The isolation of pathogenic fungi and actinomycetes from soil in Egypt

140 soil samples from the Assiut governorate were examined for pathogenic fungi and actinomycetes. The paraffin-bait technique and a modified sodium citrate-utilizing procedure were used for recovery of Nocardia strains. Five isolations of N. brasiliensis were made by the sodium citrate method while 3 isolates were obtained by the other method. N. gypsoides was isolated for the first time, only the the modified method. It appears that the latter method suppresses to a great extent the growth of saprophytic fungi, hence increasing the possibility of the isolation of Nocardia spp. The effect of keratin enrichment on the isolation of dermatophytes from soil by the hair-bait technique was also investigated. Pretreatment of samples with dog hair or feathers increased the yield of isolates of Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton terrestre and to a lesser extent, T. mentagrophytes, M. canis was recovered from soil only after its enrichment with dog hair. It is suggested that enrichment with other forms of keratinous material, either separately or in combination, might increase the recovery of keratinophilic fungi from soil.