Fungi isolated from Antarctic material

Summary Fungi isolated from samples of soil, penguin, skua and petrel dung and bird feathers in the Victoria Land, Antarctica, from Inexpressible Island to Cape King, were studied. All material was collected in December 1987–January 1988. Fungi occurred prevalently in bird dung and in soil, especially when mosses were present. The main species isolated were: the keratinophilic Chrysosporium verrucosum and Geomyces pannorum var. pannorum, Phoma herbarum and Thelebolus microsporus. A variety of filamentous fungi and yeasts were also encountered in soil, dung and bird feathers samples in different localities: Acremonium strictum, Cladosporium herbarum, Scolecobasidium salinum, Mortierella antarctica, Paecilomyces farinosus, Phialophora fastigiata, the thermophilic Scytalidium thermophile and Thermomyces lanuginosus, Verticillium sp., Mycelia sterilia and Cryptococcus albidus and Torulaspora delbrueckii. Most of the fungal isolates appeared to be cold-tolerant. Results from this study are discussed in conjuction with data from previous Antarctic studies in this area.     

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.     

Keratinophilic fungi isolated from the air at Pavia

The presence of keratinophilic fungi was revealed by sampling the air of Pavia (Italy) from March 1981 to February 1982. The species isolated were: Chrysosporium indicum, Geomyces pannorum var.pannorum, Microsporum gypseum, Myceliophtora vellerea and Trichophyton terrestre. Several filamentous fungi tolerating high levels of cycloheximide were also recovered.     

The broad-scale distribution of microfungi in the Windmill Islands region, continental Antarctica

Microfungi were isolated from soils, mosses, algae and lichens in the Windmill Islands region of Antarctica. From a total of 1,228 isolates, 22 genera were identified. The most frequently isolated fungi from mosses were Mycelia sterilia (47% of total isolates), Phoma spp. (18%), Penicillium spp. (11%), Chrysosporium spp. (7%) and Thelebolus microsporus (6%). Mycelia sterilia, Penicillium spp., Mortierella spp., Chrysosporium cf. pannorum and Thelebolus microsporus were also frequently isolated from algae. Fungal distribution and diversity were poor in samples of lichens, compared to samples from mosses and algae. The frequency of occurrence of microfungi was most often associated with strong biotic influence. There was a marked increase in fungal diversity in human-disturbed sites. Twelve taxa were restricted to soils from near the Australian Casey Station, suggesting significant introduction of fungi into this environment by human activities. Away from the station, fungal distribution appeared to be related to substrata and nutrient status rather than dispersal opportunities. Suggestions for future research and the need for constant monitoring to clarify the role of human disturbance on Antarctic fungi are discussed. Received: 1 April 1997 / Accepted: 17 August 1997     

Microorganisms colonizing plants and soil subjected to different degrees of human activity,including petroleum contamination,in the Vestfold hills and MacRobertson Land,Antarctica

Summary The fungal floras of plant communities and mineral soils were determined at locations both close to and away from sites of human activity. Petroleum contaminated soils and discarded wood which occur near Stations were also studied, the former for bacterial as well as fungal colonization. The fungal floras of uncontaminated natural communities comprised relatively few species, Geomyces pannorum, Phoma herbarum and Thelebolus microsporus being the most common, together with Epicoccum nigrum at Mawson. P. herbarum dominated the fungal floras of mosses at Mossell Lake but E. nigrum was also common in Mawson mossbeds. G. pannorum was widespread and colonized a range of different habitats, particularly in the Vestfold Hills. T. microsporus was also widespread particularly at sites frequented by birds and seals. Phialophora fastigiata was common around the Stations, especially Davis Station, in soils including those contaminated with oil and in wood, and is thought to have been introduced with softwood packing crates. A greater range of taxa including Mortierella, Mucor, Penicillium and Cladosporium spp. was recorded from Mawson Station than from other sites, and this was attributed to the effects of human activity. Few fungi but a range of bacteria were isolated from the petroleum contaminated soils. A high percentage of these soils contained bacteria which could utilize hydrocarbons as a sole carbon source. Some of these bacteria showed a strong degradative potential, namely Flavobacterium spp., Corynebacterium spp., Bacillus spp. and an isolate from the family Enterobacteriaceae. One isolate of Corynebacterium and the Enterobacteriaceae isolate were active hydrocarbon degraders at 1°C. Hormoconis resinae, the imperfect state of Amorphotheca resinae was only isolated from oil spill soils and then only from sites of recent spills. Geomyces pannorum and Thelebolus microsporus were less common in oil contaminated soils than in uncontaminated soils.     

