Pichia kudriavzevii

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Classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Phylum: Ascomycota

Class: Saccharomycetes

Order: Saccharomycetales

Family: Pichiaceae

Genus: Pichia

[Others may be used. Use NCBI link to find]

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Pichia kudriavzevii

Description and Significance

Pichia kudriavzevii is the anamorph of the Candida krusei. It means Pichia kudriavzevii is asexual. It is very abundant in the environment. It can be found easily in soil, fruits and fermented beverages.It takes a important role in food industry because it can ferments glucose in the food. Some of the cultural food like Kimchi and African fermented cassava lafu was fermented by Pichia kudriavzevii. Pichia kudriavzevii is also involved in wine and beer fermentation. It can be a pathogen under some circumstances. It can cause mastitis to animals like dogs and cattle.

Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why you think it is important.

Genome Structure

P. kudriavzevii has linear DNA with a standard code. It contains approximately 10 million base pairs, with around 5 thousand being protein-coding genes. 3 of the genes code for phytase, an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phytic acid. The chromosome is found to be 3 to 8 bands in length.

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.

Ecology and Pathogenesis

Habitat; symbiosis; biogeochemical significance; contributions to environment. If relevant, how does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

P. kudriavzevii can be found in soil and on the outside of fruits and vegetables. Although it is found on the outside of produce, it is not considered a species that is responsible for food spoilage (Kurtzman). It can also be isolated from many different fermentations ranging from fruit juice to cocoa bean heap. It is particularly useful in amplifying the aroma of chocolate (Obeori et. al).

Since this organism contains 3 genes that code for phytases, the presence of P. kudriavzevii is significantly important in the processing and manufacturing of human and animal food. Specifically, the phytases degrade phytate present in soil, improving the amount of phosphate intake from the plants; thus, allowing for a reduction in the amount of phosphorus fertilizer needed (Chan et. al).

P. kudriazvevii can be used in wine fermentation without becoming pathogenic, therefore, some would consider P. kudriavzevii to be a "opportunistic pathogen." It can lead to mastitis in mammals, but this type of disease is most commonly found in dogs and cattle (Hurst).