Abstract
Dung is the undigested remains of food taken in by herbivores. It is a combination of faeces and urine at a ratio of 3:1. It mostly consists of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. Cow dung harbours several microorganisms, including various species of fungi. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize the fungal organisms associated with cow dung-impacted soil using both traditional cultural techniques and molecular method. DNA extraction was carried out using Zymo Quick DNA Fungal/Bacterial Mini prep kit. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) genes, using the universal primer pair; ITS4 and ITS5, generated amplicon sizes of 372 and 834 base pairs. The amplicons were sequenced using Sanger sequencing and the isolates were identified as Lichtheimia ramosa and Galactomyces pseudocandidus. Phylogenetic analysis showed the relationship that exists between the fungal species and other closely-related species in GenBank such as: Aspergillus amstelodami, Absidia corymbifera, Mycocladus corymbiferus and Geotrichum candidum. This study has provided information on some of the fungal organisms harboured by cowdung-impacted soil which will help predict the possibility for disease transmission to plants or humans through cow dung.
Highlights
Bacteria and archaea make up the vast majority of the biological diversity on earth (Aislabie and Deslippe, 2013)
Molecular techniques have proven to be more reliable than traditional methods as it allows for the comparison of DNA sequence information between known and unknown fungal species
This study revealed the identity of the isolated fungal organisms to be Lichtheimia ramosa and Galactomyces pseudocandidus
Summary
Soil is the upper layer of the earth on which plants grow. It is a combination of organic remains, clay and rock particles. Bacteria and archaea make up the vast majority of the biological diversity on earth (Aislabie and Deslippe, 2013). Soil microbes are considered vital in any ecosystem because they act on the breakdown of soil organic matter, affect the soil physical and chemical properties, and are involved in nutrient cycling. This has a direct influence on soil sustainability and fertility.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
