[Toxocara canis eggs as bait for soil fungus in a subtropical city]

Abstract

Background: The use of different isolation techniques allows the recovery of fungi based on their ability to use selective substrates. The sprinkle method is a technique for the recovery of nematophagous fungi in the soil. These fungi are natural predators of nematodes and are widely distributed in nature.

Aims: To detect possible fungi with nematophagous ability in the soil of city parks in Corrientes (Argentina).

Methods: The soil samples were taken from an area of ground between two trees and to no more than 2cm deep. The isolation was performed according to the sprinkle method with Toxocara canis eggs as bait.

Results: Eighteen soil samples were collected, and 6 genera and 8 species of fungi were isolated. The sprinkle method, simple and efficient, has the advantage of using a small amount of untreated soil for the isolation of fungi that can grow on the eggs of geohelminths. The genera Bipolaris, Fusarium, Purpureocillium, Curvularia, Phoma and Scytalidium were isolated in this study.

Conclusions: No other studies describing the interaction between the genera Curvularia, Phoma and Scytalidium with nematode eggs have been found in the literature, thus more studies are required to determine what is their real action on these eggs.

Keywords: Fungal parasitism; Hongos nematófagos; Método de espolvoreado; Nematophagous fungi; Parasitismo fúngico; Soil sprinkle method.