Microfungal diversity in the swash zone interstitial water (SZIW) of three Ligurian urban beaches (NW, Italy)

Abstract

Microfungal species abundance and specific composition of three urban beaches near Genoa (Liguria, NW Italy) in the swash zone interstitial water (SZIW) were evaluated. These beaches are characterized by a high presence of tourists. The investigation was carried out in order to: i) characterize the beach SZIWs microfungal diversity; ii) evaluate the presence of potential pathogenic and/or allergenic fungi for human; iii) investigate the influence of biotic and abiotic parameters on fungal species distribution. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected during April, July and September 2013. On the whole, 1,157 Morphological Taxonomic Units (MTUs), belonging to 52 taxa, were identified. Among these 52 taxa, 45% were common to all three beaches. The majority of them were saprotrophic species. Several opportunistic (mainly belonging to genus Aspergillus) and allergenic (such as Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Mucor, etc) fungi were found. Moreover several colonies of pathogenic species Aspergillus niger were found. Concerning the quantitative results, only the month (sampling period) seems to affect the amount of MTUs.