FDA Emergency Use Authorization-Approved Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019, Pressure-Regulated, Mechanical Ventilator Splitter That Enables Differential Compliance Multiplexing.

Infection with the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may cause viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Treatment of ARDS often requires mechanical ventilation and may take weeks for resolution. In areas with a large outbreaks, there may be shortages of ventilators available. While rudimentary methods for ventilator splitting have been described, given the range of independent ventilatory settings required for each patient, this solution is suboptimal. Here, we describe a device that can split a ventilator among up to four patients while allowing for individualized settings. The device has been validated in vitro and in vivo .

Surgical Management of Frontal Bone Fractures.

INTRODUCTION: Frontal bone fractures show a low frequency of occurrence of about 5% to 15% of all maxillofacial fractures occurring due to high-velocity injuries such as in the case of road traffic accidents, sporting events, assaults. Successful surgical management revolves around the concept of minimizing cosmetic deformity, maintaining normal sinus function, avoidance of short and long-term complications. In this article, the authors report a case series of 24 cases of frontal bone fracture treated with various treatment modalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 24 cases of frontal bone fracture admitted to our facility were treated accordingly and the subsequent follow up data were collected and compiled to be included in this study. RESULTS: In our study, 83.33% cases showed isolated anterior table fractures, 8.3% cases with combined anterior and posterior table fractures. 40% cases managed conservatively, 41.6% with titanium mini plates, 12.5% cases with titanium mesh and 4% with cranialisation with fat obliteration. CONCLUSION: Our treatment decisions were based upon the extent and severity of the injuries which aided in tailoring the treatment modality. Thereby, curbing the long-term complications which could be foreseen and hence, a better functional outcome was achieved.

Dactuliophora mysorensis sp. nov.: A New Species of Mycelia Sterilia Causing Zonate Leaf Spot on Cowpea in India.

Cowpea is an important pulse crop extensively grown in arid and semi-arid tropics which is affected by a number of diseases. Fungi belonging to mycelia sterilia are known to cause many diseases on cereals and pulses. During the cowpea field survey in Mysore District of Karnataka (India), Dactuliophora sp. was identified as the major pathogen causing zonate leaf spot (ZLS) disease. The fungal pathogen was isolated from naturally infected cowpea leaves and identified as a member belongs to the genus Dactuliophora, which was previously described by CLA Leakey in the year 1964 on Vigna unguiculata from Africa. However, detailed morphological and cultural examinations of the pathogen revealed striking differences from that of D. tarrii. Based on differences in morphology with D. tarrii, a new species Dactuliophora mysorensis sp. nov. is described herein. The disease incidence as well as disease index was estimated for 3 years (2016-2018). The severity of the disease was high during August-November. High incidence and disease index of ZLS was recorded in Doddamaragowdanahally region. The pathogenicity tests demonstrated similar symptoms of ZLS. The ITS barcoding revealed that the pathogen is closely related to Rhizoctonia bataticola and Macrophomina phaseolina. Further, in vitro evaluation of fungicides was carried out by poisoned food technique. Among the five fungicides examined, only two systemic fungicides (Benomyl and Carbendazim) were effective against D. mysorensis. Thus, the present study recommends Benomyl and Carbendazim for management of ZLS disease caused by D. mysorensis.

Effect of electron-beam irradiation on antimicrobial, antibiofilm activity, and cytotoxicity of mouth rinses.

BACKGROUND: Oral health diseases are common in all regions of the world. Mouth rinses are widely used generally by population as a port of daily oral care regimen. In addition to antimicrobial activity, mouth rinses possess certain cytotoxic effects. Electron-beam (E-beam) radiation is a form of ionizing energy known to induce structural, physical, and chemical changes in irradiated products. In this study, the modulatory effects of E-beam in irradiated mouth rinses were evaluated for its biological activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antimicrobial activities of nonirradiated and irradiated mouth rinses were evaluated for its antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against oral pathogens, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by disc diffusion method and antibiofilm activity was evaluated by O'Toole method. The cytotoxicity was evaluated against human gingival fibroblast (HGF) cells by 3-(4, 5 Dimethythiazol-yl)-2,5-Diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay. RESULTS: Colgate Plax (CP) exhibited the antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogens, and a significant (P< 0.05) increase was observed against S. aureus at 750 Gy irradiation. Further, CP significantly (P< 0.05) suppressed S. mutans, S. aureus, and C. albicans biofilm. Listerine (LS) inhibited S. mutans and C. albicans biofilm. Whereas irradiated CP and LS significantly (P< 0.05) suppressed the biofilm formed by oral pathogens. The suppression of biofilm by irradiated mouth rinses was dose- and species-dependent. There was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in the cytotoxicity of irradiated and nonirradiated mouth rinses on HGF cells. However, an increased percentage viability of HGF cells was observed by mouth rinses irradiated at 750 Gy.xs CONCLUSION: The E-beam irradiation enhanced the antibiofilm activity of mouth rinses without modifying the cytotoxicity.

