β-glucan is a polysaccharide with β-glycosidic linkages and it's a major structural component of various yeast cells. The goal of this research was to focus on the characterization of β-glucan extracted from both types of yeasts (Saccharomyces cereviseae and Candida albicans).The extraction of β-glucan depend on acid-base hydrolysis method and the yield of β-glucan extracted from Saccharomyces cereviseae was 63.35gm (28.15%) while the yield of βglucan extracted from Candida albicans was 9.35gm (4.15%) from 225gm of both yeasts also the results explained that High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of extracted β-glucan had similarity to the standard of β-glucan in major peak 3.22 of liquid samples extracted from two types of yeasts. On the other hand, Scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that standard of β-glucan was similar to both β-glucan extracted from Saccharomyces cereviseae and Candida albicans in size of particles in range (1.11-2.60µm) and no presence of cell wall trace but different in morphology.

The present study aimed to the isolation and identification of Penicillium chrysogenum from subclinical bovine mastitis as well as the evaluation of their potential to produce the main virulence factors by assessing proteinase production, urease production, growth rate at 37 ̊C, and hemolytic activity on Blood agar. One hundred milk samples were assembled from the White Gold village and surrounded outlying farms of Abu-Ghraib, Baghdad province, during the period from November 2018 to March 2019. Each milk sample was tested for California Mastitis (CMT). The results indicated that 85% of the samples gave positive (+ve) results for CMT. Sixty six mycotic isolates were detected, including 31 isolates of Penicillium spp. (46.9%) and 23 isolates of P. chrysogenum (34.8%). All of P. chrysogenum isolates were identified by culturing on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and Czapek Doxes Agar at 25 ºC for 5-7 days. P. chrysogenum was diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of fungal ribosomal DNA (rDNA). The results of genetic identities showed that this fungus had 94% matching with the reference strain. Also, this study indicated that P. chrysogenum has several virulence factors with the ability of this fungus to degrade both proteins (albumin and casein), hydrolyse urea, and grow ate 37 ̊C, but not to confer hemolytic activity on Blood Agar.