Fungal diversity on decorative paints of India

Decorative coating paint films are susceptible to the microbial attack. Microbes adhere to the surface of film and deteriorate the dry film that destructs the aesthetic and film properties of paint films. The present study divulges the paint deteriorating fungal diversity at different geographical regions of India. The swab samples were collected from fungal-ridden paint films at nine different geographical regions of India and 42 fungi were isolated through conventional approaches. Fungal isolates were identified basis standard macro morphological characteristics like colony texture, color, margin, elevation on Sabouraud dextrose agar plate and micro morphological characteristics like hyphal structure, spore and conidiophore arrangement. Total 42 fungal isolates were identified and categorized to 8 different genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Tritirachium, Nigrospora, Nodulisporium and Paecilomyces. It was observed that 52% of isolates belong to the genera Aspergillus, 14% belongs to genera Cladosporium and 14% belongs to genera Penicillium. Other isolates from genera Alternaria (7%), Paecilomyces (4%), Tritirachium (3%), Nigrosporium (3%) and Nodulisporium (3%) were the least ones on paint films across different regions of India.