Geophilic dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi in the nests of wetland birds

Teresa Korniłłowicz-Kowalska,Helena Iglik,Ignacy Kitowski

doi:10.5586/am.2011.005

Teresa Korniłłowicz-Kowalska, Helena Iglik + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.5586/am.2011.005

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Abstract

The frequency and species diversity of keratinophilic fungi in 38 nests of nine species of wetland birds were examined. Nine species of geophilic dermatophytes and 13 Chrysosporium species were recorded. Ch. keratinophilum, which together with its teleomorph (Aphanoascus fulvescens) represented 53% of the keratinolytic mycobiota of the nests, was the most frequently observed species. Chrysosporium tropicum, Trichophyton terrestre and Microsporum gypseum populations were less widespread. The distribution of individual populations was not uniform and depended on physical and chemical properties of the nests (humidity, pH).

Highlights

Geophilic dermatophytes and species representing the Chrysosporium group related to them are ecologically classified as keratinophilic fungi
It was accepted that one plate can be colonised by only one strain of a fungal species
The species diversity of fungi based on the number of isolates of fungi representing individual species was analysed by calculating Simpson’s index (Krebs 1994) according to the formula: where pi is the share of isolates of species „i” in a fungal community and is the quotient of the number of strains of the species and the number of isolates of all fungi obtained on an isolation medium

Summary

Introduction

Geophilic dermatophytes and species representing the Chrysosporium group (an arbitrary term) related to them are ecologically classified as keratinophilic fungi. Keratinophilic fungi colonise keratin matter (feathers, hair, etc., animal remains) in the soil, on soil surface and in other natural environments. They are keratinolytic fungi physiologically specialised in decomposing native keratin. They fully solubilise native keratin (chicken feathers) used as the only source of carbon and energy in liquid cultures after 70 to 126 days of growth (20°C) (Korniłłowicz-Kowalska 1997). Fungi other than dermatophytes and Chrysosporium decompose only 30%-33% of native feather keratin in the same period (Korniłłowicz-Kowalska l.c.). According to Kunert (2000), fungi are weakly keratinolytic if they decompose no more than 40% of keratin in liquid cultures after eight weeks and non-keratinolytic if they decompose

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