scholarly journals Analysis of ambient airborne mycoflora around Curzon hall campus, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-35
Author(s):  
Md Nazim Uddin ◽  
Gulshan Ara Latifa ◽  
Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder ◽  
Shamim Shamsi ◽  
Abdullah Al Nayeem

The indoor and outdoor air is an important source of aeroallergens and pathogens. Monthly samplings were recorded during September to November 2018 to investigate the airborne mycoflora concentration in Curzon hall campus, University of Dhaka. The fungal colonies developed in Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media were isolated from four different locations in the morning, noon and evening in monthly intervals. A total number of counted fungal colonies were 2,681 in which 924, 928 and 829 colonies were found in the morning, noon and evening time, respectively. Among the identified fungi, Aspergillus spp. was one of the most predominant genera in all the stations over the study period followed by Penicillium spp. Alternaria spp., Curvularia spp., Fusarium spp., Rhizopus spp. and Trichoderma. The identified fungi belonged to eight genera under the class Ascomycetes, Zygomycetes and Deuteromycetes. Among the fungal isolates, Alternaria spp., Aspergillus spp., Curvularia spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp. and Rhizopus spp. were previously reported as pathogenic to plants and/or humans and strongly allergenic to human being. Stamford Journal of Microbiology, Vol.9(1) 2019: 32-35

Author(s):  
Janet Olufunmilayo Williams ◽  
Nosayame Thomas Osahon

The potential of fungi as bio degraders of micro plastic particles was assessed using standard microbiological and Fourier transformed Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis methods. The highest mean Total Heterotrophic fungal (THF) count of 4.24x104 cfu/ml was obtained with the least THF (2.72x104 cfu/ml) recorded during the dry season. Mean hydrocarbon Utilizing Fungal (HUF) count was highest (1.78x104 cfu/ml) during the wet period while the least HUF count (1.46x104 cfu/ml) was recorded during the dry period. Spectra of FTIR showed that the water contained microplastic particles in these proportions; polyethylene of low density (LDPE) 0.01%, 0.11% protein, 0.15% polystyrene, 0.37% polyamide, 1.14% cellulose, 1.21% polyurethane, 1.90% polyvinyl chloride, 3.11% polyester and 92% polypropylene, respectively. Species of fungi identified were Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp., Rhizopus spp., Mucor spp., Aspergillus nidulans, Fusarium spp., Microsporum canis, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Among the fungal isolates, A. niger and A. fumigatus were most active in degrading the micro plastic (polypropylene) with mean % weight loss of 71.09% and 53.09%, respectively while the least active was Penicillium spp. with a mean % weight loss of 28.64% during the study period. The order of degradation was Aspergillus niger > A. fumigatus > A. nidulans > Fusarium spp. > Rhizopus spp. > Microsporum canis > Mucor spp. > Penicillium spp. The potential to degrade micro plastic particles by these fungi can be harnessed. The foremost active fungi degrading potentials are as follows: A. niger (71.1%) and A. fumigatus (53.1%). The study has shown that isolates of fungi from Ohiakwu River in Nigeria possess the ability to degrade micro plastic (polypropylene) particles. Therefore, this research is of tremendous importance for industrial development and additionally for future research purposes.


Author(s):  
Mwancha S.N. Okioma ◽  
Japhet Mburugu Muthamia ◽  
Isabel Nyokabi Wagara ◽  
Eliud Mugu Gathuru ◽  
Paul Njenga Waithaka ◽  
...  

Background: Maize is the stable food in Kenya. However, its production has been jeopardized by the high prevalence of fungi in most developing countries and the whole world at large. Some fungi produce mycotoxins which threaten human lives.Methods: This study aimed at isolating fungi from selected Counties in Kenya. Maize samples were ground using a kitchen blender and cultured on Potato Dextrose agar at 28°C for 7d. The fungal isolates were identified using morphological and cultural characteristics. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 software.Result: The mean fungal isolates varied from 10.8±0.2 CFU/g in Wallenia spp. to 47.4±0.2CFU/g in Aspergillus Spp. The most common fungal isolates were Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp. and Penicilium spp. The Mean fungal isolates from the selected Counties varied from Kitui (9.6±0.2 CFU/g), Machakos (9.7±0.3CFU/g), Bungoma (25±0.1CFU/g), Migori (25.3±0.3CFU/g), Kericho (25.3±0.2CFU/g), Kisumu (27.1±0.1CFU/g), Meru (27.1±0.2CFU/g), Kisii (28.5±0.1CFU/g) and Trans-Nzoia (30.1±0.3CFU/g). The number of spores in maize samples from baskets varied from 13.6±0.2-19.6±0.2, polypropylene (24.0±0.2-24.0±0.2), Jute (13.6±0.2-21.6±0.2) and polythene bag (48.0±0.2-72.0±0.2) CFU/g.Conclusion: This study established that maize in the selected Counties is highly contaminated by pathogenic fungi. The most prevalent fungal spp. were Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium. The best maize storage material for maize were baskets. There is need of identifying the most prevalent fungi up to the molecular level. 