Antimicrobial activity and stability of electron beam irradiated dental irrigants.

BACKGROUND: The electron beam (e-beam) radiation is considered as an effective means of sterilization of healthcare products as well as to induce the structural changes in the pharmaceutical agents/drug molecules. In addition to structural changes of pharmaceutical it also induces the formation of low molecular weight compounds with altered microbiological, physicochemical and toxicological properties. Among the several known medicaments, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) are used as irrigants in dentistry to kill the pathogenic microorganisms like Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans inhabiting the oral cavity. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and stability of e-beam irradiated dental irrigants, NaOCl and CHX. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two dental irrigants NaOCl (1.25% and 2.5%) and CHX (1% and 2%) were exposed to various doses of e-beam radiation. The antimicrobial activities of e-beam irradiated irrigants were compared with the non-irradiated (control) irrigants against E. faecalis, S. aureus, S. mutans and C. albicans by disc diffusion method. Following the storage, physico-chemical properties of the irrigants were recorded and the cytotoxic effect was evaluated on human gingival fibroblast cells. RESULT: The irrigants, 1.25% NaOCl and 1% CHX showed significantly increased antimicrobial activity against both E. faecalis, (16+0.0) and S. aureus (25+0.0) after irradiation with 1 kGy e-beam. Whereas, 2.5% NaOCl and 2% CHX showed slightly increased antimicrobial activity only against S. aureus (28+0.0). The significant difference was noticed in the antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of irradiated and non-irradiated irrigants following the storage for 180 d at 4(0)C. CONCLUSION: The e-beam irradiation increased the antimicrobial activity of irrigants without altering the biocompatibility.

Assemblage and diversity of fungi on wood and seaweed litter of seven northwest portuguese beaches.

Three hundred and fifty woody litter and one hundred and forty seaweed litter sampled from seven beaches of Northwest Portugal were assessed for the filamentous fungal assemblage and diversity. The woody litter was screened for fungi up to 42 months using damp chamber incubation. They consisted of 36 taxa (ascomycetes, 21; basidiomycetes, 3; anamorphic taxa, 12) comprising 10 core group taxa (≥10%) (ascomycetes, 8; basidiomycete, 1; anamorphic taxa, 1). The total fungal isolates ranged between 150 and 243, while the number of fungal taxa per wood ranged between 3 and 4.9. The seaweed litter was screened up to four months in damp chamber incubation. They encompassed 29 taxa (ascomycetes, 16; basidiomycetes, 2; anamorphic taxa, 11) comprising 15 core group taxa (ascomycetes, 9; basidiomycete, 1; anamorphic taxa, 5). Total fungal isolates ranged between 56 and 120, while the number of fungal taxa per seaweed segment ranged between 4.8 and 6.3. Fifteen taxa of ascomycetes, two of basidiomycetes, and four anamorphic taxa were common to wood and seaweed litter. On both the substrates, two arenicolous fungi Arenariomyces trifurcates and Corollospora maritima were the predominant fungi (72.6-85.9%). The species abundance curves showed higher frequency of occurrence of fungal taxa in seaweed than woody litter. Our study revealed rich assemblage and diversity of marine fungi on wood and seaweed litter of Northwest Portugal beaches. The fungal composition and diversity of this survey have been compared with earlier investigations on marine fungi of Portugal coast.

Maxillectomy through mandibulotomy--a retrospective clinical review.

