Phenotypic features and molecular study of airborne Penicillium species isolated in the northern part of the Persian Gulf, Bushehr, Iran

Behrouz   Naeimi; Iman   Mohsenifard; Saham  Ansari; Farzaneh   Sadeghzadeh; Gholamreza Khamisipour; Sina  Dobaradaran; Fatemeh Faraji Ghasemi; Bahram   Ahmadi

doi:10.18502/cmm.7.2.7035

Behrouz Naeimi Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedical, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Iman Mohsenifard The Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Student Research Committee, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Saham Ansari Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Farzaneh Sadeghzadeh Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedical, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Gholamreza Khamisipour Department of Hematology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Sina Dobaradaran Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Fatemeh Faraji Ghasemi Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Bahram Ahmadi Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedical, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/cmm.7.2.7035

Keywords: Beta-tubulin Bushehr Penicillium

Abstract

Background and Purpose: The main environmental saprobes, such as Penicillium, play an essential role in natural ecosystems as economically, ecologically, and medically important microorganisms. Biodiversity of this genus has not been described in Bushehr city, Iran. The present study is based on air biodiversity of Penicillium species on culture dependent approach and culture-independent technique using partial b-tubulin sequences.

Materials and Methods: By using active sampling with a high volume air sampler, a total of 157 Penicillium isolates were selected and screened for phenotypic characters. For the purposes of the study, 46 strains representative of 11 morphological species were selected and identified by molecular analysis.

Results: Based on the findings, P. crustosum (18 isolates, 39.1%) and P. chrysogenum (15 isolates, 32.6%) were the most common isolated species, followed by P. brevicompactum, P. rubens, P. citrinum, P. italicum (each 2 isolates, 4.3%), P. olsonii, P. expansum, P. griseofulvum, P. palitans, and P. polonicum (each 1 isolate, 2.1%).Except for P. chrysogenum and P. expansum with floccose colony texture, the rest of the isolated species had velutinous texture.

Conclusion: This is the first report in southern Iran to identify a large number of Penicillium strains isolated from air samples, showing P. crustosum and P. chrysogenum as the most common isolated species.