Isolation of keratinophilic fungi from floors in Roman kindergarten and secondary schools

We examined the dust collected from the floors of forty classrooms, twenty in kindergarten schools (children aged 2–5) and twenty in secondary schools (students aged 11–14) in order to determine the diffusion of keratinophilic fungi in respect to such different factors as human presence and children's age. In the kindergarten schools 268 colonies of keratinophilic fungi were isolated: 50 were Microsporum, 6 Trichophyton and 212 Chrysosporium species. Members of the Chrysosporium genus were found the widely diffused. It is interesting to note the isolation of M. gypseum in two schools. In the secondary schools 847 colonies of keratinophilic fungi were isolated: 727 were Chrysosporium, 81 Microsporum, 38 Trichophyton and 1 Epidermophyton species. Again the Chrysosporium species were the most widely diffused. It is remarkable to point out the isolation of pathogenic species such as Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum and the rather rare Microsporum vanbreuseghemii.     

Glyphosate and Previous Crop Residue Effect on Deleterious and Beneficial Soil-borne Fungi from a Peanut–Corn–Soybean Rotations

Bean seedlings (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were transplanted to soil with corn previous crop residue, peanut previous crop residue and no agricultural soil, and treated with a range of glyphosate concentrations. Trichoderma, Gliocladium, Fusarium and Pythium soil‐borne fungi populations were monitored during 24 days after glyphosate treatment to study the glyphosate and previous crop residue effects on these populations. In addition, those genera of soil‐borne fungi were tested to study in vitro toxicity to glyphosate. Independently of glyphosate concentration, the highest population of Trichoderma spp. and Gliocladium spp. were registered on soil with previous corn residue. Fusarium and Pythium populations increased proportionally to the increment of glyphosate concentration. No effect of glyphosate was founded on Trichoderma and Gliocladium populations. The in vitro study results indicated an inhibitory effect of glyphosate on mycelial grown of the most studied soil‐borne fungi.     

Seasonal study of the fungal biota of the fur of dogs

During a one year period, 944 dogs from the Municipal kennel of Barcelona were examined to detect animals with suspected dermatophytosis. Only a few animals (1.8%) presented skin lesions but none of them had dermatophytosis. A representative number of dogs without visible skin lesions (n=172), selected at random, were used to carry out a seasonal study of the mycobiota of their fur. Fifteen isolates belonging to the genera Microsporum and Trichophyton were isolated from 14 of the 172 (8.1%) dogs without lesions. The identity of these fungi was Microsporum gypseum (6/15), Trichophyton terrestre (4/15), M. canis (2/15), M. cookei (2/15) and Trichophyton ajelloi (1/15) (one strain each of M. gypseum and T. ajelloi were isolated from one dog). Species of Penicillium (% prevalence=89.5%), Alternaria (86.6%), Cladosporium (84.9%), Aspergillus (77.3%), Scopulariopsis (65.7%) and Chrysosporium (64.5%) were the most prevalent. No significant differences in the fungal biota were observed with respect to age, gender, hair length or between mixed and pure breed dogs. A large number of isolates, including species belonging to the genera Beauveria, Chrysosporium, Malbranchea and Scopulariopsis, that macroscopically and/or microscopically resemble dermatophytes and may be mistaken for them, produced a red color change in Dermatophyte Test Medium. No significant seasonal difference was detected among the isolates belonging to the the most frequently encountered genera, with the exception of Scopulariopsis (higher in summer and autumn) and Chrysosporium (higher in summer). Species from other genera, with lower occurrence also presented significant differences in their seasonal distribution. Arthrinium, Aureobasidium, Chaetomium and Phoma spp. presented maximum prevalence peaks in spring, Fusarium, Paecilomyces, Phoma and Rhizopus spp. in summer and Geotrichum and Mucor spp. in autumn. The Microsporum and Trichophyton species were more frequently isolated in summer.     

The occurrence of keratinophilic fungi in texas soil

Summary A total of 137 soils, 27 coming from caves and 110 from outdoor lands of Texas, were examined for the presence of keratinophilic fungi by the use of the ToKaVa hairbaiting technique. Twenty three and 69 fungal isolates, respectively, were recovered from these areas. Microsporon gypseum was the most common isolate, followed byTrichophyton mentagrophytes, andT. terrestre. M. gypseum was recovered from caves in a very high frequency (67 %), in comparison to its presence in the outdoor soils (10 %).Fifteen strains ofChrysosporium, belonging to four species, were isolated. Fourteen of these isolates were recovered from shady areas under trees. None of these had been isolated from Texas soil before.     

