Prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in soils of St. Kitts and Nevis

Abstract

Introduction: Information on the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in West Indies is scanty. Occurrence of keratinophilic fungi in soils of St. Kitts and Nevis has not been investigated previously. Methodology: The prevalence of keratinophilic fungi was investigated in 108 samples of soils of varying habitats from St. Kitts and 55 such samples from Nevis by hair-baiting technique. Fungal growths appearing on the hair baits after four to eight weeks of incubation at room temperature were microscopically examined and cultured on mycological media. Cultures were identified on the basis of colonial and microscopic features. Results: Forty-nine (45%) of the samples from St. Kitts and 38 (69%) from Nevis were positive for keratinophilic fungi. Microsporum gypseum complex, a well-known geophilic dermatophyte, was the most frequently recovered species being present in 15.7% of soils of St. Kitts and 40% of soils of Nevis. The next commonest species recovered was Chrysosporium indicum, represented by 15 (13.9%) isolates from St. Kitts and seven (12.7%) isolates from Nevis. Other infrequently isolated keratinophilic species included Chrysosporium tropicum, Chrysosporium keratinophilum, and unidentified Chrysosporium species. Conclusions: This study is the first of its kind in the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis. A high incidence of M. gypseum complex in the soil of these islands is a noteworthy finding of public health significance.

Studies on the effects of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Ginger) aqueous and ethanolic extracts on some fungal and bacterial species

“…In addition, it could also be possible that the individuals patronizing the barbers' shops are mostly not infected by the dermatophytes as people in townships are becoming aware of dangers of these pathogenic dermatophytic fungi and try to keep their bodies clean. Most of the experimental soil samples were sandy in nature and sandy soils are poorly inhabited by keratinolytic fungi as reported by Gugnani et al (25). The results also agree with that of Ganaie, et al (26) who reported least number of keratinolytic fungi (21%) from sandy soils of rivers.…”

A Preliminary Study on the Occurrence of Keratinophilic Fungi in Soils of Jamaica

“…A very high incidence of M. gypseum complex demonstrated in the soils of Jamaica (50%) is a noteworthy finding of public health significance. A similar high incidence (40%) of M. gypseum complex has been recorded in the soils of Nevis 12 . M. gypseum has also been found to occur frequently in soils of Brazil, 20.8% in one survey 2 , and 19.2% in another very recent study of 692 samples from different geographic regions of the country 8 .…”

“…One study dealt with the recovery of a few isolates of M. gypseum , M. nanum , Trichophyton mentagrophytes , T. terrestre , and C. indicum from soil in Abaco Island in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas 22 , and another reported the isolation of Chrysosporium indicum and C. evolceanui from the soil of Cuba 16 . The third one was a comprehensive investigation on the distribution of M. gypseum and other keratinophilic fungi in soils of varying habitats in St. Kitts and Nevis 12 . The present study is the first of its kind from Jamaica.…”

“…Information on the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in the West Indies is scanty and limited to only a few reports, one each from Abaco Island in Bahamas 22 , Cuba 16 , and St. Kitts and Nevis 12 . There is no report on isolation of keratinophilc fungi including dermatophytes from Jamaican soil.…”

Preferential utilization and colonization of keratin baits by different myco-keratinophiles

“…In view of these observations, it is concluded that hair baiting technique as given by Vanbreuseghem (1952) and recorded by many other workers (Sundaram 1987; Gugnani et al 2012; Pakshir et al 2013; Sarkar et al 2014; Soleymani et al 2015; Sharma and Choudhary 2015 ) as the best method for the isolation of myco-keratinophiles is not very true. Instead, as observed during the present investigation, feather baits, which could allow the growth of all the recovered keratinophiles are more useful in trapping this unique group.…”