PURPOSE: To review retrospectively the benefits of using mandibulotomy as an access for tumors involving the maxilla and infratemporal fossa. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-four consecutive patients with tumors involving the maxilla and infratemporal fossa underwent maxillectomy through mandibular access osteotomy. Patient details and postoperative follow-up were reviewed and recorded. Postoperative complications such as neural morbidity and problems relevant to the procedure were evaluated. Ethical clearance from the medical practices board of the hospital was not required for this study. RESULTS: All but 1 patient underwent en bloc resection of the maxillary tumor with a histologically negative margin. One patient with adenoid cystic carcinoma had a positive orbital margin. Residual mouth opening smaller than 2.5 cm was observed in 4 patients. Healing of the osteotomy site was satisfactory in 21 patients. Three patients had osteotomy-related complications that required secondary intervention. Neural morbidity was temporary and cosmetic outcome of the procedure was excellent. CONCLUSION: Mandibular access osteotomy is an acceptable approach to tumors involving the maxilla and infratemporal fossa. The advantages of wide exposure, minimal morbidity, and good cosmesis make it superior to the conventional panfacial approach. This article highlights the advantages of this procedure and discusses conventional approaches with review of the literature.

Microbacterium arthrosphaerae sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of the pill millipede Arthrosphaera magna Attems.

A Gram-reaction-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain CC-VM-Y(T), was isolated from the faeces of the pill millipede Arthrosphaera magna Attems from India and was subsequently studied to determine its taxonomic position. Based on16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, the isolate clearly grouped with members of the genus Microbacterium. On the basis of pairwise comparisons of the 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain CC-VM-Y(T) was most closely related to Microbacterium insulae DS-66(T) (98 %), Microbacterium hydrocarbonoxydans DSM 160809(T) (97.8 %) and Microbacterium hominis NBRC 15708(T) (97.9 %). The peptidoglycan contained the amino acids ornithine (Orn), alanine (Ala), glycine (Gly), homoserine (Hsr) and glutamic acid (Glu) in an approximate molar ratio of 1.0 : 0.8 : 2.2 : 0.8 : 0.3. In addition, substantial amounts of threo-3-hydroxy glutamic acid (Hyg) were detected, which is characteristic of peptidoglycan type B2ß. The acyl type of the peptidoglycan was glycolyl. The menaquinones of strain CC-VM-Y(T) were MK-13 (72 %), MK-12 (25 %) and MK-11 (3 %). The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, one unknown phospholipid and one unknown glycolipid. The fatty acid profile comprised anteiso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0) and anteiso-C(17 : 0) as the major fatty acids, which was congruent with fatty acid profiles of other members of the genus Microbacterium. The results of physiological and biochemical tests as well as DNA-DNA hybridizations with the most closely related species, M. insulae, M. hydrocarbonoxydans and M. hominis, revealed clear phenotypic and genotypic differences between strain CC-VM-Y(T) and other members of the genus Microbacterium. Based on these results, strain CC-VM-Y(T) ( = DSM 22421(T)  = CCM 7681(T)) represents a new species of the genus Microbacterium, for which the name Microbacterium arthrosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed.

Chryseobacterium arthrosphaerae sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of the pill millipede Arthrosphaera magna Attems.

A bacterial strain (CC-VM-7T), isolated from the faeces of the pill millipede Arthrosphaera magna Attems collected in India, was studied to determine its taxonomic allocation. Cells stained Gram-negative and were rod-shaped. Comparative analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of the strain with those of the most closely related species clearly suggested allocation to the genus Chryseobacterium, with the highest sequence similarities of 99.2% to Chryseobacterium gleum CCUG 14555T, 98.6% to Chryseobacterium indologenes CCUG 14556T and 98.4% to Chryseobacterium aquifrigidense KCTC 12894T. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to all other species of the genus Chryseobacterium were below 98%. The major whole-cell fatty acids were iso-C15:0 and iso-C17:1omega9c. DNA-DNA hybridization resulted in relatedness values of only 29.6% (reciprocal 31.3%) to Chryseobacterium gleum CCUG 14555T, 41.2% (reciprocal 38.8%) to C. indologenes CCUG 14556T and 35.4% (reciprocal 38.5%) to C. aquifrigidense KCTC 12894T. DNA-DNA relatedness, biochemical and chemotaxonomic properties clearly show that strain CC-VM-7T represents a novel species, for which the name Chryseobacterium arthrosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CC-VM-7T (=CCUG 57618T =CCM 7645T).