Isolation of nematophagous fungi from eggs and females of Meloidogyne spp. and evaluation of their biological control potential

Fungi were isolated from Meloidogyne spp. eggs and females on 102 field-collected root samples in China. Of the 235 fungi isolated (representing 18 genera and 26 species), the predominant fungi were Fusarium spp. (42.1% of the isolates collected), Fusarium oxysporum (13.2%), Paecilomyces lilacinus (12.8%), and Pochonia chlamydosporia (8.5%). The isolates were screened for their ability to parasitise Meloidogyne incognita eggs in 24-well tissue culture plates in two different tests. The percentage of eggs parasitised by the fungi, the numbers of unhatched eggs and alive and dead juveniles were counted at 4 and 7 days after inoculation. The most promising fungi included five Paecilomyces isolates, 10 Fusarium isolates, 10 Pochonia isolates and one Acremonium isolate in test 1 or test 2. Paecilomyces lilacinus YES-2 and P. chlamydosporia HDZ-9 selected from the in vitro tests were formulated in alginate pellets and evaluated for M. incognita control on tomato in a greenhouse by adding them into a soil with sand mixture at rates of 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6% (w/w). P. lilacinus pellets at the highest rate (1.6%) reduced root galling by 66.7%. P. chlamydosporia pellets at the highest rate reduced the final nematode density by 90%. The results indicate that P. lilacinus and P. chlamydosporia as pellet formulation can effectively control root-knot nematodes.     

Keratinophilic fungi isolated from antarctic soil

In the present study, 10 soil samples were collected aseptically from an equal number of areas of the Antarctic in the zone occupied by the 1986–1987 Italian expedition for research on keratinophilic fungi.Of particular interest was the isolation of a pathogenic fungus, Microsporum gypseum, from two sites in the base camp occupied by men and by skuas. Trichophyton terrestre was isolated from a site in which people worked and through which penguins and skuas passed.The most widespread fungal species were members of the genus Chrysosporium. Some of these species were isolated but not identified and this part of the study was still be completed.Another significant finding was the absence of fungi in one sample, while in another the widespread and abundant growth in all the seeded dishes of a single species of Chrysosporium.Other species in genera of general diffusion in many environments were also isolated : Aspergillus spp., Malbranchea sp., Mycelia sterilia spp., Paecilomyces sp., Penicillium spp. and Scopulariopsis spp.     

The isolation of keratinophilic fungi from soil and wild animals in South Dakota

Hairs and skin scrapings from 224 wild animals representing 30 species were examined for the presence of keratinophilic fungi. Commercial agars and sterile soil plates moistened with water containing cycloheximide were utilized for culturing specimens. Keratinophilic fungi of the generaTrichophyton andChrysosporium were isolated from 26.8% of the specimens. Using the hair baiting technique of Vanbreuseghem, 54 soil samples were screened for keratinophilic fungi. Eighteen (33.3%) of the samples were positive for the genusTrichophyton. Microsporon spp. were not recovered from the animal hairs or soil samples.

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Zusammenfassung Haare und Haut von 224 wilden Tieren, von dreißig Arten, sind für das Vorkommen von keratinophilen Pilzen untersucht worden. Agar und sterile mit Wasser angefeuchtete Erdbodenplatten mit Cycloheximid sind für Kulturzwecke benützt worden. Keratinophile Pilze von den GattungenTrichophyton undChrysosporium sind von 26.8% der Proben isoliert worden. Mittels der Haarködermethode von Vanbreuseghem sind 54 Erdbodenproben für keratinophile Pilze untersucht worden. Achtzehn der Proben (33.3%) waren für die GattungTrichophyton positiv.Mikrosporon spp. wurden von Tierhaaren oder Erdbodenproben nicht erhalten.

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Approved by the director of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station as Journal Series No. 916.

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Formerly was of the staff of the Bacteriology Department at South Dakota State University.     

