Keratinolytic Fungi in Egyptian Soils

Abstract

The frequency of occurrence of keratinolytic fungi in seventy soil samples, collected from different sites in Upper Egypt and in the coastal area of the Mediterranean, was determined by baiting with human and animal hairs and pigeon feathers.Twenty-one species, in addition to an unidentified species, which belong to sixteen genera were collected. Chrysosporium indicum, C. tropicum, C. keratinophilum, and Microsporum gypseum were the most frequent fungal species recovered from the baited soils.The soil samples collected from the salt marshes of the coastal Mediterranean area were completely free from any keratinolytic fungi, whereas the soil samples collected from cultivated soils contributed species, ranging from one to four species.

Isolation of keratinophilic fungi from elementary schools and public parks in Isfahan, Iran

“…The distribution and abundance of keratinophilic fungi in relation to the presence of organic materials in soil and different soil factors has been well studied [1–7]. It is also recognized that the distribution of keratinophilic fungi varies in the soil of different locations and the dominant species in any soil or dust may change with time [1–13].…”

“…They found that elementary schools are more contaminated with keratinophilic fungi including dermatophytes than preparatory schools. Chrysosporium species are the most common keratinophilic fungi isolated from soils in many parts of the world including Egypt, Spain, Israel, Kuwait, India and New Guinea [8, 10–13, 23]. Filipello Marchisio reported the isolation of Chrysosporium spp., M. gypseum and T. ajelloi from children's sandpits in the city of Turin in Italy [24] and emphasized the potential risk of cutaneous mycoses for children playing in the sandpits or in public parks.…”

“…The potentially pathogenic keratinophilic fungi and allied geophilic dermatophyte species are widespread throughout the world, and their distribution seems largely to depend on the amount of keratinic material deposited by humans and animals [1–7]. Many surveys have been carried out in different parts of the world to study the distribution of these fungi in different habitats, especially in the soil of agricultural areas, gardens, public beaches, parks and schools, or animal settlements where regular keratin sources occur [1–13], but the soil in Isfahan has never been investigated for keratinophilic fungi. The province of Isfahan is located in southern central Iran, 1430 m above sea level, with a moderate climate.…”

Keratinophilic and Keratinolytic Fungi in Cave Ecosystems: A Culture-Based Study of Brestovská Cave and Demänovská Ľadová and Slobody Caves (Slovakia)

“…In natural environments, the presence of keratin-associated fungi depends on the availability of keratinic substrata of animal or human origin [63]. The constant flow of such organic matter has been associated with the distribution of keratinolytic fungi in environments such as arable soils [64][65][66][67], sewage sludge and river bottom sediments [68,69], compost [70], bird feathers [71], the deposits of free-living rodents [72], the nests of water birds [73], and pellets of birds of prey [74].…”

Distribucion Altitudinal De Hongos Queratinofilos, Epifitos Y Endofitos en Suelos Deserticos Del Norte Chileno (Ii Region, 23°L.S Y 68°L.W)

“…Nuestras expectativas, estimaron un mayor número de aislamientos de Onygenales y taxa relacionados en todas los escalones altitudinales, sin embargo, nuestros resultados demuestran que las condiciones climáticas invernales y la altura pueden afectar su prevalencia en los meses fríos. El aislamiento de especies de Chrysosporium, Trichophyton, Malbranchea y Geomy-ces, son frecuentemente reportadas por diferentes autores en muchos países y climas, incluyendo las zonas antárticas (Alteras & Evolceanu, 1969;Abdel-Fattah et al,1982;Cano et al, 1985;Caretta et al,1992;Mercantini et al,1993) El clima antártico, considerado como un desierto frío, coincidentemente semeja en muchos aspectos al andino, que presenta bajas temperaturas, periodos cortos de crecimiento de los microorga-nismos, reducción de hábitat y escasa o nula pluviosidad en las latitudes estudiadas. Sin embargo, los integrantes del género Auxarthron, parecen tener una distribución más restringida, debido a que no son reportados con mucha frecuencia y aparentemente se han detectado mayoritariamente en el hemisferio norte, como en USA, Europa y Asia.…”