Experimental Pathogenicity and Molecular Characterization of an Environmental Isolate of Chrysosporium zonatum Al- Musallam and Tan (Family: Onygonaceae, Order: Onygonales)

A total of 15 keratinophilic fungi including 8 Chrysosporium species were isolated from the rural environment of Ismailia, Egypt, using the hair bait technique. Mainly, C. zonatum was isolated from soils collected from fields, animal cages, besides cows and buffaloes hairs and was identified macroscopically, microscopically and using the molecular technique by determining the DNA sequences of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequences. Its pathogenic potentiality was studied using white mice as an experimental animal model. C. zonatum proved potentially pathogenic to infected mice causing symptoms of severe respiratory distress ending with death. It was recovered from lungs of all infected animals. Most of the infected mice showed distinct histopathological changes in their lungs, mainly granuloma formation. They showed the presence of fungal spores in necrotic lung tissue, while the presence of fungal spores and slight necrosis of liver and kidney tissues was occasionally evident.