Heat resistant fungi isolated from soil.

The Thermal death time values (TDT) were estimated for Dichotomomyces cejpii, Gilmaniella humicola, Talaromyces avellaneus and Talaromyces bacillisporus isolated from soil. TDT values were compared with the TDT values of the known heat-resistant species, Byssochlamys nivea, Neosartorya fischeri and Talaromyces flavus. All species studied showed considerable heat resistance. The most resistant species Talaromyces avellaneus (172 cfu, initial concentration) of the isolates with unknown heat resistance withstood 90 degrees C for 10 min. Byssochlamys nivea appeared to be the most sensitive species under our experimental conditions.

Effect of mycotoxins on in vitro movement of tracheal cilia from one-day-old chicks.

The effect of 11 mycotoxins on the ciliary movement of tracheal epithelium from one-day-old chicks in vitro was examined. Sterigmatocystin and diacetoxyscirpenol were most ciliostatically active in vitro; the ciliostatic effect was observed after 2 d if the amount concentration was 30 micrograms/L. In contrast, patulin stopped the movement of cilia after 2 d only if its concentration was 20 mg/L.

Heat resistance of fungi from soil.

The survival of fungi from soil samples has been investigated after exposure to temperatures of 60, 70, 80 and 90 degrees C in Sabouraud agar. The least resistant fungi surviving 60 degrees C for 60 min were the Aspergillus (A.) niger group, Chaetomium spp, Penicillium spp, and Scytalidium lignicola. None of these survived 70 degrees C for 10 min. The next group surviving 70 degrees C for 60 min included the A. glaucus group, Byssochlamys nivea, Dichotomomyces cejpii, Gelasinospora spp, Rhizoctonium spp, and Talaromyces flavus; they did not survive 80 degrees C for 10 min. At 80 degrees C for 60 min, survival was seen for Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, Eupenicillium baarnense and Ulocladium spp; they did not survive 10 min at 90 degrees C. Acremonium sclerotigenum, Aspergillus ochraceus, Botryotrichum piluliferum, Byssochlamys fulva, Gilmaniella humicola, Neosartorya fischeri, Nodulisporium sp. and Talaromyces avellaneus survived heat treatment at 90 degrees C for 10 min and longer time with the two last being the most resistant. The phenomen of activation of dormant spores by thermal shock was not apparent.

Heat-resistant fungi in the soil.

The occurrence of heat-resistant fungi has been demonstrated in samples of soil from the Slovak Republic. The heat-resistant species isolated were Byssochlamys nivea, Dichotomomyces cejpii, Eupenicillium baarnense, Neosartorya fischeri, Talaromyces avellaneus, Tal. bacillisporus, Tal. emersonii, Tal. flavus, Tal. trachyspermus, Tal. wortmanii, Botryotrichum piluliferum, Gilmaniella humicola and Nodulisporium sp. Some of them were isolated for the first time from Czechoslovakian soil. For the various soil samples examined, the occurrence of heat-resistant fungi varied qualitatively and quantitatively. Further research is needed to identify conditions affecting the occurrence of heat-resistant fungi in soil.

Isolated Crohn's disease of the appendix. Two case reports and a review of the literature.

Two patients were diagnosed and treated at St Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center, Youngstown, Ohio, for isolated Crohn's disease of the appendix. Including these two patients, 75 such patients have been described in the world literature from 1953 to July 1986, to our knowledge. Crohn's disease of the appendix should be considered in patients who are in their second and third decades of life, who have pain and tenderness in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen, and whose symptoms are protracted (longer than three days) and/or recurrent. Intraoperatively, if the appendiceal wall appears hypertrophic, thickened, and chronically inflamed, a frozen section may confirm the diagnosis. Crohn's disease of the appendix is a diagnosis of exclusion. Appendectomy may be performed safely and has a low morbidity and mortality. The incidence of enterocutaneous fistula and the recurrence rate are much lower than for Crohn's disease of the small and large bowel.