Mould in buildings: the air spora of domestic dwellings

Filamentous fungi in 37 genera were isolated during winter from the internal air of 62 domestic dwellings in England and Scotland. In the air spora the number of viable fungal colony-forming units (cfu), including yeasts, ranged from < 12 to 449 800 cfu m⁻³. There was considerable variation between dwellings and between weekly samples taken within the same dwelling, but in approximately one-third of all air samples there were < 200 cfu m⁻³. The filamentous fungi isolated most frequently from the air in 47 Scottish dwellings were Penicillium spp. (96% of dwellings), Cladosporium spp. (89%), Aspergillus spp. (75%, mainly A. versicolor), Ulocladium spp. (62%), Geomyces pannorum (57%) and Sistotrema brinkmannii (51%). Yeasts were isolated in 94% of these dwellings and overall comprised 13% of cfu on Andersen sampler plates. Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp. and S. brinkmannii together accounted for > 70% of the propagules. High numbers of spores in the internal air were associated with surface mould growth and constructional work. In addition, disturbance of surface growth and vacuum cleaning of carpets caused large temporary increases in the atmospheric spore count.     

Fungi from Alberta rodents

Summary The occurrence, by years, ofE. parva in Alberta rodents is presented in tabular form covering the period 1946 to 1959. The infection rate was 5.1.% in 1946, 3.3% in 1957 and less than 1% thereafter.It was found that the lungs of Alberta rodents have a characteristic mold flora comprised chiefly of:Penicillium spp., Beauveria bassiana, Aspergillus spp. and perhapsScopulariopsis brevicaule, Cladosporium spp. andChrysosporium pannorum. Trichophyton mentagrophytes and anotherTrichophyton were isolated from the livers, spleens or lungs of six rodents. Phycomyces blakesleeanus was isolated from the lungs of two rodents trapped in northern Alberta.     

Fungal microbiota dynamics as a postmortem investigation tool: focus on Aspergillus,Penicillium and Candida species

Aims: To investigate the presence of fungi during three human decomposition stages: bloated, putrefaction and skeletonization. Methods and Results: The samples were gathered in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, from the public morgue and cemeteries. The material was submitted to conventional mycological procedures by direct examination and macro/micro morphological and biochemical analyses. The main fungi isolated were Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Candida spp. in the bloated stage (n = 34 cadavers) and in the putrefaction stage (n = 6 cadavers), while in the skeletonization stage (n = 20 cadavers), the main fungi were Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Mucor sp. Conclusions: Aspergillus, Penicillium and Candida species were associated with decomposed human cadavers. Significance and Impact of the Study: These findings enable tracing out the profile of fungal communities of human cadavers for the first time. However, much more research will be necessary to develop this new segment of mycology and to enable its routine use in forensic science.     

Keratinolysis and its morphological expression in hair digestion by airborne fungi

The morphological expression of keratinolysis in fungi isolated from the air of Torino (98 isolates belonging to 36 species) was studied. Light microscopy on whole material and on semithin sections, as well as scanning electron microscopy was used. There were 19 keratinolytically active species, with seven in the genusChrysosporium (C. indicum, C. keratinophilum, C. pannicola, C. tropicum, C. an.Arthroderma cuniculi, C. an.Pectinotrichum llanense, C. an.Renispora flavissima), four in the genusMalbranchea (M. arcuata, M. fulva, M. sulphurea, M. st.Uncinocarpus reesii), and three in the genusTrichophyton (T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T. terrestre). In addition there wereAphanoascus fulvescens, Beauveria bassiana, Geomyces pannorum v.pannorum, Gymnoascus umbrinus andMyceliophthora vellerea. Most of these species were capable of developing structures related to surface erosion and radial penetration contemporaneously. HoweverGymnoascus umbrinus, Myceliophthora vellerea, an isolate ofC. indicum, C. tropicum andTrichophyton mentagrophytes demonstrated only surface erosion. Different isolates of one species can vary in their production of invasive structures and in degree of keratinolytic activity. Thus such activity, like many biochemical activities of fungi, does not appear to be a constant or rigorously species-specific character.     

