Opportunistic fungi of coastal territories of the Kola bay of the Barents sea

Data on species diversity of microscopic fungi isolated from the coastal territories substrates of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea and their potential pathogenicity are presented. Among the 34 species of micromycetes belonging to the genera Acremonium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Isaria, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Purpureocillium of the Asco-mycota division, 23 species were found in the Belokamenka and 25 species – in the Kola settlement. Common were 14 species of microscopic fungi belonging to the genera Acremonium, Aspergillus, Isaria, Trichoderma, Penicillium. Тwenty four species (71% of total amount of isolated species) belonged to the group of potentially pathogenic fungi. 21% of the fungi species from them dominated in abundance in Belokamenka: Acremonium charticola, Isaria farinosа, Penicillium aurantiogriseum st. 1, P. simplicissimum st. 1, Talaromyces purpureogenus, Trichoderma viride st. 1. In the Kola settlement, 15% of the species of potentially pathogenic fungi were dominant: Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium decumbens, P. spinulosum st. 1, P. aurantiogriseum st. 1., Trichoderma viride st. 2. According to the results of evaluating the protease and phospholipase activity of fungi and growth ability at 37°C, seven strains had three pathogenicity factors. Aspergillus flavus st. 1, A. flavus st. 2, A. niger, Talaromyces purpureogenus, P. glabrum, P. simplicissimum st. 2, Isaria farinosa. In the harsh climatic conditions of the North, these species can pose a potential threat to human health such as invasions at the cellular and tissue level. © 2021 Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.