The biodiversity of Penicillium and Aspergillus, two economical important fungal genera

The biodiversity of Penicillium and Aspergillus, two economical important fungal genera

Abstract:

Among the fungi Penicillium and Aspergillus are important microorganisms. The species can be responsible for spoilage of food and beverages, biodeterioration of materials and are able to produce dangerous mycotoxins. Particularly in the genus Aspergillus a number of species are human pathogens and they have a great impact in medical mycology. Detection and identification of the species in these two genera is very important because it provides relevant information about the properties of the responsible strains. For this a modern polyphasic taxonomic approach is developed which will be explained with examples of some important groups. Polyphasic taxonomy is a combination of phenotypical and molecular data sets. In Penicillium and Aspergillus it has been proven very useful.

Speaker: Robert Samson

Affiliation: CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, The Netherlands

Host: Vitória San Romão

Curriculum Vitae:

Robert A. SAMSON

Name: Robert Archibald Samson

Affiliation and official address:
CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Nether¬lands.

Education:
Elementary school in Rijen, high school in Dongen. Biology student at the state University of Utrecht (1964-1969) degree of doctorandus (Dec. 16, 1969). PH D degree at the State University of Utrecht (June 10, 1974). Title of thesis: Paecilomyces and some allied Hyphomycetes.

Career/Employment :

Since 1970 employed by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Science (Amsterdam) at the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures.
Currently Head of the Department of Applied and Industrial Mycology.
Adjunct Professor in Plant Pathology and Food technology of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart Univer-sity Bangkok, Thailand (July 15, 2002).

Specialization

(I) main field: Systematic mycology of Penicillium and Aspergillus, food-borne fungi
(II) other fields: Mycoflora of indoor environments, entomopathogenic, thermophilic fungi, Scanning elec-tronmicroscopy
(III) current research interests
  Taxonomy of Penicillium and Aspergillus
  Food-borne fungi
  Moulds in indoor environments
  Entomogenous fungi

Functions in international societies
• Secretary General of the International Union of Microbiological Societies
• Member of the Executive Board of the International Union of Microbiological Societies
• Chairman of the IUMS International Commission on Penicillium and Aspergillus
• Vice Chairman and member of the IUMS International Commission on Food Mycology;
• Member of the Subcommission of Tropical Food Mycology.
• Member of the International Commission of the Taxonomy of Fungi.
• Chairman of the IUMS International Commission on Indoor Fungi
• Award Selection Committee of the USFCC/J. Roger Porter award

Honours, Awards, Fellowships, Membership of Professional Societies
• Honorary Member of the Mycological Society of America (2005)
• USFCC/J.Roger Porter award (May 2001)
• Member of the British Mycological Society,
• Member of the American Mycological Society,
• Member of the World Federation of Culture Collections
• NATO Science fellowship 1975-1976. Mycological research at the Universities of Austin, Gainesville and Bloomington, USA.
 

Editorial boards of journals

• Studies in Mycology (Chief editor)
• CBS Biodiversity Series (Chief editor)
• Systematic and Applied Microbiology

Publications

• Number of scientific papers: 321
• Number of communications to scientific meetings: In excess of 800
• Books: 35