Ecological and physiological studies on fungi associated with human hair

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Abstract
Thirty-seven species attributed to 19 genera of keratinophilie fungi were recovered from 100 human hair samples collected from the Assiut governorate. The generaAspergillus followed byPenicillium andChrysosporium were frequently isolated from 65, 43 and 30% of the samples respectively. Fifteen species and 13 genera of thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi (recovered at 45°C) were identified. The thermotolerantAspergillus fumigatus was frequently encountered and emerged from 82% of the samples. Thirteen isolates of keratinophilie and 20 isolates of thermophilic fungi were tested for lipolytic and proteolytic activities. All the keratinophilic fungi showed lipolytic and proteolytic activities while 100 and 85% of the thermophilie fungi showed lipolytic and proteolytic activities. Using the paper-disc plate method, 12 types of shampoos and oils were tested for their antifungal activities on 42 strains of keratinophilic and thermophilic or thermotolerant fungi. Three out of four types of shampoo proved to be highly effective against all the test fungi. The authors are deeply indebted to Prof. Dr. I.A. El-Kady (Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University) for valuable help.