Endophytic fungi from a pharmaceutical plant, Camptotheca acuminata: isolation, identification and bioactivity

About 174 endophytic fungi were isolated from the pharmaceutical plant, Camptotheca acuminata. Of the 18 taxa obtained, non-sporulating fungi (48.9%), Alternaria (12.6%), Phomopsis (6.9%), Sporidesmium (6.3%), Paecilomyces (4.6%) and Fusarium (4.6%) were dominant. ITS rDNA assay indicated that most of the non-sporulating fungi belonged to the Pyrenomycetes and Loculoascomycetes ascomycetes or their anamorph Coelomycetes. The results of the bioactivity test showed that 27.6% of the endophytic fungi displayed inhibition against more than one indicator microorganism. 4.0% and 2.3% of the endophytic fungi showed cytotoxicity and protease inhibition, respectively. The endophytic fungi with bioactivities were distributed in more than 12 taxa including non-sporulating fungi, which are reliable sources for bioactive agents.     

Keratinophilic fungi isolated from soils of Mumbai,India

Eighty-seven soil samples were collected from various areas of Mumbai and its vicinity to determine the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi. From the 55 positive samples (63.21%), a total of four genera with nine species were isolated viz. Chrysosporium indicum (28.73%),C. lobatum (2.29 %), C. sp.I (1.14%), C. sp. II (1.14%),C. tropicum (1.14%),C. zonatum (2.29%),Ctenomyces serratus (2.29%) Malbranchea aurantiaca (2.29%) and Microsporum gypseum complex (21.83%). This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) of rDNA of appendaged and non-appendaged strains of Microsporum gypseum reveals Microsporum appendiculatum as its synonym

Recently a new taxon of geophilic dermatophytes was established as Microsporum appendiculatum Bhat and Mariam, based on the presence of appendaged macroconidia. However, such appendages are already known in the related species Microsporum gypseum. We conducted a survey of soil in central India as a part of a microbial biodiversity project and obtained two strains of M. gypseum with appendaged macroconidia. Using phenotypical characterization in combination with sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of rDNA, we found that all strains of appendaged species are identical. Therefore M. appendiculatum is regarded as a synonym of M. gypseum.     

Study on the mycoflora of Egyptian soils

Fifty genera and 155 species, in addition to three varieties of Aspergillus nidulans, were isolated from 100 soil samples collected from different localities in Egypt. Aspergillus (33 species in addition to 3 varieties of A. nidulans), Penicillium (46 species), Fusarium (6 species) and Mucor (4 species) were of high occurrence, from which A. niger, A. fumigatus, A. terreus, M. racemosus, P. notatum, P. chrysogenum and A. flavus were dominant. Five genera were of moderate occurrence and these were Humicola, Myrothecium, Rhizopus, Cochliobolus and Alternaria. Fourteen genera were of low occurrence namely, Cunninghamella, Chaetomium, Stachybotrys, Cladosporium, Syncephalastrum, Paecilomyces, Trichoderma, Scolecobasidium, Circinella, Curvularia, Ulocladium, Botryotrichum, Sepedonium and Gliocladium. Twenty-seven genera were of rare occurrence.Fourteen species were of moderate occurrence and these were A. sydowii, M. verrucaria, P. funiculosum, A. versicolor, H. grisea, F. oxysporum, A. nidulans, F. moniliforme, A. alternata, F. solani, M. hiemalis, A. candidus, R. nigricans and A. ochraceus. The remaining species were of low or rare occurrence in soils tested.Comparison between the present results and those of others showed that there is no fungal flora characteristic cultivated soils.     

Incidence of keratinophilic fungi from selected soils of Kerala state (India)

One hundred and fifty-eight soil samples were collected from various areas of four districts of Kerala and screened for prevalence of keratinophilic fungi and related dermatophytes. From the positive samples (60.75%), a total of eight genera with 15 species were isolated viz., Arthroderma simii (0.63%), Chrysosporium indicum (20.25%), C. keratinophilum (6.96%), C. lobatum (1.26%), C. pannicola (1.26%), C. tropicum (5.06%), Chrysosporium state of Arthroderma cuniculi (1.26%), Chrysosporium state of Ctenomyces serratus (2.53%), Gymnascella hyalinospora (1.26%), Malbranchea aurantiaca (0.63%) M. fulva (1.26%), Microsporum gypseum complex (12.65%), Pseudogymnoascus roseus (1.26%), Trichophyton mentragrophytes (1.26%), and T. terrestre (3.16%).This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Investigation of keratinophilic fungi from soils in Western Australia a preliminary survey

