《真菌学》课件mushroom4Mycofiltration of Microbial Pathogens知识讲稿.pptxVIP

Mycofiltration of Microbial PathogensMushroom mycelium has an unquenchable appetite for organic debris. Taking advantage of this appetite, the mycological landscaper can select mushroom species that target and consume the bacteria and protozoa in a habitat.Lovy and others (1999) found that my strain of zhu ling (Polyporus umbellatus) was 100 percent effective in vitro in inhibiting the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Mycomulching—infusing a layer of wood chips with mycelium—with this species around a malaria-infected swamp could reduce the background population of malaria, since the fungus likely consumes the parasite and secretes antibiotics into the habitat.Mycofilters can also prevent infection fromcoliform or staph bacteria and protozoa. The mycofilters can even trap disease-carrying insects, thwarting disease vectors and protecting our health.Pathogens passing through the cellular nets of mycelia are digested by the fungi. If enzymes and antibiotics secreted by the mycelium don’t kill all the pathogens, the bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis, are blocked from reproducing and are suspended in a state of dormancy. These types of bacteria may later revive when the mycelial mat dies and a hospitable habitat reemerges.Mycologists call this dieback, a process that is analogous to the decay of a fishing net that loses its cohesiveness and unthreads.In just this way, matching the mushroom species to the problematic bacteria, ecological engineers can customize mycofilters to prevent upstream pathogens from passing into downstream environments. Several factors affect the efficiency of mycofiltration: slope, flow rate, turbidity, straw shaft diameter, mushroom species, degree of mycelial colonization, and microbial populations.Mycofiltration around FarmsManure ponds—commonly amassing around cattle, hog, and chicken factory farms—are bursting with fecal-rich effluent leaching into the watersheds. River ecosystems are imperiled. Pfiesteria, Listeria, Streptococc