Isolation of Basidiobolus ranarum from ectotherms in Antwerp zoo with special reference to characterization of the isolated strains

Abstract

Ten Basidiobolus ranarum (= Basidiobolus haptosporus) strains, isolated from faeces of 102 different lower vertebrates (ectotherms) exhibited in Antwerp Zoo, or from their environment were studied for their temperature requirements, haemolysis and other enzyme activities in vitro. All isolates grew well at 25 and 37 degrees C. Three strains that produced undulated zygospore walls were haemolytic and positive for hyaluronidase. All the isolates produced urease, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, trypsin, lipase, lecithinase, gelatinase, collagenase and elastase, but failed to produce amylase, keratinase and beta-glucosidase. Three isolates failed to produce phosphatase. Only one strain failed to produce DNase. Aesculin was not hydrolysed. Chitinase activity was inconclusive. The results of this study illustrate the importance of exotic animals kept in temperate regions as carriers of potentially pathogenic organisms. In addition to the morphological characteristics, the identification can be based on enzymatic profiles. Enzymatic activity detection may help to explain the pathogenic mechanism of the fungus.

Long-Term Monitoring of the Seasonal Abundance of Basidiobolus spp. in Gecko Feces in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)

“…present in the intestines. Our data indicate that higher maximum temperatures had no significant effect on the counts determined in gecko feces, which is not surprising as the mean body temperature of geckos is reported to be maintained in summer and in warmer climates at about 29 to 33 • C [34], and all members of the genus Basidiobolus are known to grow well at such temperatures [5,8,[35][36][37][38]. On the other hand, previous studies indicated that strains of Basidiobolus spp.…”

“…Originally isolated from frogs by Eidam in 1886, the association of Basidiobolus spp. with especially reptiles and amphibia is well established [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Certain members of the genus Basidiobolus can cause rare infections in mammals, including humans, usually confined to tropical and subtropical regions [9,10].…”

Extracellular chitinase production by some members of the saprophytic Entomophthorales group

“…Ishikawa et al (1981) reported the activity of ammonium sulfate precipitate of chitinase from different isolates of Conidiobolus ranges from 6.33 to 90.6 9 10 3 U/ml. Feio et al (1999) reported urease, N-acetyl-b glucosaminidase, trypsin, lipase, lecithinase, and gelatinase, among others, from some isolates of genus Basidiobolus, but chitinase activity remained inconclusive. There are reports of chitinase from other microbial sources, such as different species of Trichoderma, which produce chitinases in the range of 0.07-41.44 U/ml (Bruce et al 1995;El-Katatny et al 2000), and from Streptomyces, 0.0176-0.0833 mU/ml (Taechowisan et al 2003).…”