International Conference on Mycology & Mushrooms September 12-14, 2016 San Antonio, Texas, USA

^{Fungi were initially classified with plants and were a subject of interest for botanists; hence the influence of botany can be seen on their classification. In 1969 R.H Whittaker classified all living organisms into five kingdoms namely Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia. Traditionally the classification proceeds in this fashion: Kingdom - Subkingdom - Phyla/phylum - Subphyla - Class - Order - Family - Genus- Species This classification is too complicated to be dealt here. There are alternate and more practical approaches, one based on sexual reproduction and the other based on morphology of the thallus (vegetative structure).}

The global conservative fungal estimate. 1.5 million is mainly based on angiosperm/fungus ratio (1:0.5-1:33). But only a fraction of this is currently known (about 100.000) and a few have been harnessed. The discipline. Mycology has multidimensional facets with basic and applied values and the recent investigations have gone beyond routine systematics, diversity and environmental issues. Fungi serve as novel source of food. fuel, biopesticides, metabolites and pharmaceuticals. Being eukaryotes, fungi became important basic tool in biotechnology and bioremediation.

Fungal infections pose unique challenges to molecular diagnostics; fungal molecular diagnostics consequently lags behind bacterial and viral counterparts. Nevertheless, fungal infections are often life-threatening and early detection and identification of species is crucial to successful intervention. A high throughput PCR-based method is needed that is independent of culture, is sensitive to the level of one fungal cell per milliliter of blood or other tissue types, and is capable of detecting species and resistance mutations.

^{Unlike green plants fungi lack chlorophyll and therefore must obtain their nutrition from other sources. Fungi have an important role in the ecosystem where they break down and decompose dead plants and animals(SAPROPHYTES). Some types of fungi attack living organisms  and can be very destructive causing millions of dollars in losses to the forestry industry. Other fungi attack living trees and even other fungi (PARASITIC). Still others form a mutually beneficial association with trees and shrubs(MYCORRHIZA).}

^{Fungal communities in fallen wood as a model system to investigate how the history of fungal community assembly regulates ecosystem Laboratory experiments are being used to determine whether the impacts of assembly history on ecosystem functioning depend upon soil fertility and fungivory. To  determine the relative importance of assembly history against the natural background of environmental variability. This project will provide new ecological insights by showing that historical information, though difficult to obtain in nature, can be essential for explaining seemingly idiosyncratic variation in ecosystem functioning.}

   Actinobacteria is having genus called Mycobacterium, with its own family, the Mycobacteriaceae. It includes pathogens known to cause deadly diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis and leprosy . The mycobacteria is not a fungi but a bacteria which grows in a mold-like fashion on the surface of cultures . Its Pathogenicity shows adverse signs which can colonize their hosts without the hosts and their infections are notoriously difficult to treat. As Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis and it kills nearly 2 million people in the world each year. Mycobacterium has phenolic alcohols known as Mycosides composed of Mycobacterium glycolipids that are termed glycosides of phenolphthiocerol dimycocerosate. Comparative Genomics studies shows that conserved indels and signature proteins that are uniquely found in all sequenced species from the genus Mycobacterium.  Phenotypic tests can be used to identify and distinguish different Mycobacteria species and strains. Mycobacteriophage can infect Mycobacterium, so in future bacterial viruses may be used to treat tuberculosis and related diseases by phage therapy.

The mushroom is  a  spore-bearing, fleshy fruiting body of a fungus, which grows above ground on soil or on its food source. The most important microscopic feature for identification of mushrooms is the spores. Their color, shape, size, attachment, and its reaction to chemical tests often can be the crux of an identification. A spore often has a protrusion in one end, known as apiculus, it is the point of attachment to the basidium, termed the apical germ pore, from which the hypha emerges when the spore germinates. These gills produce microscopic spores that help the fungus spread on the ground. There rae many number of mushroom species are favoured for eating by mushroom hunters . But some  species are poisonous; although some resemble few edible species, consuming them could be hazardous. Like  Amanita, which is the most toxic mushrooms known at present. Typical fruit bodies members of the order Agaricales, However, in modern molecularly defined classifications, the order Agaricales produce mushroom fruit bodies, and many other gilled fungi, collectively called mushrooms, occur in the class Agaricomycetes. Within the main body of mushrooms, in the Agaricales, are common fungi like fairy-ring mushroom, shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms, fly agarics and other amanitas, magic mushrooms. An atypical mushroom is the lobster mushroom, which is a deformed, by the mycoparasitic Ascomycete Hypomyces lactifluorum. Some  are having pores underneath, others have spines. Thus, the term is more one of the  common application used for macroscopic fungal fruiting bodies than one having precise taxonomic meaning. Approximately 14,000 species of mushrooms are described.

