Occurrence of Arthroderma gloriae, a geophilic, keratinophilic ascomycete, in Italy

The first European isolate of Arthroderma gloriae was recovered from one of 81 soil samples taken from a wheat field in the Lombardy region of Italy. A mixture of human and horse hair, as well as chicken feathers, were used as bait. The isolate was identified on the basis of its gross and microscopic features and successful mating with a "-" tester strain of A. gloriae. The geographic distribution of this apparently rare keratinophilic fungus is reviewed.