Coprophilous Mucorales (ex Zygomycota) from three areas in the semi-arid of Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

Mucorales comprises fungi commonly isolated as saprobes from soil, dung, stored grains and plants. Although these fungi have been studied in several countries, there are relatively a few reports of them in semi-arid areas. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to assess and compare the Mucorales communities in dung from different species and breeds of herbivores in the semi-arid of Pernambuco, based on the frequency of occurrence and species richness of these fungi. Samples of dung collected in the cities of Arcoverde, Serra Talhada and Sertânia were incubated in moist chambers in triplicate. Altogether, 24 taxa of Mucorales distributed in the genera Absidia, Circinella, Cunninghamella, Lichtheimia, Mucor, Pilobolus, Rhizopus and Syncephalastrum were identified. The highest species richness was found in sheep excrement. Mucor circinelloides f. griseo-cyanus was the most common taxon, followed by M. ramosissimus. The similarity of the composition of Mucorales species was greatest between the excrements of Guzerá and Sindi breeds (bovine). All mucoralean species isolated are being cited for the first time from animal dung found in Caatinga and a new species of Mucor was recorded. An identification key for species of Mucorales from dung in the semi-arid region of Brazil is provided.

A new species concept for the clinically relevant Mucor circinelloides complex

“…Habitat — Isolated from different types of soil ( Schipper 1976b , Domsch et al 1980 , Connolly et al 2010 , Hermet et al 2012 , Walther et al 2013 , Mousavi et al 2018 ), excrements of cattle, goat, sheep ( De Souza et al 2017 ), pig ( Walther et al 2013 ), and platypus ( Connolly et al 2010 ), plants including vegetables and fruit such as Artocarpus fruit, Capsicum annum , Triticum aestivum ( Walther et al 2013 ), mangoes, peaches, yams, hazelnuts, walnuts, maize, mung beans, soybeans and barley ( Pitt & Hocking 2009 , Morin-Sardin et al 2017 ), meat ( Pitt & Hocking 2009 ), processed food such as cheese ( Hermet et al 2012 ), and yogurt ( Lee et al 2014 , Snyder et al 2016 ), commercial honey, fermenting rice (component of ‘Chinese yeast’) ( Walther et al 2013 ), fermenting soybeans (starter cultures of sufu, Han et al 2004 ), Homo sapiens ( Álvarez et al 2009 , 2011 , Walther et al 2013 ).…”

“…Habitat — Isolated from forest soil, leaf litter, Zea mays , milk powder, canned strawberries ( Schipper 1976b ), excrements of cattle, goat, and sheep ( De Souza et al 2017 ).…”

Updates on the Taxonomy of Mucorales with an Emphasis on Clinically Important Taxa

“…Several species associated to dung (e.g., Ellisomyces or Thamnidium) differ strongly from their sibling taxa (Mucor species in these cases) by forming sporangiola on highly differentiated sporophores (Figure 1i) [22,23]. On the other hand, there are generalists such as Mucor circinelloides and M. racemosus that have been isolated from a broad range of substrates, including dung [136]. For some mucoralean species, the evidence is sufficient to call them cosmopolitan, e.g., Rhizopus arrhizus, Lichtheimia corymbifera, or Mucor circinelloides, but for numerous species this is not yet the case.…”

“…Most of our information on the ecology and distribution of species is based on the source provided by culture collections and clinical studies. The number of studies directly addressing the natural habitats of Mucorales [132,[136][137][138][139][140] is very limited. Taxa such as Apophysomyces, Saksenaea, and Mucor circinatus (misapplied: Circinella simplex) seem to show a distribution in tropical and subtropical regions.…”

Biotic Environments Supporting the Persistence of Clinically Relevant Mucormycetes

“…The prevalence of Mucorales found growing on animal and bird excreta reflects the interest and activity of local research groups. De Souza and colleagues assessed and compared the Mucorales communities in dung from different species and breeds of herbivores in the semi-arid of Pernambuco, Brazil [20]. Samples of dung collected in the cities of Arcoverde, Serra Talhada and Sertânia were incubated in moist chambers in triplicate.…”