HR: 0830h
AN: B21F-0776    [PDF]
TI: Airborne Fungi in Sahara Dust Aerosols Reaching the Eastern Caribbean: II. Species Identification Using Molecular Techniques
AU: * De la Mota, A
EM: a_delamota@yahoo.com
AF: Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, PO Box 9012, Mayaguez, PR 00681
AU: Betancourt, C
EM: beta@stahl.uprm.edu
AF: Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, PO Box 9012, Mayaguez, PR 00681
AU: Detres, Y
EM: yasmin@cacique.uprm.edu
AF: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, PO Box 9013, Mayaguez, PR 00681
AU: Armstrong, R
EM: roy@cacique.uprm.edu
AF: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, PO Box 9013, Mayaguez, PR 00681
AB: Fungi samples from filters collected in Castle Bruce, Dominica from March through July 2002, were previously purified and identified to genus level using classic macroscopic and microscopic techniques. A total of 105 isolated colonies were cultured in liquid media and the mycelial mats used for DNA extraction. PCR was used to amplify the ITS region of the rDNA using the ITS1 and ITS4 primers. Both strands of the amplified products were sequenced and the final identification to species level was completed by a GenBank search. Fourteen different species and one fungal endophyte were identified from genders {\it Aspergillus},{\it Penicillium}, {\it Fusarium}, {\it Cladosporium}, {\it Curvularia} and {\it Phanerochaete}. Some of these species such as {\it A. fumigatus}, {\it A. japonicus}, {\it P. citrinum} and {\it C. cladosporoides} are known to cause respiratory disorders in humans. {\it A. fumigatus} causes an aggressive pulmonary allergic response that might result in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Other species such as {\it F. equiseti} and {\it C. brachyspora} are plant pathogens affecting economically important crops. Sahara dust is an important source of fungal spores of species that are not common in the Caribbean region.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting