Suberose- a Doença Profissional mais Portuguesa

Introduction/ background/ objectives Portugal is the world’s largest producer of cork. It is derived from the cork oak (quercus suber) and consists of dead cells with cellulose. The tasks with the highest load are usually assigned to the male and the most repetitive to the female; this implies a different occupational exposure, meaning that exposures of higher risk generally occur almost exclusively in male positions. The first reference to Suberose (cork = suber) was in 1947. However, most studies in the sector were carried out in companies with good working conditions, so the conclusions may not be easily extrapolated to most cork workers. The aim of this bibliographic review is to summarize the most relevant information about the topic. Methodology This is a Bibliographic Review, initiated through a survey conducted in October 2020 in the databases “CINALH plus with full text, Medline with full text, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Methodology Register, Nursing and Allied Health Collection: comprehensive, MedicLatina and RCAAP ”. Content The first articles related to the Cork sector highlight the role that some microorganisms have, like Penicillium glabrum (formerly known as frequentans); more recent documents add Chrysonilia Sitophila and Mucor. In places with less humidity the fungal concentration decreases. Workers with Suberosis had skin reactions to the fungus in question and the inhalation of the respective aerosols caused the characteristic symptoms. Some authors also believe that some mites may have some relevance in cork asthma (such as P notatum, Cladosporium, A fumigatus, Alternaria alternata, Acarus siro and Tyrophagus putrescentiae). The suberin found abundantly in cork, may also be associated with some symptoms. Workers are also exposed to cork dust; yet it is less prevalent in the workplace than fungi. Suberose is a pathology of the pulmonary interstitium caused by repeated exposure to dust and mold from cork; in fact, it is the most prevalent disease of the pulmonary interstitium in the north of the country. However, Asthma may also be associated with a lower prevalence. Depending on the size of the fungal spores, Asthma or Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis will be more likely, that is, if smaller (1 to 2 micromers), an alveolar response (alveolitis) will appear more frequently; if larger, a bronchial response, like asthma, can occur. Conclusions The cork industry is reasonably developed in some areas of the country, but knowledge about Suberosis is not always abundant. It would be relevant that all professionals in the Occupational Health Teams with clients in this area were comfortable in the way how to approach the sector; in addition, it is very relevant to develop recent research, disseminating it internationally, not least because Portugal is the country that most developed the sector, worldwide.

Isolation of cellulolytic chrysonilia sitophila from tribolium ferrugineum

El hongo Chrysonilia sitophila fue aislado a partir de macerados del insecto Tribolium ferrugineum, encontrado en muestras de cáscaras de arroz procedentes del Estado de Goias, en Brasil.Se encontró que C. sitophila presenta actividad celulolítica, la que fue determinada por el método de Smith, utilizando el medio de Petterson’s y celluloseazure como fuente de carbono. Por otra parte se determinó en el hongo la composición de aminoácidos esenciales.Se discuten además las posibles interrelaciones entre C sitophila y T. ferrugineum.

Chrysonilia sitophila: Growth on Different Culture Media and Sensitivity to Antifungals

The species Chrysonilia sitophila has a cosmopolitan spread, living on dead or rotting plants, but it is also isolated from home and commercial spaces insulation. The aim of our study was to determining a growth pattern and assessing the susceptibility to different antifungals. The strain was isolated from the water of a trout breeding pool where high mortality due to Saprolegnia infection and various Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria occurred. On all used culture media (except for MacConkey), rapid growth is observed (tendency to spread over the entire surface of the plate in 36-48 hours). The isolated strain has been shown to be sensitive to ketoconazole, econazole, and miconazole; less sensitive to amphotericin B, but resistant to metronidazole, nystatin, griseofulvin and flucytosine. Chrysonilia sitophila can be grown easily, so it can also establish an antifungal sensitivity profile. Additional efforts should be made to study the pattern of susceptibility to different antifungals.

Assessment of exposure to the Penicillium glabrum complex in cork industry using complementing methods / Ocjena izloženosti kompleksu Penicillium glabrum u proizvodnji pluta s pomoću komplementarnih metoda

Cork oak is the second most dominant forest species in Portugal and makes this country the world leader in cork export. Occupational exposure to Chrysonilia sitophila and the Penicillium glabrum complex in cork industry is common, and the latter fungus is associated with suberosis. However, as conventional methods seem to underestimate its presence in occupational environments, the aim of our study was to see whether information obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a molecular-based method, can complement conventional findings and give a better insight into occupational exposure of cork industry workers. We assessed fungal contamination with the P. glabrum complex in three cork manufacturing plants in the outskirts of Lisbon using both conventional and molecular methods. Conventional culturing failed to detect the fungus at six sampling sites in which PCR did detect it. This confirms our assumption that the use of complementing methods can provide information for a more accurate assessment of occupational exposure to the P. glabrum complex in cork industry.

Characterization of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Decomposing Fungi Isolated from Mangrove Rhizosphere

The research was done to obtain the isolates of soil borne fungi isolated from mangrove rhizosphere which were capable of degrading petroleum hydrocarbon compounds. The soil samples were collected from South Sumatra mangrove forest which was contaminated by petroleum. The isolates obtained were selected based on their ability to survive, to grow and to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in medium containing petroleum residue. There were 3 isolates of soil borne hydrocarbonoclastic fungi which were able to degrade petroleum in vitro. The 3 isolates were identified as Aspergillus fumigates, A. parasiticus, and Chrysonilia sitophila. C. sitophila was the best isolate to decrease total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) from medium containing 5-20% petroleum residue.Keywords: Hydrocarbonoclastic fungi, hydrocarbon compounds, mangrove rhizosphere

Endo-β-D-1,4-mannanase fromChrysonilia sitophiladisplays a novel loop arrangement for substrate selectivity

The crystal structure of wild-type endo-β-D-1,4-mannanase (EC 3.2.1.78) from the ascomyceteChrysonilia sitophila(CsMan5) has been solved at 1.40 Å resolution. The enzyme isolated directly from the source shows mixed activity as both an endo-glucanase and an endo-mannanase. CsMan5 adopts the (β/α)8-barrel fold that is well conserved within the GH5 family and has highest sequence and structural homology to the GH5 endo-mannanases. Superimposition with proteins of this family shows a unique structural arrangement of three surface loops of CsMan5 that stretch over the active centre, promoting an altered topography of the binding cleft. The most relevant feature results from the repositioning of a long loop at the extremity of the binding cleft, resulting in a shortened glycone-binding region with two subsites. The other two extended loops flanking the binding groove produce a narrower cleft compared with the wide architecture observed in GH5 homologues. Two aglycone subsites (+1 and +2) are identified and a nonconserved tryptophan (Trp271) at the +1 subsite may offer steric hindrance. Taken together, these findings suggest that the discrimination of mannan substrates is achieved through modified loop length and structure.

Occupational Asthma Induced by Chrysonilia sitophila in a Worker Exposed to Coffee Grounds

ABSTRACT A new case of occupational asthma caused by Chrysonilia sitophila (asexual state of Neurospora sitophila) was diagnosed by molecular identification of the mold and confirmed by skin prick test, peak expiratory flow rate measurements, and experimental immunoglobulin E analysis.