The appearance of lichens is plant-like which hides their true identity. It is not a single organism, but the result is mutualistic symbiosis between an alga or cyanobacteria and a fungus. Sometimes lichens are formed with three or more partners. The body of lichens consists of filaments (hyphae) of fungi, which surrounds the cells of blue-green cyanobacteria and/or green algae. The basis of mutualistic symbiosis in lichens is equal to the partnership between some mycorrhizas, species of fungi and the roots of most plants. The fungus lichen provides its partner a benefit by giving protection and in return it gains nutrients. Lichens can grow in a wide range of shapes and is usually determined according to the organization of the fungal filaments. The fungus part of lichen benefits from the algae or cyanobacteria as they produce food by photosynthesis. It grows in a wide range of substrates and habitats. Lichens classifications done based on the fungal component present in it. Its species are given the same binomial name according to the fungus species. Some lichens also have antibiotic properties and some of the acids produced by lichens are utilized in drugs that can be more effective than penicillin.

Mycotoxicology is the branch of mycology that focuses on analysing and studying the toxins produced by fungi, known as mycotoxins. The mission of the Mycotoxicology Committee is to improve awareness of the public about health risks posed by mycotoxins contamination in the food and feed supply worldwide and promote public policies to reduce the exposure of human and animals to mycotoxins.

^{Veterinary mycology is a branch deals with identification of veterinary fungi, pathophysiology and diagnosis of fungal infections, pharmacodynamics of antifungals in animals, epidemiology of animal mycoses, eradication and vaccine development against invasive veterinary fungal infections.}

^{The growth of fungi and yeasts in foods, and the consequent problems caused by these organisms, is a very important part of food quality and safety, but often does not receive as much attention as the perhaps more familiar problems caused by bacteria.  And yet, food spoilage caused by fungi and yeasts can be far more significant, in particular in a number of key food groups, particularly those that are acidic in nature and/or have low moisture content. These include food groups such as bakery products, dairy products, beverages (e.g. fruit juices), dried fruits and nuts, and confectionary.}

^{Biotechnology which can simply be defined as the application of living organisms and their components to industrial products and processes is not an industry in itself, but an important technology that will have a large impact on many different industrial sectors in the futureSome of the most important organisms used in biotechnology are fungi. Cultivation of edible mushrooms outdoors has been practised for hundreds if not thousands of years. More consistent crops and much higher yields were obtained following the development of pure spawns, sterilisation/pasteurisation technology, a better understanding of substrate requirements and the use of environmentally controlled mushroom houses. A recent innovation in food technology has been the development of Quorn myco-protein from a filamentous fungus.}

^{Filamentous fungi are used by industry for manufacture of a large variety of useful products, all for the benefit of humankind. Examples of how some of these products are formed by an assortment of fungi and produced on a large scale are presented. The products include metabolites, enzymes and food. Fungal cells can grow at different environmental conditions. The chemical and physical conditions used for fungal propagation will have a great impact on the capability of these cells to accumulate the desired product(s).}

^{Medical mycology is the study of fungal infections. In immunocompromised hosts systemic fungal infections are usually seen. Systemic fungal infections lead to pulmonary infections. Fungal infections are usually seen on skin, nails, and hair. Common fungal infections are Intertrigo, Thrush, and Pityriasis versicolor, Athlete’s foot, nail infections, ring worm of the body, ring worm of the groin.}

