Interesting Milk Dehydration Product

Dried milk - N. Carlson

At the bottom of a glass of milk that spent too much time in a bedroom this spongy object formed. It looks like a sunny side up egg.  It appears to consist of dehydrated milk solids.

Bottom side of dried milk - N. Carlson

The underside is hollowed out. I attempted to grow portions of the material on culture plates, TSA, DG-18 and MEA. The plates were placed in a 25C incubator. There was minimal growth on the plates other than yeast.

Ground Cherries

Ground cherries from U of MN farmers market - N. Carlson

Inside ground cherries from U of MN farmers market - N. Carlson

I purchased the ground cherries because I used to eat them when I was younger. As I was eating the cherries, I noticed two with dark spots on them. Tease tape samples were taken from the surface of the cherries and the inside of the outer cover. Both insects and Cladosporium spp. fungal growth were noted.

Insects on the Cherries 40x

Growth of Cladosporium spp. and insect part - 400x

Minnesota Wildflowers

U of Minnesota - Near Civil and Mineral Engineering Building - N. Carlson

The University of Minnesota and regional park boards continue efforts to bring back native prairie grasses and flowers. The efforts appear to be successful based on the colorful flowers in the landscape and the wide variety of insect pollinators.

The spaces with the native grass also do not require weekly mowing, extensive watering and herbicides to keep the area free of weeds.

Male monarch butterfly in wildflowers by TCF Bank Stadium - N. Carlson

Efforts to bring back the population of monarch butterflies need more than milkweeds for the caterpillars.  The butterflies need nectar for energy and these flowering plants also need to be planted in the area.

Beetle and bee on wildflower at Silverwood Park in St. Anthony - click to enlarge - N. Carlson

Honeybee on flower at the St. Paul Campus of the U of Minnesota - N. Carlson

Flowers also provide an excellent habitat for bees. At one planting outside McNamara Alumni Center five different types of bees were busy extracting nectar from the flowers.  I used some of these images in this book published in December of 2018. 

The paperback version of Fireworks, Flowers, Forests, and the Minnesota State Fair: Image Reflections from Minnesota is available from Amazon.  There is also a kindle version of Fireworks, Flowers, Forests, and the Minnesota State Fair: Image Reflections from Minnesota that is best viewed from a portrait orientation.

The video below uses some of the wildflower images from this the book.

Minnesota Wildflowers - Wildflowers Music by Tom Petty - 3 minutes14 seconds

Hearing Conservation for a Cheap Trick Concert

Cheap Trick at the North Dakota State Fair - July 26, 2018 - N. Carlson

Sound levels at rock concerts exceed the OSHA occupational exposure limit for noise exposure (90 dBA averaged over 8 hours).  As the effect of hearing loss is irreversible, it is prudent to bring along hearing protection to these concerts. At the Cheap Trick Concert the drum was heavily miked. The beats on the base drum felt like chest compressions for CPR.

Rick Nielsen and his special guitar. - N. Carlson

How loud is too loud? Average exposure above 85 dBA over eight hours requires hearing protection. Sound level meter apps on phones are fairly good but they are not calibrated. As a rule of thumb, if you are in an environment where it is difficult for you to hear your finger snap at arms length, it is prudent to wear hearing protection.  Many hearing protectors now come in metal cases that can be attached to a key chain. Some are also designed for better tone quality to hear music at concerts.

These Ear Peace ear plugs worked well with three colored inserts that provide varying levels of hearing protection. The metal key chain case  allows for the storage of the three ear pieces in one compartment and the inserts in another. 

The Flame - live-  Cheap Trick 1988

Black Raspberry Decomposition

Trichoderma spp. growth on hidden black raspberry - N. Carlson

Two Raspberries had a few small areas of mold growth several weeks ago. I placed the berries in a sealed container to my office and let the forces of natural decomposition take place.

Raspberries hiding under the fungal growth- N. Carlson

Trichoderma spp. 400x Samsung S-7 camera (Photoshop edit) - click to enlarge - N. Carlson

I occasionally find this organism growing on sheetrock. The primary colonizer of most of these fresh fruits in my refrigerator is usually Botrytis spp.   - Addio for now.

Green bacon

Green bacon inside biosafety cabinet - N.Carlson

These nitrate free bacon strips spent a little too much time in my refrigerator. It was time to identify the less than desirable furry addition. I took a tease tape sample with Lacto-Fuchsin stain and looked at it under 400x power Olympus microscope. I photographed it with a Samsung S-8 cell phone camera through the eye piece. The image was cropped and enhanced using Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018. The distance between the 1 and 2 on the scale is 25 microns.

