Isolation of keratinophilic fungi from the soil of islands of Greater Tunb, Abu-Musa and Sirri, Persian Gulf, Iran

Background and Purpose: Keratinophilic fungi are among the important groups of fungi living in the soil. This study aimed to isolate and identify keratinophilic fungi from the soil of three Iranian islands, namely Greater Tunb, Abu Musa, and Sirri, located in the Persian Gulf using morphological and molecular (polymerase chain reaction) methods. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 60 soil samples were collected from the three islands of Greater Tunb, Abu Musa, and Sirri. The samples were analyzed for the presence of the keratinophilic fungi using a hair baiting technique. Furthermore, the identification of keratinophilic fungi was accomplished through the employment of molecular and sequencing techniques. Results: A total of 130 fungal isolates, including 11 genera with 24 species, were collected. Accordingly, Chrysosporium tropicum (24;18.5%), C. keratinophilum (17; 13.1%),  Chrysosporium  species (15; 11.5%), Aspergillus  species ( 8;6.1%), Aspergillus flavus (8; 6.1%), Penicillium  species (8;6.1%), Alternaria spp ( 6; 4.6%), Phoma  species (5;  3.8%), Aphanoascus verrucosus (4;3.1%), Fusarium chlamydosporum (4; 3.1%), Aspergillus trreus (4;3.1%), Acremonium  species (4; 3.1%), and other fungi( 23; 17.8 %) isolates were identified . All isolates of keratinophilic fungi were isolated from the soils with the pH range of 7-9. Conclusion: The results of this study contributed towards a better conceptualization of the incidence pattern of keratinophilic fungi in the regions of Iran. Given that no study has investigated this issue, the findings of the present study can be beneficial for the management of public health surveillance, physicians, and epidemiologists.