Nutritional and biological qualities of the ripened beans of Canavalia maritima from the coastal sand dunes of India.

Raw and pressure-cooked ripened beans of Canavalia maritima were assessed for nutritional quality. The beans possess high protein, carbohydrate, fiber and energy contents. Potassium, magnesium, zinc and manganese of the raw and cooked beans meet NRC/NAS recommended pattern for infants. The essential amino acids (threonine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine/phenylalanine and lysine) in raw and cooked ripened beans fulfill the FAO/WHO/UNU recommended pattern for adults. Oleic acid in raw beans and linolenic acid in cooked beans were highest and linoleic and arachidonic acids were confined to raw beans. Cooking lowered the total phenolics, while tannins were negligible and devoid of orthodihydric phenols and trypsin inhibitors. Hemagglutinating activity decreased up to 50% in cooked beans. Rats fed with a pressure-cooked bean diet showed significant elevation of all growth and nitrogen balance parameters (P<0.05) than the rats which received the raw bean diet. The low protein quality of beans warrants appropriate thermal processing to eliminate antinutritional factors.

Improved coverage of fungal diversity in polluted groundwaters by semi-nested PCR.

Traditional methods used for studying communities of aquatic hyphomycetes are based on the detection and identification of their asexual spores under a microscope. These techniques limit detection to aquatic fungi present in sufficient quantity and capable of sporulating under laboratory conditions. Our objective was to develop a molecular approach to detect and monitor all types of fungi (i.e. strictly or facultatively aquatic) in harsh habitats (i.e. groundwater wells and heavily polluted surface water) where fungal biomass may become limited. We developed a semi-nested PCR protocol for fungal 18S ribosomal RNA genes coupled to subsequent analysis of the PCR products by Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (TGGE) to monitor the fungal community structure in aquatic habitats characterized by a pollution gradient. Our TGGE-protocol was compared with the traditional morphological approach and revealed a higher diversity in groundwaters and in some polluted surface waters. Thus, PCR-TGGE is a promising alternative in particular in habitats with low fungal biomass. The dynamics of fungal biomass and sporulation rates during the first weeks of leaf colonization showed that habitats with adverse ecological conditions allow only reduced fungal growth, which might subsequently impact upper trophic levels and thus interfere with key ecological processes of leaf decomposition.

Aquatic hyphomycete communities as potential bioindicators for assessing anthropogenic stress.

With a profound knowledge of how physico-chemical parameters affect these communities, microbial communities could be used as indicators for environmental changes and for risk assessment studies. We studied aquatic hyphomycete communities in rivers and aquifers from sites shaped by intense mining activities (namely the "Mansfeld region") and chemical industry (cities of Halle and Bitterfeld) in Central Germany. Environmental stress factors such as high concentrations of heavy metals, sulphate, and nitrate as well as low concentrations of oxygen significantly reduced the diversity and biomass of hyphomycetes in the investigated samples. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicates that variations in water chemistry cause a significant proportion of the change in fungal community structure (86.2%). Fungi were negatively correlated with high metal and nutrient concentrations. RDA also showed a strong influence of organic matter on individual species, with Anguillospora longissima (Sacc. et Syd.), Clavatospora longibrachiata (Ingold), Clavariopsis aquatica (De Wild), Flagellospora curvula (Ingold), Heliscus lugdunensis (Sacc. et Thérry), Tumularia aquatica (Ingold) and Lemonniera aquatica (De Wild) being most sensitive. We propose that aquatic hyphomycete communities can be used as sensitive and integrative indicators for freshwater quality.

Transfer of [Flexibacter] sancti, [Flexibacter] filiformis, [Flexibacter] japonensis and [Cytophaga] arvensicola to the genus Chitinophaga and description of Chitinophaga skermanii sp. nov.

Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of species currently assigned to the genus Flexibacter has shown extensive intrageneric phylogenetic heterogeneity. It has been shown in previous studies that the species [Flexibacter] sancti, [Flexibacter] filiformis and [Flexibacter] japonensis were most closely related to Chitinophaga pinensis. In addition, [Cytophaga] arvensicola and species of the genus Terrimonas also clustered into this phylogenetic group. Although the similarities of 16S rRNA gene sequences were low (88.5-96.4 %), there is no evidence for clear phenotypic differences between these organisms that justify assignment to different genera. A proposal is made to transfer these species to the genus Chitinophaga as Chitinophaga sancti comb. nov., Chitinophaga filiformis comb. nov., Chitinophaga japonenis comb. nov. and Chitinophaga arvensicola comb. nov. on the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic data. Furthermore, a novel species is described within this genus, Chitinophaga skermanii sp. nov., with strain CC-SG1B(T) (=CCUG 52510(T)=CIP 109140(T)) as the type strain.

210Po bioaccumulation in coastal sand dune wild legumes--Canavalia spp. of southwest coast of India.

In view of considerable natural background radioactivity reported from southwest coast of India, the current study documents bioaccumulation of 210Po in two dominant coastal sand dune perennial mat-forming wild legumes, Canavalia cathartica and C. maritima. Root, stem, leaf, mature beans, dry seeds and rhizosphere sand were analyzed for 210Po concentration. 210Po activity decreased in the order of leaves > roots > seeds > stems > beans. The highest 210Po activity was recorded in rhizosphere sand samples (5.78-5.88 Bq kg(-1)) followed by the leaf samples (3.27-3.07 Bq kg(-1)), while it was lowest in mature beans (0.13-0.20 Bq kg(-1)). 210Po activities or tissue moisture between plant species were not significantly different (p > 0.05; t-test). But 210Po activity vs. moisture differed significantly in all tissues (p = 0.0001), vegetative tissues (root, stem and leaf) (p = 0.0016), seeds (p = 0.0393) and proteins in seeds (p = 2.355 x 10(-6)) indicating the importance of moisture and protein in 210Po accumulation. Although 210Po has affinity for proteins, it did not concentrate too much in seed proteins of Canavalia. Concentration of 210Po in mature beans is at safe levels as fisher folk only consume tender pods occasionally. 210Po activity in Canavalia is compared with other plant materials. As the landraces of C. cathartica and C. maritima are distributed throughout pantropical coastal areas, the current study emphasizes on considering them as bioindicators to monitor 210Po in coastal sand dune biomes and in turn the health of coastal population.

Nutrient composition and biological evaluation of an unconventional legume, Canavalia cathartica of mangroves.

Seeds of an unconventional legume, Canavalia cathartica from the mangroves of the southwest coast of India, were screened for proximate composition, minerals, protein fractions, amino acid profiles, fatty acids and some anti-nutritional factors. The seeds consisted of 31.2%, 1.86%, 61.4% and 1580 kJ crude proteins, crude lipid, crude carbohydrates and calories, respectively. The crude protein content of seeds was higher than common cereals, whole-wheat flour (8.55%), parboiled rice (7.7%) and egg (12.6%). Essential amino acids, threonine, cysteine + methionine, isoleucine, tyrosine + phenylalanine and lysine were higher than Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations/World Health Organization patterns. On comparing the amino acid profile of mangrove and sand dune C. cathartica seeds, the latter were found to be superior (total amino acid content, 123.5% versus 60.8%), while the result was vice versa with respect to the polyunsaturated/saturated ratio (105.9 versus 2.52). The seeds possessed 1420 mg/100 g total phenolics and strong hemagglutination activity, while tannins and trypsin inhibition activity were absent. Physical, nutritional and anti-nutritional features of seeds of C. cathartica of the mangrove have been compared with those of C. cathartica of the sand dunes of the southwest coast of India. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed between the physical, proximal and mineral composition except for ash, magnesium and copper. The protein efficiency ratio, food efficiency ratio, net protein retention, protein retention efficiency, biological value, net protein utilization and true digestibility of C. cathartica seeds were significantly different (P < 0.05) from casein. In spite of the high protein content, animal-feeding trials indicated low nutritional quality. Nutritional, anti-nutritional factors and protein qualities of seeds C. cathartica have been discussed in comparison with other species of Canavalia.

Endophytic fungal diversity of 2 sand dune wild legumes from the southwest coast of India.

