PERSISTENCE OF LOCAL STRAIN OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS IN INDOOR AIR
Paper Details
PERSISTENCE OF LOCAL STRAIN OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS IN INDOOR AIR
Abstract
To assess the persistence of entomopathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus in indoor air, its local strain (FCBP-PTF-003) was isolated from Changa Manga forest near Lahore. Aspergillus flavus is considered pathogenic to insects but also have record of being dangerous to other organism and plants. Before using this fungus against insects, to assess its risk as potential human allergens, airborne conidia were measured in enclosed environments. To evaluate its persistence in indoor air, a spray formulation of Aspergillus flavus conidial solution was applied in a room selected for the experiment. Air sampling was carried out for three consecutive days with an interval of twenty four hours. Conidial count of CFU/m3 obtained on media plates was recrded after five days of incubation. The conidial count of three consecutive days was recorded as 100,801, 57,940 and 3,184 CFU/m3. Total viable airborne fungal counts varied as it reduced successively after three days. It was evident from the analysis that conidia of Aspergillus flavus do persist in air however the significant reduction in CFU/m3 after time indicate that its persistence is not for the longer period of time. The local strain is found to be not much dangerous compared to the notorious reputation of Aspergillus flavus.
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Amina Abrar, Tahira Aziz Mughal, Muhammad Oneeb, Eza Tahir, Salma Khalid, Kausar Malik, 2019. PERSISTENCE OF LOCAL STRAIN OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS IN INDOOR AIR. Int. J. Biosci., 14(3), 133-149.
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