Identification by DNA barcode of viable fungi captured in a teaching laboratory in West Virginia

Abstract

Fungi are ubiquitous and their spores are found in the air outside and within the built environment. We investigated the fungal species present in a teaching laboratory at Shepherd University.  Airborne fungi were captured passively at three sites within the teaching laboratory on two different culture media. Viable fungi were isolated to pure culture and then identified by DNA barcode using the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA.  Twenty-four isolates were identified to order, family, genus, or species; most isolates were not resolved to species by DNA barcode.  Captured fungi belonged to Helotiales (1 isolate), Pleosporales (2 isolates), Hypocreales (1 isolate), Didymellaceae (1 isolate), Cladosporiaceae (5 isolates), Aspergillaceae (1 isolate), Sporocadaceae (1 isolate), Peniophora (1 isolate), Trichoderma (1 isolate), Penicillium (4 isolates), Fusarium (2 isolates), and Myrmecridium (1 isolate).  Three fungal isolates were identified as Xenoacrodontium juglandis.  These results are similar to other studies investigating the fungal community in the built environment, where Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus are the most commonly identified genera.