Saprophytic and keratinophilic fungi isolated from desert and cultivated soils continuously exposed to cement dust particles in Egypt.

Forty soil samples collected from desert (uncultivated) and cultivated soils, exposed continuously to cement dust were screened for their content of saprophytic and keratinophilic fungi using the hair baiting technique and the dilution plate method. Using the hair baiting technique, 21 genera and 31 species were collected from 20 samples of each of desert (15 genera and 21 species) and cultivated (17 genera and 24 species) soils, on Sabouraud's dextrose agar. These included Chrysosporium keratinophilum, C. tropicum, C. indicum, Aspergillus niger, Nectria haematococca, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum and Penicillium chrysogenum. Using the dilution plate method, 32 genera and 61 species + 3 varieties were collected from 20 samples of each of desert (29 genera and 53 species + 2 varieties) and cultivated (16 genera and 30 species + 2 varieties) soils, on Sabouraud's dextrose agar. The most common fungi were Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, A. japonicus, A. terreus, A. flavus and Penicillium funiculosum.