Fungi isolated from Antarctic mosses

Microfungi were isolated from different moss species in Victoria Land. Twenty-eight taxa belonging to 18 genera were identified. New records for continental Antarctica were: Arthrobotrys superba, Conidiobolus sp., Penicillium minioluteum, Verticillium psalliotae and V. lamellicola. The most frequently isolated fungal species were: Cladosporium cladosporioides, Cryptococcus albidus, Cryptococcus laurentii, Geomyces pannorum var. pannorum, G. pannorum var. vinaceus, Mortierella antarctica, Cadophora malorum, Phoma herbarum and V. lecanii. Bryum pseudotriquetrum was the moss richest in fungal species. Within the Antarctic environment, moss is one of the microhabitats richest in microfungi, particularly in psychrophilic indigenous species.     

Aerial Transport of Keratinaceous Substrate and Distribution of the Fungus Geomyces pannorum in Antarctic Soils

Abstract Aerobiological sampling was conducted year-round at three sites on Signy Island, maritime Antarctic, between December 1992 and January 1994, and during the summer at a fourth coastal site. The concentrations of keratinaceous particles were monitored. Feather fragments were the most abundant of all particle types trapped. Seal hairs were also common, particularly on the coast. Numbers of both particle types were most common in the air in summer. The Antarctic soil fungus Geomyces pannorum, which is able to utilize keratin-based substrates, was also present in aerobiological samples on Signy Island. G. pannorum was only found during early winter on the year-round sampling sites. It was more abundant during summer in the air at the coastal site, which was more heavily influenced by seals, birds and humans. Skuas were swabbed when they returned to the island early in summer. G. pannorum was recovered in culture, suggesting that these birds may act as vectors for the transport of microorganisms between Antarctica and more northern landmasses. Organic material deposited on snow was concentrated on the soil at the edge of the ice cap by melt wash, making additional keratin and other organic substrates available to soil microorganisms. Received: 4 January 1998; Accepted: 25 February 1998     

Further studies on Egyptian soil fungi: Succession of sugar and osmophilic fungi in soil amended with five organic substrates

The sugar and osmophilic fungal composition of soils amended with five organic substrates (newspaper, orange peel, bromegrass leaves, wheat straw and wood sawdust) was estimated after 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks using the dilution plate method on glucose and 50% sucrose Czapek's agar media. Wheat straw was the best substrate for total counts of both sugar and osmophilic fungi followed by newspaper, bromegrass leaves, wood sawdust and orange peel. Wood sawdust supported the highest average counts of total sugar fungi, Fusarium, Mucor, Scopulariopsis, Trichoderma and Trimmatostroma spp.; Newspaper, of Aspergillus (8 spp.), Penicillium (4 spp.) and Chaetomium sp. bromegrass leaves of Cladosporium sp., Humicola sp. and Sporotrichum sp.; orange peel, ofAlternaria sp., Circinella sp. and Stachybotrys sp.; and wheat straw, of Botryotrichum sp. and Myrothecium sp. Bromegrass leaves and orange peel supported the highest average counts of total osmophilic fungi, Aspergillus (10 spp.), Cladosporium sp. Paecillomyces sp. and Rhizopus sp.; and of Stemphylium sp., Trichoderma sp., Humicola sp. and Circinella sp. respectively; wheat straw, of Epicoccum sp., Scopulariopsis sp. and Trichothecium sp.; newspaper, of Penicillium (4 spp.) and Alternaria sp.; and wood sawdust of Curvularia sp. and Fusarium (3 spp.). The best colonizers throughout the experimental periods were Aspergilus and Penicillium spp.     