Penicillium spp. at 400x N. Carlson

Cream cheese mold

Moldy cream cheese- N. Carlson

I lost the lid for my cream cheese container and put it inside cleaned sealed Cool Whip container.  I had forgotten it in the fridge for several weeks. I took it our to spread it on some crackers and ended up tossing it when I saw the mold growth. Before tossing it I tease taped the mold with clear Scotch Tape and examined it under the microscope at 400x power.

Growth of Cladosporium spp. at 400x - N. Carlson

Minnesota Public School Indoor air quality Training Fall 2018

Infrared photo of cold air door leak

School Indoor Air Quality Training

Public schools must have health and safety programs that comply with health, safety, and environmental regulations and best practices, including indoor air quality (IAQ) management. One best practice is that public schools have an IAQ Coordinator. This training will discuss the state’s best practices for school IAQ management. While there is no refresher training requirement, previous attendees are encouraged to attend (content changes every year). Non-public schools, service providers and other stakeholders are also encouraged to attend.

Dates

St. Cloud: September 20, 2018           10:00 am – 2:00 pm                   

Duluth: September 21, 2018               10:00 am – 2:00 pm                   

Marshall: October 2, 2018                  10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Roseville: October 10, 2018                  8:30 am – 12:00 pm                         

Webinar: October 30, 2018                  1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

For more information and to register:

www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/indoorair/schools/training.html

Agricultural production under solar panels

Solar farm New Hampshire Gazette

One of the trade offs with solar energy production is the large land area needed for solar production. Farmers are beginning to experiment with various designs to combine solar production with agricultural land use.  In New Hampshire as reported in the New Hampshire Gazette a configuration with the panels 9 feet in the air and five feet apart results in yield reductions of 5 to 10% when compared to the unobstructed areas in front of the panels. The area below can also be used for livestock grazing land. The poles are anchored 8 feet below the surface.

Photo courtesy of Prairie Restoration Inc.

In Ramsey, Minnesota, as reported in Ensia, combining bee hives with a solar panel installation by Connexusenergy also works. The bees provide pollination to the nearby fields and produce honey. In Ramsey Minnesota Bolton Bees combine solar panels with honey production. They have even gone into the craft beer business producing Solarama Crush.

Sustainenergy - Japan

In Japan, Farmers are using the shade from the solar panels to produce cloud ear mushrooms that would have formerly been imported from China.  Combining mycology and solar energy exemplifies sustainable mycology.

Surprise in a walk in cooler

Mushroom in wall - N. Carlson

In October of 2017 an employee noted an unexpected location for a mushroom. This mushroom growth was noted in a walk in cooler. A leak in the pipe provided the water that supported the growth in the wall outside the cooler.

Wide shot of mushroom in wall - N. Carlson

The leak was fixed after the wall outside the cooler was opened up.

Typical fungal growth on a box in a walk-in cooler - N. Carlson

One of the most common fungal organisms found in walk-in coolers is Cladosporium sphaerospermum. Presumptively identified by small diameter colonies growing on dusty surfaces in the cooler including, cardboard, plastic and stainless steel.  Tease tape identification with a microscope can confirm the type of growth.

Cladosporium sphaerospermum - N. Carlson

Fungal growth on sheetrock wall time lapse

The short video below represents the progressive mold growth on Sheetrock in a enclosed container with standing water.  This condition very roughly simulates the interior of a dry wall cavity. To get the full effect turn up the volume on your speakers.

Sheetrock mold growth time lapse 35 seconds

Not so smooth strawberry smoothie

Several day old strawberry smoothie - N. Carlson

Beware of the several day old strawberry smoothie. This one was was a fuzzy gray when it arrived at the kitchen sink.  I took a tease tape, transferred to a slide with some mounting fluid and examined it under a microscope. The organism has characteristics of both Rhizomucor spp. and Rhizopus spp.  With Rhizopus spp. the sporangiophores start at the same location as the rhizoids (root like structure) individual Rhizopus spp. are connected with a non septate stolon perpendicular to the rhizoids. This is similar to the runners that strawberry plants employ.  With Rhizomucor spp. the sporangiophores branch some distance away from the rhizoids. The branching on this sample is some distance from the rhizoids.

The Rhizomucor spp. sporangiospores are usually under 6 microns in diameter with round to slightly oval spores although some are irregularly shaped.  The sporangiospores in this sample are greater than 6 microns and have the characteristic walnut shell shape of a Rhizopus spp. spore. Both of these organisms can cause strawberries to rot.

Rhizopus spp. line drawing - N. Carlson

Rhizopus spp. or Rhizomucor spp.  - 400x - N. Carlson

The branching at the end is more typical of Rhizomucor spp. - 100x

Close-up of sporangiospores  that are more typical of Rhizopus spp. 

