ISOLATION OF KERATINOLYTIC FUNGI FROM SOIL SAMPLES OVERCAST BY PRESENCE OF CHICKEN

Keratinophilic fungi are an important group of fungi that occurred in soil. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify keratinolytic fungi from the 10 soil samples overcast by presence of chicken from Slovakia. Isolation of the fungi was performed by hair bait technique. The isolated colonies were identified by morphologic feature of macro- and microconidia. The isolated keratinolylic fungi
were classified into 10 species belonging to 6 genera. From the total of 123 isolates of keratinolytic fungi represents Chrysosporium keratinophilum 39 (31.7%), Trichophyton ajelloi (30.1%), Myceliophthora vellerea (10.6%), Trichophyton terrestre and Chrysosporium evolceanui (6.5%), Chrysosporium fluviale (5.7%), Microsporum gypseum (4.1%), Arthroderma uncinatum (2.4%), Purpureocillium lilacinum (1.6%), Chrysosporium indicum (0.8%). Most of the fungi (96 isolates) were isolated from the soils with the pH range of 7 to 8.