Effect of soil pH on occurrence of keratinophilic fungi

This paper discusses the effect of soil pH on occurrence of keratinophilic fungi. Forty soil samples of different pH were collected from various places and the fungi were isolated using To-ka-va hair-bait method. The results of this study indicated that soil pH significantly affected the incidence of keratinophilic fungi. Neutral to alkaline soils provided favourable conditions for the growth of these fungi whereas acidic soils were found to be unfavourable. Microsporum gypseum, Chrysosporium luteum, Chrysosporium parvum and Chrysosporium keratinophilium were found to be major keratinophilic fungal species occurring in the soil.