Twenty-one Aspergillus strains representing different
A. awamori, A. phoenicis and A. foetidus isolates
were studied in order to explore
the potential of a fast RFLP analysis to identify fungal strains. The patterns
were compared with those characteristic for A. niger,
A. tubingensis, A. carbonarius, A. japonicus
and
A. aculeatus represented by A. niger CBS 120.49,
A. tubingensis NW 756, A. carbonarius
CBS 111.26, A japonicus CBS 114.51 and A. aculeatus CBS
101.43
and also with those of the type strains of A. heteromorphus CBS
117.55 and A. ellipticus CBS 707.79.
Sma I digested chromosomal DNA revealed characteristic rDNA
patterns after ethidium bromide staining which were used in
combination with hybridization patterns of Pst I/Sal
I
double digested chromosomal DNA with well-defined probes. This allowed
clear distinction of eight separate species within the Aspergillus
sect. Nigri group. The probes used were a 0·9 kb fragment
of the
28S rDNA from Agaricus bisporus, an internal fragment of the
pkiA gene from A. nidulans, and the pelA gene
from
A. niger. All the
strains examined including those indicated as A. awamori and
A. phoenicis were shown to belong either to A. niger,
A. tubingensis or a
group representing isolates of A. foetidus varieties, amongst
which
A. foetidus var. acidus CBS 564.65 and A. foetidus
var. pallidus CBS 565.65.