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarmila Rimbalová ◽  
Silvia Vilčeková ◽  
Adriana Eštoková

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Angela P. Cajiao
Keyword(s):  

El comercio del café es uno de los renglones económicos más importantes a nivel mundial, sin embargo, también es susceptible a contaminaciones desde su cosecha hasta su transformación. Para la realización de este estudio se recolectaron muestras de café cereza procedentes de diferentes municipios productores de Norte de Santander y posteriormente en el laboratorio se aislaron y caracterizaron fenotípicamente los siguientes agentes fúngicos del grano de café: Aspergillus  spp., Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Cladosporium  spp., Mucor spp. y  Rhizopus spp. con ayuda de claves taxonómicas. Los hongos que presentaron una alta incidencia fueron Aspergillus spp. y Fusarium spp. Entre las tres variables fisicoquímicas analizadas en el café cereza (pH, actividad de agua, % de humedad) se puede afirmar con certeza que la actividad de agua y el porcentaje de humedad influyen directamente en el número y tipo de aislamientos fúngicos obtenidos. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2417
Author(s):  
Anne Wambui Mutahi ◽  
Laura Borgese ◽  
Claudio Marchesi ◽  
Michael J. Gatari ◽  
Laura E. Depero

This paper reports on the indoor and outdoor air quality in informal urban and rural settlements in Kenya. The study is motivated by the need to improve consciousness and to understand the harmful health effects of air quality to vulnerable people, especially in poor communities. Ng’ando urban informal settlement and Leshau Pondo rural village in Kenya are selected as representative poor neighborhoods where unclean energy sources are used indoor for cooking, lighting and heating. Filter based sampling for gravimetrical, elemental composition and black carbon (BC) analysis of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) is performed. findings from Ng’ando and Leshau Pondo showed levels exceeding the limit suggested by the world health organization (WHO), with rare exceptions. Significantly higher levels of PM2.5 and black carbon are observed in indoors than outdoor samples, with a differences in the orders of magnitudes and up to 1000 µg/m3 for PM2.5 in rural settlements. The elemental composition reveals the presence of potentially toxic elements, in addition to characterization, emission sources were also identified. Levels of Pb exceeding the WHO limit are found in the majority of samples collected in the urban locations near major roads with heavy traffic. Our results demonstrate that most of the households live in deplorable air quality conditions for more than 12 h a day and women and children are more affected. Air quality condition is much worse in rural settlements where wood and kerosene are the only available fuels for their energy needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
A. Bello ◽  
◽  
J. B. Ameh ◽  
D. A. Machido ◽  
A. I. Mohammed-Dabo

Laccases are oxidases with broad substrate specificity and ability to oxidize various phenolic and non-phenolic compounds. This study was carried out to isolate and characterizes laccase producing fungi from environment samples. Soil and decaying wood samples were collected from different locations within Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Main campus. Suspensions of the samples (1 g in 10 mL sterile distilled water) were serially diluted, inoculated onto Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) containing 0.01% Chloramphenicol and incubated for 7 days at 30oC.The fungal isolates were characterized macroscopically and microscopically with the aid of an atlas. The identified fungal isolates were screened for laccase production by inoculating onto PDA containing 0.02% Guaiacol, 1mM ABTS (2 2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 0.5% Tannic acid as indicator compounds and incubated at 250C for 7 days. The laccase producing isolates were confirmed molecularly by ITS rDNA sequence analysis using the FASTA algorithm with the Fungus database from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI).A total of 25 fungal species (11 from soil and 14 from decaying wood samples) were isolated. Two isolates from the soil origin identified as Curvularia lunata SSI7 (Accession No. QIE06317.1) and Fusarium clade VII SSI3 (Accession No. GQ505677) were found to produce laccase where Curvularia lunata SSI7 was able to oxidize all the indicator compounds used for the screening. Fusarium clade VII SSI3 was able to oxidize only 0.5% Tannic acid. Laccase producing Curvularia lunata and Fusarium clade VII were isolated from soil samples collected from ABU Zaria Main Campus. Keywords: laccase, fungi, soil, decaying wood


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document