SAPROPHYTIC AND KERATINOLYTIC FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH ANIMALS HAIR FROM RIYADH, SAUDI-ARABIA

Hair samples from different animals collected from different sites in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were examined for the presence of saprophytic and keratinolytic fungi. Fifty-one specimens were examined of which 19 were from rabbits, 13 from sheeps, 12 from camels and 7 from horses. Forty-eight species and one variety which belong to 24 genera were collected during this investigation. The most common genera were Aspergillus and Chrysosporium. In low frequency, members of the genera Thermoascus, Scopulariopsis, Alternaria, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Botryotrichum, Fusarium, Ulocladium and keratinophilic fungi of the genera Microsporum, Trichophyton and Arthroderma were also recovered.