{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T22:50:57Z","timestamp":1778021457374,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,26]],"date-time":"2025-07-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753488000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran","award":["17906"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["17906"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JoF"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Beach Sand Mycobiome is currently among the most important health challenges for viticulture in the world. Remarkably, the study of fungal communities in coastal beach sand and recreational waters remains underexplored despite their potential implications for human health. This research aimed to assess the prevalence of fungal species and the antifungal susceptibility profiles of fungi recovered from the beaches of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Sand and seawater samples from 39 stations distributed within 13 beaches along the coastline were collected between May and July 2023. The grown isolates were identified at the species level based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Of 222 recovered isolates, 206 (92.8%) filamentous fungi and 16 (7.2%) yeast strains were identified. Sand-recovered fungi comprised 82.9%, while water-originated fungi accounted for 17.1%. The DNA sequencing technique categorized 191 isolates into 13 genera and 26 species. The most recovered genus was Aspergillus (68.9%), and Aspergillus terreus sensu stricto was the commonly identified species (26.14%). Voriconazole was the most effective antifungal drug against Aspergillus species. Research on fungal contamination levels at these locations could provide a foundation for establishing regulatory frameworks to diminish fungal risks, thereby enhancing public health protection. The ecological significance of fungal communities in sandy beaches to human infections remains to be explored, and earlier reports in the literature may motivate researchers to focus on detecting this mycobiome in natural environments where further investigation is warranted. Ultimately, our discovery serves as a reminder that much remains to be learned about pathogenic fungi and underscores the need for vigilance in areas where emerging pathogens have not yet been identified.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jof11080554","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,28]],"date-time":"2025-07-28T09:53:02Z","timestamp":1753696382000},"page":"554","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Insights into Persian Gulf Beach Sand Mycobiomes: Promises and Challenges in Fungal Diversity"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7297-4563","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abolfazl","family":"Saravani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7553-227X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o","family":"Brand\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sa\u00fade Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Sa\u00fade Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"cE3c\u2014Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande 016, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bahram","family":"Ahmadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedical, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr 7518759577, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3119-8342","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ali","family":"Rezaei-Matehkolaei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz 6135715794, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6415-4648","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammad Taghi","family":"Hedayati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mahdi","family":"Abastabar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1449-4668","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hossein","family":"Zarrinfar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Allergy Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 1394491388, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mojtaba","family":"Nabili","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Sar.C., Islamic Azad University, Sari 48164194, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Leila","family":"Faeli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1435916471, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9336-2518","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Javad","family":"Javidnia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-6508-9434","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shima","family":"Parsay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zahra","family":"Abtahian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Tuberculosis and Epidemiology Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1956944413, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6581-2139","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maryam","family":"Moazeni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6010-8414","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hamid","family":"Badali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"926","DOI":"10.9755\/ejfa.v25i12.16730","article-title":"Impact of human activities on coastal vegetation-A review","volume":"25","author":"Pessoa","year":"2013","journal-title":"Emir. 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