Abstract
Seventy-two samples of aerobic and anoxic activated sludge were collected from two wastewater treatment plants (36 from each) with membrane bioreactors (MBR) in Berlin (Germany) to determine the presence of cycloheximide-resistant, keratinophilic fungi using the hair-baiting technique. This is the first study on the occurrence of these fungi in MBR sludges. Forty-six fungal species belonging to 21 genera were isolated and identified (41 species and 21 genera versus 36 species and 19 genera from aerobic and anoxic sludge samples, respectively). Twelve species were dermatophytes or closely related fungi: Chrysosporium asperatum, C. georgii, C. indicum, C. keratinophilum, C. tropicum, C. pannorum, Microsporum cookei, M. ferrugineum, M. gypseum, Trichophyton ajelloi, T. mentagrophytes and T. terrestre. The other 32 species, included membe rs of Acremonium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Candida, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Gliocladium, Gymnoascus, Mucor, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Scopulariopsis, Sporothrix, Trichoderma, Verticillium and unidentified yeasts. The fungi isolated are pathogenic or potentially pathogenic to humans and animals, and their occurrence in activated sludge poses a health risk to wastewater treatment workers and the environment.
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