Survey of human pathogenic actinomycetes and fungi in soil from Rome and other Italian areas

As part of a study sponsored by the Ministry of Health of Italy, a research program on pathogenic actinomycetes, keratinophilic and pathogenic fungi in soil was carried out. Two hundred soil samples, collected from different areas of the city of Rome, Calabria, Emilia Romagna, Latium, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria, were examined by several techniques to detect the widest possible variety of pathogenic actinomycetes and fungi. Seven isolates of Nocardia asteroides, four of Actinomadura madurae and one of Nocardiopsis dassonvillei were isolated for the first time from soil in Italy. In addition, numerous isolates of Petriellidium boydii, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger and keratinophilic fungi of the genera Microsporum, Trichophyton and Chrysosporium were also recovered.