Endophytic fungi of 3 age classes (seeds, seedlings, and mature plants) and 5 tissue classes (cotyledons, seed coats, roots, stems, and leaves) of coastal sand dune legumes Canavalia cathartica and Canavalia maritima were assessed by plating surface-sterilized segments on malt extract agar. Forty-six fungal taxa comprising 6 ascomycetes, 33 mitosporic fungi, 2 zygomycetes, and 5 sterile morphospecies were recovered. There was no significant difference in the colonization frequency of endophytes between plant species (p = 0.4098, Student's t test). Among the age classes, endophytic fungi colonized over 90% of seedlings and mature plants. Similarly, among tissue classes, endophytic fungi colonized over 90% of root, stem, and leaf segments. Diversity and richness of endophytic fungi were higher in C. cathartica than in C. maritima. Rarefaction curves revealed a "higher expected number of species" in mature plants of C. cathartica and seedlings of C. maritima, whereas it was highest in leaves of both plant species. The most dominant endophyte, Chaetomium globosum, colonized over 50% of the root, stem, and leaf segments of C. maritima and over 50% of the root segments of C. cathartica. The colonization frequency of C. globosum was found to be 5%-12.5% in seeds and increased up to 40%-64.4% in seedlings or mature plants. Halosarpheia sp. was the only marine fungus recovered among the endophytes.

Aquatic hyphomycetes in polluted groundwater habitats of central Germany.

Polluted groundwater wells located in a former copper shale mining district (11 sites; Mansfelder Land, Central Germany) and in meadows of the Mulde and Elbe rivers (2 sites) were assessed for occurrence and species richness of aquatic hyphomycetes. Water temperatures at all sites were relatively low and fluctuated less than in surface waters. Oxygen concentrations were always below saturation, whereas sulfate, nitrate, and phosphate levels reached extremely high values in several of the wells. Relatively high levels of Pb, Mn, and Fe were found in some of the wells, but overall few concentrations of individual metals and metalloids exceeded European guidelines for drinking water. Pollen tube growth inhibition, used to assess cytotoxicity of the water, ranged between 4 and 50%. Between 1 and 10 distinct species of aquatic hyphomycetes colonized sterile Alnus glutinosa leaves exposed at the Mansfelder Land sites; for the meadow sites, 8-20 species were found. Heliscus lugdunensis and Anguillospora sp. were the two most widespread species. Fungal colonization occurred much more slowly than in surface water, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy and the release of conidia from recovered leaves. The conidial output from exposed alder leaves ranged from 0.2 to 95 conidia mg (-1) dry mass, corresponding to 10% of the values for contaminated surface waters in the same region. Overall, groundwater appears to be a marginal habitat for aquatic hyphomycetes, but may nevertheless play a vital role as long-term reservoir facilitating rapid recolonization following a collapse in fungal communities in surface waters.

Diversity of endophytic fungi in the roots of mangrove species on the west coast of India.

Because mangrove plant species are a valuable source of useful metabolites, their endophytes have gained more importance. Randomly sampled surface-sterilized whole root segments of four mangrove plant species, Acanthus ilicifolius, Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora mucronata, and Sonneratia caseolaris from the mangroves of Udyavara (Karnataka) on the west coast of India, were characterized for fungal communities by direct plating, damp chamber, and bubbling chamber incubation methods. The richness of endophytic fungal species from whole root segments after direct plating and damp chamber incubation was greatest for R. mucronata than for other plants (18 vs. 8-13). Incubation of whole root segments in bubbling chambers yielded conidia of two freshwater hyphomycetes: Mycocentrospora acerina (in Avicennia officinalis) and Triscelophorus acuminatus (in R. mucronata and in S. caseolaris). Surface-sterilized whole root and root bark segments of R. mucronata sampled from the mid-tide level on direct plating yielded more fungi than that of the root segments sampled from low-tide and high-tide levels. The greatest number of isolates, species richness, and diversity of fungi were shown by the whole root segments of R. mucronata from the mid-tide level. Rarefaction indices also revealed the highest expected number of species out of 150 random isolations from the mid-tide level samples of whole root and root bark segments of R. mucronata. The present study showed that fungi in mangrove roots are composed of a consortium of soil, marine, and freshwater fungi.