Workshop `The Emerging Potential of Black Yeasts`
A very successful workshop of the ISHAM Working Group on black yeasts was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 14-16 May. The meeting was organized by Prof. Nina Gunde-Cimerman and colleagues. The 55 participants from 14 countries presented 40 lectures with an impressive diversity of topics. New concepts were developed on symbiotic interactions of black yeasts in microbial mats, with the abiotic environment and bacteria. New diseases included epizootics in invertebrate animals as well as cutaneous infections in healthy humans. Of particular interest were the highly specific associations of black yeasts with colony-forming ants. New techniques comprised proteomotics of rock-inhabiting black yeasts, and the first genomes are being sequenced. The use of introns to monitor disease was also original. New applications are found in the use of melanin in radionucleic therapy, bioremediation of hydrocarbon-polluted sites and industrial gases, and the potential development of compounds with antifungal activity. We were happy with new cooperations, particularly with people working on ecology of ants and on animal models. Several overlapping areas of interest were detected with ISHAM Working Groups on cystic fibrosis, chromoblastomycosis, mycetoma and verterinary mycology.
Many pictures of the workshop are available at http://ibk.mf.uni-lj.si/groups/plemenitaslab/AP_lab/Links.html.
A special issue of the journal Fungal Biology is planned on the basis of presentations given at this workshop. Future meetings are scheduled in Brazil (2011), at ISHAM-Berlin (2012), in Iran (2013) and in Italy (2014).