Mini K.D, Jyothis Mathew, Sampathkumar. S Mini and K. Paul
Soil is a well-known source of wide variety of microorganisms. This article briefly explains the isolation and identification of ecologically important keratinophilic fungi which are involved in the degradation of most abundant and highly stable animal protein – keratin. Soil is the home of several such fungi which are not even noticed. During the course of study approximately 15 different fungal species were isolated and identified. The isolation technique adopted was Vanbreuseghem’s hair baiting .This humble attempt will create interest among the students to know more about the fungal diversity of soil and their enormous potentials. Trychophyton, Microsporum, Chrysosporium, Aspergillus etc. are some among the isolates.
