Abstract

Desmond M. Ncango, Chantel W. Swart, Carolina H. Pohl, Pieter W. J. Van Wyk and Johan L. F. Kock*

We investigated the effects of anti-inflammatory and anti-mitochondrial compounds on spore dispersal in the pathogens, Aspergillus fumigatus and Rhizopus oryzae. When acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and other non steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were added to bio-assays of A. fumigatus and R. oryzae, spore-releasing structures were targeted first at lower concentrations. Similar results were obtained when oxygen was limited. These spore-releasing structures contained increased levels of mitochondrion activity compared to hyphae. We concluded that increased mitochondrion activity is necessary for dispersal of A. fumigatus and R. oryzae.