Fungi and bacteria can form a range of physical associations that depend on various modes of molecular communication for their development and functioning .Physical Complexes between Bacteria and Fungi are found in many distinct environments, such as the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, the human oral cavity, the production of foods such as cheese, wine, tempeh, and sourdough and agricultural and forest environments. The combination of physical associations and molecular interactions between bacteria and fungi can result in a variety of different outcomes for each partner. In turn, these changes may affect the influence of the bacterial-fungal complex. Consequences of Bacterial-Fungal Interactions have profound consequences for both organisms and changes in the bacterial and fungal partners' physiology, life cycles, and survival. Applications of BFIs found in various biological fields i.e. Food Processing, Fermentation and brewing, Cheese ripening, Bioremediation of pollutants, natural product discovery and synthetic biology. Mixed bacterial-fungal communities play a key role in determining the taste, quality, and safety of a wide range of foods, like wine production, cheese manufacture involves complex microbial ecosystems where BFIs play a central role.

Pathogenic fungi cause disease in humans or other organisms, which is called as fungal pathogenesisThis is particularly true of fungal pathogenesis that there is no single factor that causes or permits these organisms to be agents of diseases that range from superficial through invasive diseases in Plant, Animal, and Humans. Fungal pathogens can be divided into two general classes primary pathogens and opportunistic pathogens. Fungi in the former class usually have an environmental reservoir and infect individuals who have either been exposed to a large dose or who are immunologically naïve to the fungus while opportunistic fungal pathogens take advantage of debilitated or immune compromised hosts to cause infection. Examples of major disease causing fungi are Candida, Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, Histoplasma, Pneumocystis, Stachybotrys etc.

The species Mycobacteria are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts. Which can mean acute infections and leads to death . Both Mycobacterium avium complex and Mycobacterium abscessus cause a variety of infections that need to  be detect and correctly identify to aid in clinical decision making. More than 170 recognized species found,  which is often required to help guide appropriate therapy. There are  different direct detection methods for Aspergillus,Can dida and Malassezia, Paracoccidioidomycosis and Penicilliosis  are available . The  hyphae are the structures which make the mold colony. The septae are the cross walls that break down the hyphae into compartments. Nonseptate  which are lacking septae and hyaline is another term hyphae that may be without pigment. If it is stain with a dye lactophenol aniline blue,  it can be visible that they will turn blue are called hyaline. We have many other fungi that are dematiaceous are the ones that contain a dark pigment. One of those is called a chlamydoconidium. A big round spore is found right within the hyphal strand and its primary function is to protect the organism. And  the Conidia which  are those asexual spores we mentioned produced by molds that have septae. The  direct microscopic examination of clinical specimens represents specific information on the culturing and incubation of cultures for the optimal recovery of fungi and methods for identification of fungi. 

^{A key ingredient in successful entrepreneurship is self-knowledge. (Mycology-2016) aims to bring together all existing and budding bio entrepreneurs to share experiences and present new innovations and challenges in microbiological community. Each year, over a million companies are started in the world with about 5–10 of them classified as high technology companies. Turning ideas into business ventures is tricky and the opportunity-recognition step is critical in new venture creation. This gestalt in the entrepreneur's perception of the relationship between the invention and final product is refined into a business model that describes how the venture will make money or provide an appropriate return to the potential investors. Biological science is complex and rapidly changing and requires a specialized knowledge to understand the value of the innovation and its competitive position in the industry. Although life scientists are typically the founders of biotech companies, studies have shown that the most successful high tech startups are founded by a team of two to three individuals with mixed backgrounds, substantial industry experience and a very clear market and product focus at founding. This three day community-wide conference will be a highly interactive forum that will bring experts in areas ranging from structural microbiology to signaling pathways to novel therapeutic approaches to the scientific hub. In addition to our outstanding speakers, we will also showcase short talks and poster presentations from submitted abstracts.The speakers will discuss how microbes can be engineered to report using computational inputs from their local environment. This session will include combined efforts of cutting edge synthetic biology research to highlight the current state, challenges and future of engineered microbial communities.}