AN UNUSUAL FACULTATIVELY ANAEROBIC FILAMENTOUS FUNGUS ISOLATED UNDER PROLONGED ENRICHMENT CULTURE CONDITIONS

The use of prolonged enrichment culture conditions has led to the isolation of a facultatively anaerobic, filamentous fungus. The organism has a fermentative metabolism and produces ethanol at high levels under anaerobic conditions, Radial growth rates on different media are only slightly reduced under anaerobic conditions although biomass production is significantly impaired. The identity of the organism remains unclear although it produces hyaline, amerospores from simple phialides under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.