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. 2007 Oct 22:7:92.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-7-92.

Ecological study of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in soil: growth ability, conidia production and molecular detection

Gisela Ramos Terçarioli  1 , Eduardo Bagagli, Gabriela Martins Reis, Raquel Cordeiro Theodoro, Sandra De Moraes Gimenes Bosco, Severino Assis da Graça Macoris, Virgínia Bodelão Richini-Pereira
Affiliations

Ecological study of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in soil: growth ability, conidia production and molecular detection

Gisela Ramos Terçarioli et al. BMC Microbiol. .

Abstract

Background: Paracoccidioides brasiliensis ecology is not completely understood, although several pieces of evidence point to the soil as its most probable habitat. The present study aimed to investigate the fungal growth, conidia production and molecular pathogen detection in different soil conditions.

Methods: Soils samples of clayey, sandy and medium textures were collected from ground surface and the interior of armadillo burrows in a hyperendemic area of Paracoccidioidomycosis. P. brasiliensis was inoculated in soil with controlled humidity and in culture medium containing soil extracts. The molecular detection was carried out by Nested PCR, using panfungal and species specific primers from the ITS-5.8S rDNA region.

Results: The soil texture does not affect fungus development and the growth is more abundant on/in soil saturated with water. Some soil samples inhibited the development of P. brasiliensis, especially those that contain high values of Exchangeable Aluminum (H+Al) in their composition. Some isolates produced a large number of conidia, mainly in soil-extract agar medium. The molecular detection was positive only in samples collected from armadillo burrows, both in sandy and clayey soil.

Conclusion: P. brasiliensis may grow and produce the infectious conidia in sandy and clayey soil, containing high water content, mainly in wild animal burrows, but without high values of H+Al.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographic location of the collection sites in Botucatu hyperendemic area of paracoccidioidomycosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Macroscopic aspect of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis cultured in Soil Extract Agar (SEA) prepared with different soil textures: sandy (first column), medium that contains high amount of H+Al (second column) and clayey (third column). Isolates D01 (A-C) and Bt84 (D-F).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Conidia production of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in Soil Extract Agar, exhibiting the conidia production of the isolates D01 and T9B1 cultured in soil extract agar (SEA) and prepared through adhesive tape technique (magnification ×1000).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Nested PCR from soil samples with inner primers PbITSE and PbITSR. Lanes 1 and 16: 100 bp DNA ladder; Lane 13: soil seeded with P. brasiliensis (soil positive control); Lanes 14 and 27: DNA positive control; Lanes 15 and 28: negative control; Lanes 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 26: positive soil samples (clayey and sandy) collected from armadillo burrows. Lanes 2, 3, 4 and 19: negative soil samples collected from surface; Lanes 6, 10, 17, 18, 24 and 25: negative soil samples collected from armadillo burrows.
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References

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