Studies of Keratinolytic and Keratinophilic Fungi in Sewage Sludge by Means of a Multi-Temperature Hair Baiting Method

Sewage sludge was examined for keratinolytic and keratinophilic fungi by means of a multi-temperature (23, 26, 29, 33, 37 and 45oC) hair baiting method. Results indicate that this method can be a useful tool for determination of the influence of temperature and other factors on fungal composition in sludge and evaluation of health risk posed by fungal pathogens. The use of the method facilitated recognition of fungal flora much more than a traditional room-temperature method. The method was adapted to quantitative purposes. The effect of Petri dish sludge weight on fungal composition was determined. A 10 g weight should be used in qualitative studies while larger weights are more suitable for determination of the influence of environmental factors on fungal growth and composition.