Blastobotrys nigripullensis, a new yeast species isolated from a fungal outbreak on an ancient Roman shipwreck in the Netherlands

Cobus M. Visagie, Martin Meijer, Bart Kraak, Marizeth Groenewald, Jos Houbraken, Bart Theelen, Yardeni Vorst, Teun Boekhout*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/periodicalArticleScientificpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

A new species of the yeast genus Blastobotrys was discovered on ancient ship timbers in the Netherlands. The species had developed on the wood of a river barge dating to the Roman period. The growth occurred after the preservative polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000) was washed out of some of the timbers due to an undetected leak in the storage unit. Mycological analysis of various timber samples revealed the presence of Microascus melanosporus (predominant), Microascus paisii, a member of the Acremonium chrysogenum-clade, and a new Blastrobotrys species. The new species produced sporothrix-like conidiophores with clavate blastoconidia (3–7 × 1–3.5 μm) and was found to be osmotolerant, capable of growth on low water activity media like malt yeast 50% glucose agar (MY50G). In this article we formally describe and introduce Blastrobotrys nigripullensis (CBS 17879 T) based on its morphology, physiology and phylogenetic placement.

Original languageEnglish
Article number22
JournalAntonie van Leeuwenhoek, International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology
Volume117
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2024

Keywords

  • Buried river barge
  • Oak wood preservation
  • Polyethylene glycol
  • Trichomonascaceae
  • Trichomonascus
  • Yeasts phylogeny

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