In order to determine which species of geophilic dermatophytes were present in Western Australian soils 299 samples were investigated. These samples were collected from a range of locations, 208 from towns throughout the state and 91 samples from the Perth Metropolitan area.Most samples were collected from areas frequented by people and animals, such as home gardens, parks and animal yards.Of the total 299 soils, 271 (90.6 %) yielded keratinophilic fungi. A total of 181 dermatophytes were isolated, and there were 205 isolations of other keratinophilic fungi. Microsporum gypseum (30.7 %) was the most prevalent dermatophyte recovered from soil followed byMicrosporum cookei (21.7 %) and thenTrichophyton ajelloi (8.0 %). No other dermatophytes were recovered.Chrysosporium indicum was the most common of all the keratinophilic fungi and was isolated from 50.1 % of the samples. Mixed growth was obtained from 33.5 % of the soil samples.     

A significant variant of Microsporon gypseum

Summary Detailed morphological characteristics of a variant ofMicrosporon gypseum, which evolved spontaneously in a pure culture of a soil strain, have been described. The outstanding characteristics of this variant includes the production of macroconidia resembling more closely the macroconidia ofTrichophyton than those ofMicrosporon.     

Morpho-Molecular Characterization of Soil Inhabitant Dermatophytes from Ahvaz,Southwest of Iran,a High Occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microsporum fulvum</Emphasis>

Occurrence and diversity of dermatophyte mycoflora in 298 soil samples from Ahvaz, Southwest of Iran was investigated by using the hair-baiting technique. The samples were collected during spring (n = 210) and autumn (n = 88) of 2015, and the fungal isolates were identified based on the macro- and micro-morphology of colonies and with further ITS-rDNA RFLP and sequencing. Totally, 60 soil samples (20.1%) were positive for dermatophyte growth whose pH varied from 7.0 to 7.9. The highest (26.6%) and the lowest (14.3%) recovery rates were from the animal resorts and the streets soils samples, respectively. Seasonally, 16.7% of the spring samples and 28.4% of the autumn samples were positive. Based on molecular identification, three species of two genera were identified viz. M. fulvum (n = 57), M. canis (n = 2) and zoophilic Trichophyton interdigitale (n = 1). As a specific goal in the study, differentiation of the species in Microsporum gypseum complex was established by measuring the mean length and width of macroconidia in some strains of M. gypseum, M. fulvum and M. incurvatum. Mean size for macroconidia length and width in three species showed that M. gypseum and M. incurvatum can morphologically be differentiated from M. fulvum but not from each other. M. fulvum was the most abundant species isolated from the soils of Ahvaz; however, to comprehensively specify the distribution pattern of geophilic dermatophytes in the soils of this city further investigations are needed. Identification based on micro-morphometric is not effective for species distinction in M. gypseum complex, while molecular procedures based on sequencing of certain DNA regions are the most reliable and applicable strategies for this purpose.     

The distribution ofFusarium species in soils planted to millet and sorghum in Lesotho,Nigeria and Zimbabwe

Samples from soils planted to millet and sorghum from Lesotho, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe were processed and a total of 3,291Fusarium cultures were recovered. Of these 1,296 cultures were isolated from plant debris and 1,995 cultures were recovered from soil dilutions. The most prevalent species recovered wereF. oxysporum (37%),F. equiset (30%),F. solani (14%),F. moniliforme (6%),F. compactum (5%),F. nygamai (4%), andF. chlamydosporum (2%). OtherFusarium species isolated wereF. merismoides, F. polyphialidicum, F. graminearum, F. subglutinans, F. sambucinum, F. longipes, F. semitectum, F. dimerum, F. lateritium, and a group of cultures designated as population A which resembleF. camptoceras. Fusarium equiseti was the predominant species in soil samples from Nigeria and Zimbabwe, whileF. oxysporum was the predominant species recovered from soil from Lesotho.Contribution No. 1881, Fusarium Research Center, Department of Plant Pathology, The Pennsylvania State University.     