Keratinophilic fungi and other moulds associated with air-dust particles from Egypt

One-hundred and eleven species and three species varieties belonging to 39 genera were collected from 50 dust samples on the five media used at 28°C. Using the hair-baiting technique with horse hair, 10 species ofChrysosporium were isolated:C. asperatum, C. state ofArthroderma tuberculatum, C. indicum, C. inops, C. keratinophilum, C. merdarium, C. pannorum, C. queenslandicum, C. tropicum andC. xerophilum. True dermatophytes were isolated:Trichophyton verrucosum andTrichophyton sp. Also, numerous fungi tolerating high levels of cycloheximide were encountered, such as members ofAcremonium, Aspergillus andPenicillium. On plates of glucose or cellulose Czapek-Dox agar (free from sucrose) the most frequent fungi were:Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, A. flavus var.columnaris, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. ochraceus, A. sydowii, A. terreus, Chaetomium globosum, Cladosporium herbarum, Emericella nidulans, Fusarium oxysporum, Mucor hiemalis, Penicillium chrysogenum, P. oxalicum, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis andUlocladium atrum. On plates of 50% sucrose or 10 and 20% NaCl-Czapek's agar, some interesting species were frequently encountered:Eurotium amstelodami, E. chevalieri, E. halophilicum, E. montevidensis, E. repens, E. rubrum andScopulariopsis halophilica. The isolated, fungi have been tested for osmophilicity and halophilicity, they showed different rates of growth on sucrose and sodium chloride-Czapek's medium of various osmotic potential.     

Study of endophytic fungal community from different parts of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegle marmelos</Emphasis> Correae (Rutaceae) from Varanasi (India)

Endophytic fungi were isolated from healthy, living, and symptomless tissues of inner bark, leaf, and roots of Aegle marmelos, a well-known medicinal plant, growing in different parts of India including Varanasi. A total of 79 isolates of endophytic fungi were isolated, representing 21 genera, adopting a standard isolation protocol. Members of the deuteromycotina were more prevalent than ascomycotina and others. The result was quite encouraging in terms of maximum isolates recovery from hyphomycetes (78.5%) followed by ascomycetes (8.9%) and coelomycetes (7.6%) respectively, which corroborates previous studies in same area. However, 5.1% isolates remained unidentified and were classified under Mycelia Sterilia. No isolate was obtained from either basidiomycotina or from zygomycotina. Fusarium spp. had maximum colonization frequency (8.00%) in this plant. The other dominant endophytic genera were Aspergillus spp., Alternaria sp., Drechslera sp., Rhizoctonia sp., Curvularia sp., Nigrospora sp., and Stenella sp. Only two ascomycetous members Chaetomium globosum and Emericella sp. (perfect state of Aspergillus sp.) were obtained from the bark sample. These results indicated that distribution of endophytic fungi within the A. marmelos is not even. Bark harbors more endophytic fungi than leaf and root.     

Keratinophilic fungi of poultry farm and feather dumping soil in Tamil Nadu,India

Soils of 10 poultry farms from Namakkal and 12 feather dumping sites from Chennai were studied for the presence of keratinophilic fungi. A total of 34 species belonging to 19 genera and one non-sporulating fungus were recovered. Sixteen species of fungi and one non-sporulating fungi were common to both sites, eight species were specific to Namakkal and nine species were specific to Chennai. Dermatophytes and closely related fungi were represented by six species belonging to five genera. Fungal species commonly found in the soil samples included Chrysosporium keratinophilum (73%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (68.2%), Microsporum gypseum (64%), Myceliopthora vellerea (32%), Chrysosporium state of Arthroderma tuberculatum (27.3%) and Geomyces pannorum (23%). Non-dermatophyte fungi were represented by 28 species belonging to 14 genera and one non-sporulating fungus.     

Antimicrobial potentials of endophytic fungi residing in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus variabilis</Emphasis> and brefeldin A obtained from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cladosporium</Emphasis> sp.

