Study on Keratinophilic and Keratinolytic Fungi Isolated from Birds, Feathers and Animal Hairs

Abstract

A total of 75 bird feathers and 22 animal hair samples (97 samples) were processed for invitro degradation of keratin. Both keratinophilic and keratinolytic fungi were identified and among them, 22 fungal genera were isolated which represented about 27 different species. All the 27 isolates were keratinophilic and among them 12 were found to have keratinolytic activity. Hen feather samples showed a high incidence of about 55 fungal isolates, followed by kaadai (Wild chicken) samples with 27 isolates, rabbit hair samples with 19, turkey and pigeon each with 18 isolates, 12 isolates were obtained from the goat hair samples, cow hair samples with 5 isolates and cat and dog hair with 2 isolates respectively. Among the 158 isolated fungal species, the genus Aspergillus was the found to be predominant. Among them, Aspergillus niger was predominant with 38 isolates followed by Fusarium spp. with 19 isolates and Scopulariopsis spp. was found to be in 11 isolates.

Arthroderma tuberculatum and Arthroderma multifidum Isolated from Soils in Rook (Corvus frugilegus) Colonies as Producers of Keratinolytic Enzymes and Mineral Forms of N and S

“…The investigations were carried out on strains of keratinolytic fungi isolated from soils located in two colonies of the rook Corvus frugilegus in the villages of Sielec (51°02′24″ N, 23°31′26″ E) and Zagroda (51°01′07″ N, 23°22′19″ E) in Poland. The fungi were isolated using the keratin bait method, with chicken feathers used as a keratin substrate [ 11 , 19 ]. Waste chicken feathers were obtained from the “Superdrob” Poultry Processing Plant in Lublin, Poland.…”

“…Keratinolytic fungi are present in environments with a constant flow of organic matter [ 2 ]. They are isolated from arable soils [ 5 , 14 , 15 , 16 ], sewage sludge and river bottom sediments [ 17 , 18 ], compost [ 12 ], bird feathers [ 19 ], the hair of free-living rodents [ 20 ], the nests of water birds [ 21 ], and pellets of birds of prey [ 22 ]. They are classified as dermatophytes and fungi representing the Chrysosporium group.…”

“…The search for species with high keratinolytic activity does not only involve fungi of the genus Chrysosporium and the fungi mentioned above [ 5 , 25 ]. Species from the genera Trichoderma , Fusarium, Cladosporium , Phytophtora [ 26 ], and Talaromyces [ 27 ], as well as Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus [ 19 ], have been described in the literature as keratin decomposers.…”

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].…”

“…Kunert (2000) emphasized that fungi belonging to Onygenales are highly specialized in keratin degradation and include six genera, namely Arthroderma, Aphanoascus, Epidermophyton, Microsporum, Trichophyton, and Chrysosporium [76]. However, the diversity of keratinolytic species is considered to be much broader [67,77] and includes species from the genera Trichoderma, Fusarium, Cladosporium, Phytophthora [78], and Talaromyces [79], as well as Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus [71]. In fact, the definition can be even wider as some species or genera are newly reported to be keratin-dependent, such as Pseudogymnoascus destructans [80].…”