A Growth of Some Fungi Using Water Vapour:A New and Costless Method

Abstract

10 ml of demineralized water were kept in a 50 ml plastic container with a tight plastic cap (PCC 14 DR U.S.A). A small round bamboo wood (2mm-diameter, 3.5 cm length) was broken by bending with the clean hands on both ends in order to make it fit into the upper part of the container. The bamboo wood was placed inside the container above the water level about 4 cm prior to the cap was in its position. It was kept in the room temperature varying from 26-30°C during the daytime and 24-26°C at night. The white and yellow hyphae of fungi were seen along side of each bamboo wood 3 day after experiment. Interestingly, one of them inhabited separately on each middle-half of the wood. Then at one additional day, the black spores were seen on the top end of the white hyphae half; whereas none was seen on the yellow half. However, after sterilization of the bamboo with a hot-air oven (120 °C) 30 min, then the same process as above was performed. There was no fungal growth on the stick after 14-day incubation. The growth of the fungi which inhabit on the bamboo could be due to a suitable environment (the humidity and the of nutrient, the cellulose from the bamboo). This finding is applied to identify the existence of fungi in the wooden toothpick and is currently used to test the killing action of some antifungal antiseptics.