Journal of Fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomeromycota) offer routes to inoculum production, crop management, phytomanagement of contaminated soils, and modulation of plant metabolites. This critical narrative review integrates 102 selected original studies, including genomic, physiological, transcriptomic, cultivation, and field research. Evidence is interpreted by fungal strain, host genotype, tissue, environment, and application-specific endpoint. Host-lipid transfer and asymbiotic propagation inform inoculum manufacture, but spore production remains distinct from infective potency, storage stability, and economic feasibility. Receptor signaling and functional nutrient-transport studies connect symbiotic establishment to resource exchange; stress experiments reveal context-dependent changes in water transport, ion homeostasis, photosynthesis, and oxidative regulation. Commercial-product variability, resident microbiota, pesticide exposure, and ecological responses constrain translation. Metal localization and transport studies distinguish retention, mobilization, and tolerance from contaminant removal. Plant-metabolite experiments demonstrate chemical modulation rather than direct fungal biosynthesis or therapeutic efficacy. Soil carbon and hydraulic responses further show that ecological benefits cannot be generalized across communities or substrates. Development should prioritize verified inocula, defined host × fungal strain × environment combinations, relevant controls, and repeatable field outcomes. The narrative design and author-proposed assessment framework covers a deployment protocol.

Background: Mucormycosis is a rapidly progressive and often fatal invasive fungal infection caused by moulds in the order, Mucorales. Early diagnosis is essential for effective clinical management; however, conventional diagnostic approaches such as culture and histopathology are slow, insensitive, and require specialist mycological expertise. Although molecular methods are available for disease detection, they are not widely accessible. At present, no enzyme immunoassay (EIA) exists for the detection of mucormycosis. Methods: A murine IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb), FH12, was generated against extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) produced by Mucorales pathogens during active growth. The antibody was characterised for specificity, epitope stability, and antigen localisation using ELISA, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence techniques. The mAb was incorporated into a sandwich ELISA and evaluated using culture filtrates, purified EPSs spiked into human serum, and tissue homogenates from a patient with cutaneous mucormycosis caused by Lichtheimia ramosa. Results: mAb FH12 demonstrated pan-Mucorales specificity and no cross-reactivity with other clinically relevant yeasts and moulds. The epitope recognised by FH12 is periodate-insensitive and moderately heat-stable. The sandwich ELISA detected EPS antigens in human serum with limits of detection ranging from pg/mL to low ng/mL levels, and successfully identified the EPS biomarker in patient tissue homogenates. Conclusion: The FH12-based sandwich ELISA shows high sensitivity and specificity, and has the potential to be used as a laboratory-based adjunct diagnostic test for the detection of mucormycosis in humans.

A comprehensive virulence survey of Puccinia triticina collections was conducted in 2025 across four regions of Asian Russia and northern Kazakhstan to analyze the extent of differentiation among the regional pathogen populations. Leaves with uredinia were collected on a standardized set of spring wheat genotypes from the Kazakhstan–Siberia Network (KASIB-26). A total of 195 single-pustule isolates (34 from Chelyabinsk, 24 from Kurgan, 52 from Tyumen, 43 from Omsk, and 42 from northern Kazakhstan) were tested for the infection type on the standard set of twenty Thatcher near-isogenic wheat lines. None of the 20 Lr-genes represented in the differential lines proved to be highly effective. New virulences to Lr24 and to the gene combination Lr9 + Lr26 were first revealed in the studied area. In total, 22 races were identified. Two races were identified across all five regions, one in three regions, and four in two regions. Alongside traditional races in the northwesternmost wheat-growing territories in Asia, new races with previously absent virulences were detected in 2025. Distinct pathogen groups were identified within the Omsk and Tyumen regions, and a highly unique race was found in Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, the overall population structure remained stable during the last decade, with a predominant combination of highly virulent races persisting across the whole territory.