This review is mainly centered on beverages obtained from tropical crops, including tea, nut milk, coffee, cocoa, and those prepared from fruits. After considering the epidemiological data found on the matrices above, the focus was given to recent methodological approaches to assess the most relevant mycotoxins. Aspects such as singularities among the mycotoxin and the beverage in which their were found, and the economic effects and repercussions that the mycotoxin-tainted ingredients have on the beverage industry were pointed out. Finally, the burden of their consumption through beverages, including risk and health effects on humans, was addressed as well.

Coffee plants and beans are prone to fungal contamination that pose health risks to consumers by producing mycotoxins like ochratoxin A (OTA). Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the mycobiota of Costa Rican coffee beans, focusing on potentially ochratoxigenic species and their in vitro susceptibility patterns to antifungal agents. Fungal isolates were obtained from cherry, green, and roasted coffee beans from Costa Rica; they were identified by morphology, MALDI-TOF technology, and sequencing. The isolation frequency (FR) was 33.10% for all the samples analyzed, 49.51% for the cherry fruits, 37.67% for the green coffee beans, and 17.33% for the roasted beans. The cherry beans were mainly contaminated with Geotrichum klebahni (46.34% FR and 90.91% relative density (RD)), while the green and roasted coffee beans were mainly infected with Aspergillus spp. (22.00% FR and 55.23% RD and 13.83% FR and 77.57% RD, respectively). A total of 46.67% of A. westerdijkiae and 20.00% of A. ochraceus produced fluorescence in YES broth related with ochratoxin production. The isolates of the Aspergillus section Circumdati were susceptible to the azole antifungals. Costa Rican coffee beans could be contaminated with mycotoxigenic fungi during storage.

The National Theater of Costa Rica is a national symbol of our country and an important architectural landmark. It was built in 1897 and is decorated with large-format paintings made by Italian artists. One of these painters was Paolo Serra, who was in charge of decorating three chambers, including the Management’s Office (MO). A yearly volumetric air sampling was conducted in seven rooms of the theater, showing high levels of circulating fungal spores in the MO. Thus, further analysis was carried out in this venue. First, the environmental conditions (wind velocity, temperature, relative humidity, and particles) were monitored. Then, the air and particles’ flow and the probability of particles concentration were simulated for different scenarios of natural ventilation using a Discrete Phase Model. This allowed us to identify areas where damage and microorganisms were probably more prevalent. The artworks in this chamber were analyzed to determine the types of damages identified: buckling, cracks, cuts, craquelure, holes, scratches, color gaps with exposed fabric or wall, insect debris, flaking, humidity stains, interventions of old restorations, opaque stains, whitish stains and total loss of the original image. As a complement, a microbiological sample was held in 34 sites of interest, resulting in the isolation and identification of five bacterial isolates and thirteen fungi. We identified the artist’s main colour palette: madder lake, lead white, calcium carbonate, yellow ocher, natural ultramarine and natural barite. We can conclude that artworks under non-controlled environmental conditions may present a significant degree of deterioration, biodeterioration, and chromatic alteration.

Introduction: Aspergillosis affects mainly immunosuppressed patients, especially those with neutropenia. A decreased susceptibility of antifungals used in the treatment of this disease has been reported in the last decade. At present, in Costa Rica there is a lack of studies concerning the antifungal activity of clinical Aspergillus isolates. Thus, the purpose of the present investigation was to determine the in vitro susceptibility patterns of clinical Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger, A. terreus and A. versicolor. Methods: The susceptibility of 42 Aspergillus spp. to amphotericin B, itraconazole and voriconazole was evaluated using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute broth microdilution M38-A guideline for filamentous fungi. Results: The mean minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for A. fumigatus was 1,64 µg mL-1 for amphotericin B, 1,38 µg mL-1 for itraconazole and 3.52 µg mL-1 for voriconazole, and 33,3 % of the isolates were resistant to voriconazole. For the other species tested, the mean MIC was 7,19 µg mL-1 for amphotericin B, 0,46 µg mL-1 for itraconazole and 1,58 µg mL-1 for voriconazole. Conclusions: MIC values for amphotericin B and itraconazole of most A. fumigatus isolates were comparable to those of wild-type strains. However, a significant percentage of the isolates were resistant to voriconazole, the first line treatment for aspergillosis. Further, A. flavus, A. niger, A. terreus and A. versicolor demonstrated high MIC values for amphotericin B; thus, it is recommended to performed susceptibility testing in these cases if there is a poor response to therapy.