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Abstract:
Key words:
1.
INTRODUCTION
554
the main role in the decomposition of these substrata and can be used for
biotechnological applications (Kushwaha, 1998; Onifade et al., 1998).
Second, keratinolytic fungi display potential pathogenic properties to
animals, including humans (Filipello-Marchisio, 2000). Therefore, studies of
these fungi in the environment are of epidemiological importance.
Keratinolytic fungi also occur in abundance in highly industrialized and
polluted areas, in which organic and inorganic contaminants considerably
affect microbial populations. Therefore, an essential problem is an
evaluation of the effects of these contaminants, including oil hydrocarbons
on fungal distribution in these areas. The role of keratinolytic fungi in
biodegradation of these hydrocarbons is also to be explained.
Extensive studies have recently been carried out to explain the factors
influencing keratinolytic fungi in the environment (Ali-Shtayeh and Jamous,
2000; Ulfig, 2000; Ulfig et al., 2003a). Special attention has been paid to
those fungi inhabiting environments heavily contaminated with oil
hydrocarbons. The present chapter reviews available data on the ability of
keratinolytic fungi to remove the hydrocarbons from different media and on
the ecology of these microorganisms in the above-mentioned environments.
2.
555
Figure 1. The relationship between the inhibition of the growth of the Trichophyton ajelloi
strain R66 and TPOC concentration in leachate.
556
3.
4.
5.
557
Hexane
0,35
Toluene
0,30
0,25
0,20
0,15
0,10
0,05
0,00
Bacteria
Yeasts
Keratinolytic fungi
Other fungi
Microorganisms
Figure 2. Hexane and toluene uptakes by bacteria, yeasts, keratinolytic fungi and other fungi.
558
6.
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Oil + strain
R66
Oil + hair +
strain R66
Pristane +
strain R66
Pristane +
hair + strain
R66
Hexadecane Hexadecane
+ strain R66
+ hair +
strain R66
Figure 3. Hydrocarbon removal by the Trichophyton ajelloi strain R66 from the mineral
medium supplemented or non-supplemented with hair.
559
strain. Without an addition of hair to the medium, the strain did not decrease,
or decreased to a small degree, the amount of these hydrocarbons.
The highest hydrocarbon losses were determined for crude oil, followed
by the losses for pristane and hexadecane (Figure 3). The study confirmed
the processes of proteolysis, sulfitolysis, and alkalization of the mineral
medium during hair biodegradation. The presence of hydrocarbons made the
process of hair biodegradation by the strain R66 more effective.
7.
7.1
560
Two strains, i.e. C. keratinopilum PS14 and T. ajelloi PS16, were used
for determination of the influence of increasing peptone concentrations (0, 2,
4 and 8 g/L) and hair addition (100 mg/sample) to the medium on fungal
hydrocarbon removals. The results are illustrated in Figure 4. The strain
PS14 increased TPH removal with increasing peptone concentrations. The
addition of hair caused further THP removal increase up to the peptone
concentration of 4 g/L. However, the statistically significant TPH removal
increase caused by addition of hair was observed for the medium without
peptone and at a peptone concentration of 2 g/L. The strain PS16 increased
TPH removal up to the peptone concentration of 4 g/L. The addition of hair
caused TPH increase at the peptone concentrations of 4 and 8 g/L. However,
the differences observed were not statistically significant. The TPOC
removals were found to be similar to TPH removals. The TPH and TPOC
removals were positively correlated with the increase of NH4-N (r = 0.83
and 0.86), dry weight (0.71 and 0.73) and pH (0.57 and 0.58).
90
Without hair
80
With hair
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
PS14
PS16
The results confirmed that the oil hydrocarbon removal process was
associated with fungal keratinolytic activity. Proteins (hair or peptone) were
the main source of nitrogen, carbon and sulfur for the growth of these fungi,
whereas oil hydrocarbons were the additional but essential source of carbon
561
7.2
Soil Experiments
562
8.
CONCLUSIONS
563
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