Among 67 endophytic fungi isolated from Quercus variabilis, 53.7% of endophytic fungal fermentation broths displayed growth inhibition on at least one test microorganism, such as pathogenic fungi (Trichophyton rubrum, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis) and bacteria (Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens). Moreover, 19.4% of strains showed a broader antimicrobial spectrum, such as Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Alternaria sp., 20.9% of strains showed strong inhibition (+++) to pathogenic bacteria, while only 7.5% displayed that to test fungi. The most active antifungal strain I(R)9-2, Cladosporium sp. was selected and fermented. From the broth, a secondary metabolite, brefeldin A was obtained. This is the first report on the antimicrobial potentials of endophytic fungi residing in Q. variabilis and isolation of brefeldin A produced by Cladosporium sp.     

Human hair colonizing fungi in water sediments of India

Out of 144 samples of water sediments, 183 isolates belonging to 9 genera and 22 species were isolated. Fifty-nine isolates of Acremonium, 26 of Chrysosporium indicum, 22 of Chrysosporium keratinophilum, 17 of Malbranchea sp. and 10 of Microsporum gypseum were recovered. Acremonium implicatum, Chrysosporium georgii, Chrysosporium xerophilum and Geomyces pannorum were reported for the first time from India. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Keratinophilic fungi isolated from soil of the Abruzzo National Park,Italy

One hundred sixty one soil samples from the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo were analyzed. The keratinophilic fungi present in the soil samples were isolated and classified with the hair-bait method. The most common was T. ajelloi (28.6% of the total samples) followed by Chrysosporium keratinophilum (14.3%), C. sp. (11.2%), C. asperatum and Trichophyton sp. (6.8%), T. terrestre (5.6%), C. pannorum and C. state of Ctenomyces serratus (3.7%), C. tropicum (3.1%), M. cookei (2.5%) and the C. state of Arthroderma tuberculatum (1.9%). Other species, not belonging to the dermatophytes, were also isolated. The absence of dermatophytes was correlated with low human and animal population density.Altitude and vegetation did not seem to influence their distribution.     

Occurrence of aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A in Lebanese cultivated wheat

An extensive survey of filamentous fungi isolated from wheat grown and consumed in Lebanon and their capacity to produce aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and ochratoxin A (OTA) was conducted to assess fungi potential for producing these toxins in wheat. From the 468 samples of wheat kernel, collected at preharvest stage from different locations during 2008 and 2009 cultivation seasons, 3,260 fungi strains were isolated with 49.4% belonging to Penicillium spp. and 31.2% belonging to Aspergillus spp. Penicillium spp. was detected on wheat samples with a high amount of P. verrucosum (37.0%). Among the different Aspergillus spp. isolated, A. niger aggregate was predominant and constituted 37.3%. whereas the isolation rate of A. flavus and A. ochraceus was 32.2 and 25.6%, respectively. The ability to produce OTA and AFB₁ by isolates belonging to Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). It was found that 57.0% of Penicillium spp. and 80% of A. ochraceus isolates tested produced OTA, respectively, at maximum concentrations of 53 and 65 μg/g CYA. As for the aflatoxinogenic ability, 45.3% of A. flavus produced AFB₁, with maximum concentration of 40 μg/g CYA. A total of 156 wheat samples were analyzed for the levels of OTA and AFB₁ by HPLC-FLD. The results showed that 23.7% were contaminated with OTA, at a concentration higher than 3 μg/kg and 35.2% of these samples were contaminated with AFB₁ at concentration higher than 2 μg/kg. The risks originating from toxin levels in wheat produced in Lebanon should be monitored to prevent their harmful effects on public health.     

Opportunistic fungi in detroit's rats and opossum

Four Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and one opossum (Didelphis virginiana) were surveyed for the presence of fungi. Eighteen different fungi were isolated from rat samples and six from the opossum, includingTrichophyton mentagrophytes. Hair and skin scrapings from laboratory raised Norway rats, bedding and air from the room yielded onlyPenicillium sp.