Identification of Fungal Communities in Producing Compost by Windrow Method

Abstract

Considering the importance of fungal genera in producing compost from piling organic matter or biodegradable waste, this study aimed to identify the fungal species and their negative effect on human health during the compost production by windrow method. In this descriptive study, 99 compost samples were collected from the composting research site at Kashan University of medical sciences within 63 days from Oct 3 to Dec 4, 2010. Sixty-six samples were cultured to determine the fungal species and 33 samples were transferred to the laboratory to determine the physical and chemical parameters. Twenty-five fungal species were identified during the compost process including 15 saprophytes, 8 dermatophites, 1 opportunistic and 1 yeast fungi. Identified fungal species during the compost process according to their frequencies were Aspergillus spp (34.45%), Microsporium spp (18.89%), Trichophyton spp (8.89%), Yeast sp (6.67%), Mucor sp (5.56%), Penicillium sp (4.45%), Rhizopus sp (4.45%), Fusarium sp (3.34%), Cladosporium sp (3.34%), Curvularia sp (3.34%) and also other fungal species (6.62%), respectively. Considering the presence of various pathogenic fungi during the composting process, the employees of the compost factory should use individual protective devices and also due to the presence of 11 fungal species in the mature compost and their pathogenic effect, preventive measures should be taken by persons involved in the production of compost especially farmers, in order to prevent successive inhalation of spores.

Insights into fungal communities in composts revealed by 454-pyrosequencing: implications for human health and safety

“…Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei (Bonito et al, 2010), Aspergillus fumigatus (Dehghani et al, 2012), Scytalidium lignicola , and Alternaria alternata (Anastasi et al, 2005). However, the deep sequencing presented here has revealed the broadest spectrum of potentially pathogenic fungal species yet reported for a composting study.…”

“…The primary risk is exposure to bio-aerosols containing compost-derived fungi, which in humans can cause mycoses of the lungs, skin, ears, sinuses, or bone marrow (Bunger et al, 2000). Most attention has focussed on Aspergillus fumigatus , the most commonly identified fungal pathogen in composts (Ryckeboer et al, 2003; Anastasi et al, 2005; Dehghani et al, 2012). But, other pathogens have also been reported, including Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei (Bonito et al, 2010), Scytalidium lignicola , and Alternaria alternata (Anastasi et al, 2005).…”

Fungal communities in pressmud composting harbour beneficial and detrimental fungi for human welfare

“…Studies on the diversity of fungi in composting systems employing culture-dependent tools commonly report Aspergillus fumigatus as prevalent (Ghazifard et al, 2001;Dehghani et al, 2012). A. fumigatus was also found as the prevalent species isolated in piles of pressmud composting (66.3 % of the total isolates).…”

Development of an Analytical Method for the Metaproteomic Investigation of Bioaerosol from Work Environments

“…Research into several industrial activities, for example, wastewater treatment and composting, has highlighted the high exposure levels to biological agents. Given the above, hierarchical taxonomic profiles were therefore produced by the means of the Unipept web application, which is able to support biodiversity analysis of large and complex metaproteome samples using tryptic peptide information obtained from shotgun MS/MS experiments and from the Proteome Discoverer software …”

“…Along with allergens, some pathogen microorganisms were identified in our samples, such as Staphylococcus, which commonly resides on the skin, nasal passage, and axillae causing various diseases due to its enterotoxins and antigens, and B. subtilis, which can form endospores to ensure longer survival in the environment. [30] Research into several industrial activities, for example, wastewater treatment [31] and composting, [32] has highlighted the high exposure levels to biological agents. Given the above, hierarchical taxonomic profiles were therefore produced by the means of the Unipept web application, which is able to support biodiversity analysis of large and complex metaproteome samples using tryptic peptide information obtained from shotgun MS/MS experiments and from the Proteome Discoverer software.…”