European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

SEQUENTIAL PATHOLOGICAL SCALES OF KERATINOPHILIC FUNGI ISOLATED FROM GEOPHILIC SOIL SAMPLES

Iheukwumere C.M., Iheukwumere I. H.*, Chude C. O., Nwaolisa C. N., Okoye K. C., Nwakoby N. E., Egbe P.A. and Egbuna C.

ABSTRACT

Keratinophilic fungi have been reported as one of the principal cause of cutaneous and subcutaneous mycoses among individuals living in developing countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the pathological scale of keratinophilic fungi isolated from different soil in Uli community, Ihiala L.G.A, Anambra state in immunocompetent and immunocompromised albino mice. A total of 30 soil samples were collected randomly from poultry farm, goat farm and garden soil and screened for the presence of keratinophilic fungi using hair baiting technique. The isolates obtained were characterized and identified using their macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. The pathological scale of the isolates was assessed by administering the broth culture of the isolates topically on the albino mice and this was observed for period of 3 months. Trichophyton megninii, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum nanum, Microsporum audouinii and Microsporum gypseum were isolated from the soil samples, and the organisms were detected mostly in goat farms and least from poultry farm. T. mentagrophytes recorded significantly (p < 0.05) the highest occurrence skin of the infected mice, which were mild, moderate or severe depending on the alopecia or scaling nature and presence of inflammatory crust, and this features were seen most among the mice infected with Trichophyton mentagrophytes and those infected with T. rubrum. This study has revealed the presence of Keratinophilic fungi in the studied soil samples.The isolates showed more obvious pathological features among the infected immunocompromised mice than in the infected immunocompetent mice, of which T. mentagrophyte and T. rubrum proved to be most pathogenic.

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