extract of both Cladonia showed a remarkable destructive effect on the morphology of fungal hyphae.