黑龙江省药用植物根际土壤真菌多样性

为了解黑龙江省药用植物根际土壤真菌的种群结构和区系分布特点,于2010年7月份和10月份,在黑龙江省的伊春、铁力、绥化、哈尔滨、牡丹江和佳木斯6个中药材产区共采集土壤样品220份,所采集的药用植物种类主要有五味子、平贝母、刺五加、党参、防风、柴胡、桔梗、黄芩等14种.经稀释平板法和土壤颗粒平板法分离共获得1016株真菌,经形态鉴定归为35属86种,其中接合菌7属10种,占7.78％;子囊菌1属2种,占0.69％;无性型真菌27属74种,占70.76％,其余20.77％的菌株为不产孢真菌.试验结果表明,黑龙江省药用植物根际土壤真菌的种群多样性丰富,其中青霉属Penicillium、曲霉属Aspergillus、木霉属Trichoderma、镰孢菌属Fusarium是优势种群,粘帚霉属Gliocladium、金孢属Chrysosporium、毛霉属Mucor、枝孢属Cladosporium、枝顶孢属Acremonium、根霉属Rhizopus是亚优势种群.不同药用植物根际土壤真菌区系的结构和组成存在一定的差异.除无孢类群外,青霉属Penicillium、曲霉属Aspergillus、木霉属Trichoderma和镰孢菌属Fusarium是14种药用植物根际土壤真菌的优势菌群.五味子、平贝母和柴胡是黑龙江省种植的主要中药材,它们在6个采样地点间的真菌种群的多样性水平存在差异,其中伊春地区的多样性指数(H’=2.9574)和丰富度指数(R=5.6683)最高,而佳木斯地区的均匀度指数(J=0.9200)最高.不同地区的相似性水平也存在差异,其中牡丹江与绥化的药用植物根际土壤真菌种群组成之间的相似性系数最高(Cj=0.6315),牡丹江与哈尔滨的相似性最低(Cj=0.3704).     

Dermatophytes isolated from patients in University Hospital,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

A total of 576 dermatophytes were isolated from patients with a variety of skin infections from January 1993 to May 2000. Ten species of dermatophytes were identified: Epidermophyton floccosum (0.7%), Microsporum audouinii (1.1%), M. canis (3.1%), M. gypseum (0.3%), Trichophyton concentricum(3.5%), T. equinum (0.2%), T. mentagrophytes (36.%), T . rubrum (53.8%), T. verrucosum (0.2) and T. violaceum (1.0%). The body sites most frequently affected by dermatophytes were the buttocks, nails and trunk. Anthropophilic dermatophytes made up 60.1% of the isolates; the most common species was T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and M. canis were the two main zoophilic dermatophytes. T. mentagrophytes was isolated from all body sites except the scalp. M. canis was found to be associated with domestic dogs and wasnot isolated from ethnic Malays. The only geophilic dermatophyte was M. gypseum, an uncommon dermatophyte associated with tinea pedis.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Identification and Characterization of Toxigenic Fusaria Associated with Sorghum Grain Mold Complex in India

Fusarium species are dominant within the sorghum grain mold complex. Some species of Fusarium involved in grain mold complex produce mycotoxins, such as fumonisins. An attempt was made to identify Fusarium spp. associated with grain mold complex in major sorghum-growing areas in India through AFLP-based grouping of the isolates and to further confirm the species by sequencing part of α-Elongation factor gene and comparing the sequences with that available in the NCBI database. The dendrogram generated from the AFLP data clustered the isolates into 5 groups. Five species of Fusarium—F. proliferatum, F. thapsinum, F. equiseti, F. andiyazi and F. sacchari were identified based on sequence similarity of α-Elongation factor gene of the test isolates with those in the NCBI database. Fusarium thapsinum was identified as predominant species in Fusarium—grain mold complex in India and F. proliferatum as highly toxigenic for fumonisins production. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed 54% of the variation in the AFLP patterns of 63 isolates was due to the differences between Fusarium species, and 46% was due to differences between the strains within a species.     

Fungi in developing peanut fruits

Summary Tests conducted on developing peanut fruits showed that 84 % of the pegs contained fungi before they entered the ground. Shell invasion remained high (90–100 %) throughout the season; seed invasion rose to 82 %, declining at harvest time.Penicillium, Fusarium andPhoma were the most common shell fungi;Penicillium andGliocladium were most common in seeds. Ecologically, peanut fungi fall into 3 groups: an aerial flora, a terrestrial flora and species which colonize peanut fruits both above and below ground.Journal Series Paper No. 228, University of Georgia College of Agriculture Experiment Station, College Station, Athens.