Clinical signs for zygomycete exposure (Mucor spp., Rhizopus spp., or Rhizomucor spp.) infection - 4 min.

Tickborne diseases in Minnesota

MDH  tickborne disease stats from 2007 to 2017

The official start of spring in the northern hemisphere is approaching. With the warmer weather families plan outdoor adventures. This past year I gave a talk on tick borne diseases in Minnesota and the surrounding areas. After reviewing the information, it reinforced my conviction to be careful.

Most of the emphasis has been on Lyme disease transmitted by small black legged ticks. There are other diseases. Fortunately, one of the really nasty tick borne diseases  Powassan Virus (CDC) is rare. Unfortunately the effects of this rare illness are really nasty. It can cause swelling of the brain, crushing headaches, and death.  Doctors can only offer palliative care as there is no effective treatment.

There has been controversy surrounding the treatment for chronic Lyme disease.  A reference below lists some of the side effects from these treatments. As a tick may carry more than one disease this may in part explain ongoing symptoms. Continuing to use the antibiotics for Lyme disease would be ineffectual and make the patient susceptible to more side effects.

On a personal note: I was misdiagnosed with Lyme disease in the 1980s when the blood tests were not as accurate.  I ended up going through the course of antibiotics and met my share of marginally competent phlebotomists.  The experience was not pleasant and it was also ineffectual.

Please review the interesting article below on how the decline in the fox population is associated with an increase in Lyme disease.  Other habitat changes that allow deer mice populations to explode also increase the risk for tick disease transmission.

These are a few of the many tips from MDH tick prevention:

• Apply DEET on skin and use Permethrin on clothing (not skin). 
• Walk in the center of a trail
• Tuck light colored pants inside socks.
• Inspect and remove ticks within 24 hours. 
• Avoid walking in woody or brushy areas during times of the year where the risk of tick borne disease is high.

Applying DEET and Permethrin MDH - Approximately 3 minutes.

Tick removal - MDH Approximately 1 minute. 

Tickborne disease references:

• CDC information on ticks
• CDC tick life cycle
• Why Lyme disease is increasing
• Could fox decline be to blame?
• Tick borne diseases
• Babesiosis
• Powv minnesota
• Trends in tick borne diseases
• Adverse effects of chronic lyme disease treatments - CDC
• MN extension tick borne disease

University of Manitoba - tick removal - 2 min. 

Recipe for DG-18 Agar

Fungal growth on DG-18 Agar

The primary organisms on these two DG-18 agar plates include Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp., Aspergillus spp., and Wallemia spp. 

Our lab uses DG-18 or Dichloran Glycrol agar to grow culturable xerophilic (dry loving) fungi on indoor air and surface samples. This DG-18 agar grows mould or yeast at water activity (aw) less than .85).  The restricted colony growth and the inhibition of the zygomycete fungi on the plate allow for easier identification and counting of mould colonies on the plate. Some water loving moulds like Stachybotrys spp. and Aspergillus fumigatus do not grow well on this media. We often pair plates of MEA (Malt Extract Agar) with the DG-18 agar to capture organisms needing higher water activity.

DG-18 Media Recipe:

• 172 milliliters (ml) of glycerine
• 31.5 grams (g) of DG-18 dry powder agar
• 1000 ml of distilled water
• 0.1 g of chloramphenicol in 5 ml of 70% ethanol suspension (add after other ingredients are mixed) - This antibiotic limits bacterial growth on the culture plate.  Autoclave the culture plates after identification to limit problems with the development of antibiotic resistance. 

Directions:

1. Heat mixture to boiling using stir bar and a hot plate in a covered 2 liter flask. Make sure all media dissolves into solution.  Observe and modify the stir plate temperature to prevent it from boiling over. 
2. Use insulated gloves to transfer liquid agar solution to an autoclave.
3. Autoclave  for a 60 minute cycle at 121 C. 
4. Remove and keep warm in a 60 C incubator. 
5. Pour out 13.5 ml of agar onto a Rodac plate or 25 ml onto a 100 petri dish on a laminar flow clean bench.  Refrigerate covered in a plastic bag and store for up to 3 months. 

Acrodontium spp.

Acrodontiium spp. on DG-18

The organism, Acrodontium spp. was found to be a laboratory contaminant on culture plates.  The organism is similar to several other organisms.  The colony growth is slow on DG-18 agar with white fluffy restricted growth at 5 days.

Acrodontium spp. 400x (25 microns between 6 and 7)

The lower end of the conidiophore is wider at the base then the conidia producing structure at the tip of the conidiophore.  I identified the organism using the key in the book, The Genera of Hyphomycetes.   These spores would not be identifiable to genera on an Air-o-cell cassette sample.